Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Note on Transliteration and Style -- Introduction -- Chapter One Approaching Jāmī's Salāmān va Absāl as a Perso-Islamic Book of Advice for Rulers -- The Narrative Context of Salāmān va Absāl -- The Provenance of the Salāmān and Absāl Allegory -- Ibn Sīnā's Version of the Allegory -- Salāmān and Absāl in Ḥayy ibn Yaqẓān -- Coded Speech: The Overall Power of Allegory -- Salāmān va Absāl, an Esoteric Mirror for Princes -- Salāmān va Absāl and the Masnavī of Rūmī -- The Historical Significance of Salāmān va Absāl -- Overview of the Primary Sources -- Salāmān va Absāl by Jāmī -- Other Persian Poetry Addressed to Yaʻqūb -- Official Court Chronicles and General Histories -- Hagiographies and Biographical Works -- Literary Anthologies -- Letters of Personal Correspondence -- Statement of Purpose -- Chapter Two Political Advice for Rulers and Mystical Guidance for Sufis in Salāmān Va Absāl -- The Perso-Islamic Tradition of Advice and Advice Literature -- Political Advice for Muslim Rulers in Salāmān va Absāl -- Being the Shadow of God on Earth -- On Heeding the Prayers of the Sufis -- Implicit Spiritual Advice for Rulers and Sufi Mystics -- Advice on Illuminating the Intellect -- The Role of Repentance in Attaining Mystical Enlightenment -- Advice on Subduing the Carnal Soul -- Chapter Three The Religious and Political Influences of Sufis at the Āq Qoyūnlū Courts of Ūzūn Ḥasan and Yaʻqūb -- Dervishes, Sufi Mystics, and the Political Legitimacy of Ūzūn Ḥasan -- The Role of the Akhlāq-i Jalālī -- Khalvatī Influence on Āq Qoyūnlū Affairs -- Shaikh Ibrāhīm Gulshanī at the Court of Yaʻqūb -- Naqshbandīs at the Āq Qoyūnlū Court, Tabriz, and Its Environs -- The Murder of Darvīsh Qāsim -- The Spiritual Relationship between Jāmī and Yaʻqūb.

Chapter Four Poetry at the Court of Yaʻqūb and its Background in Establishing an Historical Context for Salāmān va Absāl -- Literary Activities in Āq Qoyūnlū Tabriz -- Jāmī, the "Āq Qoyūnlū Poet" -- The Hasht Bihisht and Its Roster of "Lesser-known" Āq Qoyūnlū Poets -- Qāżī ʻĪsā Sāvajī: Reform-Minded Vazīr, Poet, and Ill-fated Lover -- Qāżī ʻĪsā's Banishment from Court and His Tell-tale Poetry -- Glimpses of Yaʻqūb and His Troubles -- Brotherly Discord in the Āq Qoyūnlū Household -- Salāmān va Absāl as Art Imitating Life -- Chapter Five A Theosopical Interpretation of Salāmān va Absāl and Its Relevance to its Historical Setting -- Salāmān va Absāl and the Masnavī of Rūmī -- Love and the Imprint of the Theosophy of Ibn al-ʻArabī -- Aspects of the Visionary Experience in Salāmān va Absāl -- Salāmān va Absāl as an Historical Allegory -- Symbols of Yaʻqūb and His Court in Salāmān va Absāl -- Allusions to Naqshbandī Spiritual Techniques in Salāmān va Absāl -- The Date of Completion of Salāmān va Absāl -- Conclusion -- Conclusion -- Appendix One Jāmī's Epistolary Reply to Yaʻqūb -- Translation -- Appendix Two Salāmān va Absāl -- Translation -- Bibliography -- Index.