How long does it take to read Haft Paykar?
Niẓāmī Ganjavī
Haft Paykar by Niẓāmī Ganjavī takes about 6 hours 11 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.
About 6 hours 11 minutes
A weekend read
First published 1934. 337 pages, about 92,675 words.
13 days at 30 minutes a day
Estimate based on 275 words per page.
At other speeds
| Slow, 150 words a minute | 10 hours 18 minutes |
| Average, 250 words a minute | 6 hours 11 minutes |
| Fast, 400 words a minute | 3 hours 52 minutes |
The page count is the median across 8 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.
About the book
The Haft Paykar is one of the great works of Persian literature. Completed in 1197 by the Persian poet Nizami of Ganja, it is an allegorical romance of great beauty and depth, and its central theme of self-knowledge as the path to human perfection is conveyed in rich and vivid imagery and complex symbolism. It tells the story of the Sassanian ruler Bahram V Gur and of his spiritual progress. He is guided towards wisdom and moral enlightenment by the seven tales of love told to him by his brides, the Princesses of the Seven Climes. Each tale depicts a love-quest which ends sometimes in failure, more often in fulfilment, as desire is guided by virtue. Haft Paykar means 'Seven Images/Portraits/Beauties', and it refers to the seven princesses, their seven tales, and the seven planets.
Subjects: Poetry, Poetry (poetic works by one author), Persian poetry, Middle Ages, Romances
