TheSadd-i Iskandarī (Alexander's Wall) was composed byAli-Shir Nava'i (1441–1501) in the second half of the fifteenth century. It is the only rendition of theAlexander Romance inChagatai Turkish. Alexander legends did exist in other forms of Turkish though, such asTaceddin Ahmedi'sIskendername.[1][2]
The name of Nava'i's work is a reminder of the story ofDhu al-Qarnayn, whom Nava'i believes to beAlexander the Great. As described in theQuran, Dhu al-Qarnayn (Alexander) is entrusted by God to build a wall sealing away the apocalyptic tribesGog and Magog. The text proceeds in four main parts:[3]
TheSadd-i Iskandari was a section of a larger text that acted as the equivalent of Nava'i's own version ofNizami Ganjavi'sKhamsa. More specifically, theSadd-i Iskandari was his version of Nizami'sIskandarnameh, and it was composed in the same meter (mutaqārib) as Nizami's. Nava'i composed his text roughly the same time, though slightly after, thePersian poetJami completed his ownKherad-nâme (Book of Alexandrian Intelligence), which influenced Nava'i's text. The two poets had a close relationship, and Nava'i was the disciple of Jami. In Nava'i's ownKhamsa, he acknowledges the influence of his teacher in the prologue of eachmathnawi.[3]