The article provides a literary analysis of the maqams of Hamidaddin Balkhi, examining the features of his individual style, narrative structure and social context. Particular attention is paid to artistic devices—rhythmic prose (saj') and the lexical richness of the text—which bring Hamidaddin's work closer to the traditions of Arabic prose. The work's ambiguous reception by the writer's contemporaries, as well as by modern researchers who point to its combination of entertaining and moral-social motives, is analyzed. An important aspect of the study is the identification of elements of social criticism, manifested in subtle irony and moralizing motives directed against social vices - hypocrisy, ignorance and social inequality. The specifics of the maqam genre are revealed in the context of Eastern literature and the significance of the work as a cultural and literary monument is emphasized.
Maqāma, Hamidaddin Balkhi, Eastern literature, narrative style, saj‘, social critique, artistic devices, narrative structure, Arabic prose, literary analysis
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