Utopian text of the poem “Iskander nameh” by Nizami

The article focuses on the humanistic ideals of Nizami Ganjavi, reflecting his philosophical and ethical ideas of an ideal society and perfect power. The “internal” plot of “Iskander Nameh” - about the stay of Iskander (the eastern name of Alexander the Great) in a fertile country - is a utopian text in which Nizami’s views on the organization of society and the role of the ruler in it are most systematically presented. The hero of Nizami’s poem is a ruler who is concerned with the search for a just social order. The article discusses the textual factors of the plot of this work, comparing them with the accepted in the European tradition and used by the predecessors of Nizami, in particular, Firdovsi. It is emphasized that in the analyzed poem the oriental tradition develops in accordance with the poet’s and thinker’s philosophical and ethical views on the role of the ruler and just social relations in social life.