Hafiz is the pen name of a Persian poet, Xaja Shams-ud-Din Mohammed Hafez-e Shirazi, whose works are regarded by many Iranians as the finest in Persian literature. He is considered the most important influence on post-14th century Persian writing. Although his poems are the subject of much analysis and commentary, little is known about the details of his life. He was born in Shiraz, Iran in 1315. He memorized the Quran at an early age and was given the title of Hafiz, which means “guardian” or “one who has memorized the Quran”. After the death of his father, he left school and worked as a baker before becoming a poet at the court of Abu Ishak. Throughout his life He was supported in his work by patronage from several local regimes. He seems to have fallen out of favor with Shar Shuja for mocking inferior poets and was forced to flee Shiraz. (The shah, himself a poet, and may have taken personal offense).  His work was widely acclaimed throughout the Islamic world in his lifetime, spawning imitators, and he received offer of patronage from Baghdad to India. Twenty years after his death in 1390 a tomb was erected in his honor in the Musalla Gardens in Shiraz. Upgraded in the 1930s, it is set on a dais and surrounded by rose gardens and is usually crowded with visitors who sing and recite their favorite Hafiz poems in a festive manner. To this day Hafiz remains the most popular Persian poet.