Nizami Ganjavi was born in 1141 in the city of Ganja, Azerbaijan. From his works we understand that he was also educated in his hometown; in those times, Ganja certainly offered sufficient opportunities for a reasonable education. From the Khamsa we learn that his name was Ilyas, his father was Yusif, and his grandfather was Zaki Muayyad. Scholars believe that one of his grandfather’s names was a pseudonym, suggesting that the poet grew up in a family of status and respect. The poet himself used only the penname Nizami in his works. The word means a person concerned with measured words, with verse, in other words, a poet.