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The Khamseh, meaning "The Quintuplet," is a collection of five long epic poems written by the Persian poet Nezami in the rhyming couplet form known as masnavi. Composed around 1209, this influential work inspired many other poets to write their own khamseh collections.12

The five poems within Nezami's Khamseh include:
* Makhzan ol-asrar (The Treasury of Mysteries): A didactic work.12
* Three traditional love stories: Khosrow o-Shirin (Khosrow and Shirin), Leyli o-Mejnun (The Story of Layla and Majnun), and Haft paykar (The Seven Beauties), considered his masterpiece.12
* Eskandar-nameh (The Book of Alexander the Great): Recounting the adventures of Alexander the Great.12

Nezami's work is celebrated for its romantic epic style, colloquialism, and realistic approach within Persian literature.2

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