Abstract

The story of Alexander the Great and his world-conquering during history and then changing this cruel face into an ideal face have drawn the attention of lots of critics from a long time ago. Nezāmi used this story to express his wise thinking. Amir khosro Dehlavi, as a first taunt-teller of Khamseh, put Alexander’s story into verse in Ᾱyineh-Eskandary. The necessity of doing this study is that despite lots of mystical manifestation in this story, no studies have been done on this issue yet.
The current study, using a descriptive-analytic approach, investigates the mystical dimensions of Alexander’s story in respect of his two-faceted character in the history and legend. Finally, it is concluded that Amir khosro Dehlavi mostly used the parts of the story which have more conceptual capacity to nourish the mystical meanings. On the one hand, the wicked and warmonger character of Alexander at the beginning of the story is the symbol of a materialistic person on the other hand, his war with Khāqān is a fighting with the soul. Alexander, passing through the stages by the help of Soroush, Khezr and Elyās (symbols of spiritual leaders), reaches to the sea of knowledge and awareness. Alexander’s voyage - affected by Manteq-al-tayr by Attar – shows seven steps of approaching to the most high. Alexander passes through two steps of claim and love in land, and two steps of satisfaction and awareness in sea reaches the land of wonders. At last, guided by Soroush, he is led to a scrutiny of his own ideal being. This point is completely mystical and is indicative of monotheism. Thus, Alexander’s death is reaching to morality step to reach to God.