Hakīm Abul-Qāsim Firdawsī Tūsī (most commonly known as Ferdowsi also spelled as Firdausi or Firdusi; 940 – 1020 CE), is a highly revered Persian poet.

He is the author of the Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran and the Persian-speaking world.

The Shahnameh is originally composed by Ferdowsi for the princes of the Samanid dynasty, who are responsible for a revival of Persian cultural traditions after the Arab invasion of Persia in the seventh century.

After the fall of the Samanids, he dedicates his work to the new ruler, Mahmud of Ghazni, who is also a great patron of Persian arts and literature.

The Shahnameh chronicles the legendary history of the pre-Islamic kings of Iran from Keyumars to Yazdegerd III.

Ferdowsi spends over three decades (from 977 to 1010) working on the Shahnameh, which will become one of the most influential works of Persian literature.