Masnavi, or Mathnawi, is the name of a poem written in rhyming couplets, or more specifically, "a poem based on independent, internally rhyming lines". Most Mathnawi followed a meter of eleven, or occasionally ten, syllables, but had no limit in their length. The Mathnawi consists of an indefinite number of couplets, with the rhyme scheme aa/bb/cc. Mathnawi have been written in Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and Urdu cultures.

Turkish Mat_hnawi
Turkish mathnawi began developing in the 8th/14th century. Persian Mathnawi influenced Turkish authors, so many Turkish Mathnawi (at first) were creative translations and adaptations of Persian Mathnawi. The oldest known Turkish mathnawi is a didactic poem called Kutadgu Bilig.

Turkish Mathnawi are strongly driven by their plot, and are usually categorized into three genre; namely Mutakarib (heroic), Ramal (religion/didactic), and Hazadj (romantic). Some Mat_h_nawi were written with an understanding that the audience would appreciate the importance of the subject of the poem, but some were also written purely for entertainment purposes.

Mat_h_nawi remained prominent in Turkish literature until the end of the Ottoman Empire, when it began to transform into more conversational and rhetorical literature. Few Turkish Mat_hnawis have been translated into a modern language.

Urdu Mat_hnawi
Urdu Mat_hnawi is usually divided into three categories- early, middle, and late. Early Urdu Mat_h_nawi began in the 11th or 17th century. In the beginning of this period, many Mat_h_nawi were religious in nature, but then grew to include romantic, heroic, and even secular stories. Early Urdu Mat_h_nawi was influenced by Deccani literature, as well as Persian Mat_h_nawi. Because of this influence, many early Urdu Mat_h_nawis were translations of Persian Mat_h_nawi, although there are some original early Urdu Mat_h_nawis.

Middle Urdu Mat_h_nawi became prominent in the 12th/18th century, when Urdu literature broke away from the Dakkani tradition. In the 12th/18th century, romantic Mat_h_nawi became very popular. Another new convention that appeared in middle Urdu Mat_h_nawi was authors using their own personal experiences as a subject for their poem.

Modern Urdu Mat_h_nawi began in the 13th/19th century, during a time of literary reform. Mat_h_nawi as a whole became much shorter, and the traditional meters stopped being observed. These Mat_h_nawi dealt more with everyday subjects, as well as providing a medium for children`s poetry.