Makhzan ol-Asrar

Makhzan ol-Asrar
by Nizami Ganjavi
Miniature from an illustrated manuscript of Makhzan ol-Asrar, depicting a visit to a dervish
Original titleمخزن‌الاسرار
TranslatorGholam H. Darab
LanguagePersian
Subject(s)
  • self-knowledge
  • theology
  • mysticism
Publication date12th century

Makhzan ol-Asrar or Makhzan al-Asrar (Persian: مخزن‌الاسرار, lit.'The treasury of mysteries') is a famous mathnawi poem by the Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi (1141–1209). It is the first of Nizami's five long poems known collectively as the Khamsa. It is a didactic and philosophical work consisting of about 2,250 Persian distichs. It was completed when Nizami was forty years old, and since then it has been considered one of the most important poetic and written works in Persian literature.