THE TRADITIONS OF FRIENDSHIP AND MENTORSHIP IN THE LITERARY HERITAGE OF ALISHER NAVOI AND ABDURAHMAN JAMI

This article explores the conceptual and historical dimensions of friendship and the teacher-disciple (ustoz-shogird) tradition through the classical literary relationship between Alisher Navoi and Abdurahman Jami. Based on primary textual evidence from works such as Khamsat ul-Mutahayyirin, Bahoriston, and their respective Khamsa cycles, the study examines how these two giants of Eastern Renaissance literature institutionalized mentorship as a spiritual and creative alliance. Utilizing historical-comparative and textological analysis, the paper highlights the cross-cultural synthesis of Chagatai Turkic and Persian literary schools. The qualitative analysis demonstrates that their relationship bypassed mere socio-political alignment, creating a timeless ethical model embedded in Islamic mysticism (Sufism).