The earliest period in the history of Sindh in which some compositions in Persian poetry by the foreign settlers in this province can be traced, is the thirteenth century- the period of the Soomra Kings. Many rulers were poets of great repute themselves. The Talpur rulers were all followers of the Shia faith. He composed many marsia (elegies), rubais, qasidas (monody) etc. Mian Sarfraz was a great Persian poet himself. He also encouraged Persian poets and many Persian poets from Isfahan and Shiraz came to become his court poets. Later on, his son Mian Sarfraz became the new king of Sindh. When they came back to Sindh, one of the princes Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro who later on became ruler of Sindh encouraged Persian scholars and fixed stipends for them. During their stay in Iran, they were influenced by Iranian culture and religion.
When Nadir Shah invaded India and Sindh, he took along with him three Kalhora princes of Sindh to Mashhad, Iran. During these periods, direct relationship was established with the rulers of Iran and many poets came and became the court poets of Sindhi kings. However, it was during the reigns of the Kalhoras (1700-1783) and Talpurs (1783-1843) when the Persian poetry attained its height. The Persian poets also flourished during the reigns of Arghuns (1520-1555), Tarkhans (1555-1590) and the Mughals (1590-1700) rulers of Sindh. The interaction of Sindhi scholars with Persian scholars opened the new vistas in the spheres of poetry and history. However, it was during the Soomra period (1055-1350) that the earliest Persian poetry by foreign settlers is traced. Later in the Samma period (the rulers of Sindh) (1350-1520), learning the Persian language was greatly valued in Sindh and the Persian scholars acquired higher status in Sindhi society. Much before the foray of Nadir Shah into Sindh, during the Ghaznavid dynasty Persian scholars made its way into Sindh.
Right from the Achaemenians, Sassanians, Parthians to Nadir Shah’s time, Persian art and culture influenced the Sindhi society to a great extent. Sindh, the southern province of Pakistan, remained under the Persian rule for many centuries. Keywords: Sindhi language, Sindhi literature, Shayda Isfahani, Imam Mahdi Introduction Lastly, I have also discussed how this theme of Imam Mahdi in Sindhi poetry became agents of change thus converting many to Shai faith. I have also described and discussed the names of those who have composed poetry about Imam Mahdi. This theme of Imam Mahdi became a predominant theme for later period poets. Secondly, when direct relationships were established in the 18 th and 19 th centuries with Iran, Persian poets came directly from Iran and introduced another theme of Imam Mahdi in both Sindhi and Persian poetry of Sindh. These two themes were main topics for Sindhi poets. The main themes during these centuries borrowed from Persian poets were the veneration of Imam Ali and the tragedy of Karbala.
This paper discusses the themes that Persian poets introduced in Sindh during the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventh centuries and how they were incorporated in Sindhi poetry by Sindhi poets. Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) Islamabad, Pakistan