Qalandariyyat as a subgenre of mystical ghazal (with an emphasis on a ghazal by Sanā'ī)

“Studies of Qalandariyyat predominantly employ two main approaches. The first is an interpretative approach, where symbolic images that appear unconventional and contrary to religious norms within these poems are interpreted and elucidated as mystical signs. The second is the historical approach, in which these poems are examined primarily from a social perspective and in relation to the cultural and political currents of the Islamic medieval period. Among these, what has been overlooked in the study of this type of poetry is the understanding of the poetics or the poetics of Qalandariyyat and its function within the framework of early Persian genres. This research addresses the issue of how Qalandariyyat constructs its heterotopic poetics through dialogue and parodic simulation with ascetic poetry (Zuhdiyat) and eulogistic poetry (Madhiyat), representing and explaining the carnivalistic aspects of this type of poetry with an emphasis on a ghazal by Sanā'ī. The investigations revealed that Qalandariyyat operates as an anti-genre within the Persian genre system; however, this opposition cannot be summarized within a single and simple framework. Instead, the broad category of Qalandariyyat, multiple diverse subcategories reside, which highlights the complexity and dynamism of the early literary genre system of Persian poetry, especially Qalandariyyat.