Mawlawi Tawagozi

Mawlawi Tawagozi, pen name Maʿdumi, better known as Mawlawi, was a Kurdish poet and leading Kurdish literary figure in the 19th century. He wrote in Gorani, Arabic, and Persian. Mawlawi was born in a village in Paveh County in Iran into a family of notable theologians. His father, Mollā Saʿid, was the headmaster of a madrasa in Kurdistan. Mawlawi himself attended various madrasas and completed his studies. After his studies, he became a Mullah near Halabja. He had been interested in Sufism for a while and joined the Naqshbandi order. He received support from local Sufi Sheikhs and fostered close relations with the Jaff tribe and the Ardalan state. His wife, Ḵātun ʿAnbar, died before him, and he wrote many poems about the pain of losing her. In the final years of his life, his library burnt down, and he was blind for the last seven years of his life. He died falling off a horse near Halabja. Mawlawi was a prolific writer, and his favorite genre was the ghazal. He was influenced by especially Hafez but also Rumi, whom he knew since childhood, but remained loyal to the Gorani literary traditions.