ABSTRACT
Political advice literature is regarded as forming an integral part of court culture in the Muslim world. This genre—which is often referred to as “mirrors for princes”—was certainly widespread in Arab and Persian Islamic cultures. Over the centuries many such counselling works were composed anew. In most cases these texts were written for one particular ruler. Since advice literature addresses the sovereign directly, these works are deliberately placed in close proximity with the ruler. In this sense, political advice literature has a clear role in courtly life.
