He was the unique of the age (nadera-ye zaman) and a prodigy of the world (o'juba-ye jahan). These are the first words with which Dowlatshah Samarqandi begins the notice he devotes to Hafez in his Tazkerat al-sho'ara in 1486. Then he adds: 'His excellence (fazilat) and his perfection (kamal) are endless and the art of poetry is unworthy of his rank. He is incomparable in the science of Qur'an and he is illustrious in the sciences of the exoteric (zaher) and the esoteric (baten).' Although Hafez died in 1389, his poetry was widely celebrated one century later, as shown by Dowlatshah's eulogy. Reflective of the poet's importance in later Timurid culture were the many sumptuous court objects, such as the several types of drinking vessels that were inscribed with his verses. Undoubtedly, Hafez's verses contributed to shaping the poetry of this era. In a period that has been described as the pinnacle of imitational poetry, Hafez's ghazals were among the most imitated. Specifically, his poetry influenced two of the major poets of the Timurid Empire: Nur al-Din 'Abd al-Rahman Jami (1414-1492) and Mir 'Ali-Shir Nava'i (1441-1501).