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The Persian Book of Kings An Epitome of The Shahnama of Firdawsi 0700716181 9780700716180 Compress
The Persian Book of Kings An Epitome of The Shahnama of Firdawsi 0700716181 9780700716180 Compress
The Persian Book of Kings An Epitome of The Shahnama of Firdawsi 0700716181 9780700716180 Compress
B.W. ROBINSON
Q Routledge
Taylor & Francis Croup
LONDON AND NEW YORK
First Published in 2002
by RoutledgeCurzon
I T H E PISHD AD IA N DYNASTY 11
R E IG N OF G A Y U M A R T H 11
R E I G N OF H U S H A N G 11
R E I G N OF T A H M U R A T H 12
R E I G N OF JA M SH ID 13
The Splendour o f Jamshid 13
The Tyranny o f Zahhak 13
The Coming o f Faridun 15
R E I G N OF F A R I D U N 16
Faridun & his Three Sons 16
R E IG N OF M IN U C H I H R 18
Zal & Rudaba 18
Birth & Early Exploits of Rustam 20
R E I G N S O F N A W D A R , ZAV & G A R S H A S P 21
War with Turan 21
V ll
viii T H E P E R S I A N B O O K OF K I N G S
II T H E KAYANIAN DY NA STY 23
R E I G N O F KAY Q U B A D 23
Rustam's Quest for Kay Qubad 23
R E I G N O F KAY K A ’US 24
Disaster in Mazandaran 24
R ustam ’s Seven Stages 26
Wars of Kay K a ’us 30
The Flying Machine 31
R ustam ’s Raid 32
Rustam & Suhrab 32
The Tragedy of Siyawush 36
Birth o f Kay Khusraw 40
Revenge for Siyawush 41
Finding of Kay Khusraw 41
Abdication of Kay K a ’us 43
R E I G N O F KAY K H U S R A W 43
Tragedy of Farud 43
Persian Reverses 45
Second Expedition: Continuing Reverses 46
Rustam to the Rescue 47
R ustam ’s Overthrow of Kamus, the Khaqan, and Others 48
Successful Termination o f the Campaign 50
Rustam & the Demon Akw an 51
Bizhan & M anizha 53
Battle of the Twelve Rukhs 57
Afrasiyab’s Last Campaign 60
Capture & Execution of Afrasiyab 63
The Last Days of Kay Khusraw 65
R E I G N OF L U H R A S P 65
Gushtasp in R um 65
R E I G N OF GUSHTASP 68
The Prophet Zoroaster 68
Vicissitudes of Isfandiyar 69
Isfandiyar’s Seven Stages 70
Rustam & Isfandiyar 74
Death of Rustam 76
R E I G N OF B A H M A N 78
R E I G N OF Q U E E N HUMAY 78
C O N T E N T S ix
R E I G N OF DARAB 79
Birth o f Iskandar 79
R E I G N OF DARA 79
R E I G N OF ISK AN DA R 79
Iskandar in India 79
Iskandar & Queen Qaydafa 81
Further Travels & Death of Iskandar 83
III T H E A SH K A N IA N DYNASTY 87
R E I G N OF A R D A W A N 88
Rise o f Ardashir 88
IV T H E SASANIAN DYNASTY 91
R E I G N OF A R D A S H IR I 91
The Worm of Kerman 91
Birth of Shapur 93
Shapur & the Daughter of Mihrak 94
R E I G N OF S H A P U R I 94
R E I G N S O F H U R M U Z D I, B A H R A M I,
B A H R A M II, B A H R A M III, N A R S I
& H U R M U Z D II 95
R E I G N O F S H A P U R II 96
War with the Arabs 96
Shapur in R um 96
Mani 97
R E I G N S O F A R D A S H I R II, S H A P U R III
& B A H R A M IV 97
R E I G N OF YA ZDA GIRD I 98
Arabian Education of Prince Bahram 98
Mysterious Death of Yazdagird 99
R E I G N OF B A H R A M V (BA HRA M G U R ) 100
Bahram Wins the Crown 100
Anecdotes of Bahram Gur 100
1 The Water-Carrier & the Jew 100
2 Ban on Wine-Drinking 102
3 The Deserted Village 103
4 The Miller’s Daughters 104
5 The Treasures of Jamshid 104
x TH E PER SIA N B O O K OF KINGS
Notes 147
Table o f the Kings in the Shahnama 153
Select Bibliography 155
Index 157
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LIST OF
ILLUSTRATIONS
XV
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PREFACE
X V ll
xviii T H E P E R S I A N B O O K OF K I N G S
these differ so widely in date, size and style that in order to preserve
continuity I thought it preferable to follow the style o f a Persian
manuscript by presenting a hom ogeneous group o f illustrations to
accompany the narrative, rather than a selection o f disparate
masterpieces to divert the connoisseur. The only exception is the
frontispiece, which is in the same basic style as the rest, and only
slightly later in date, b u t is considerably larger and m ore
sophisticated. I consider that it contains the finest representation of
the national hero in the w hole o f Persian art and is probably an early
w ork o f the great master Sultan M uham m ad.1
B.W. R obinson
X V lll
INTRODUCTION
1
2 TH E PER SIA N B O O K OF KINGS
pre-Islamic Persian monarchy, very m uch to his taste, and treated the
fugitive poet w ith every kindness and generosity.
M eanw hile Sultan M ahm ud himself, engaged in his Indian
campaigns, had halted before the city o f a rebel chief, to w hom he
had sent an envoy demanding surrender. As they waited for the
envoy’s return, the Sultan and his M inister were discussing what sort
o f reply they would receive. The M inister was already an admirer o f
the Shahnama , and quoted a couplet:
‘W hose verse is that?’ asked the Sultan, ‘for he must have the heart o f
a m an!’ The M inister told him that Firdawsi was the author, and
ventured to rem ind him o f the shabby treatm ent the poet had
received after his long years o f labour. Sultan M ahm ud was stung by
remorse, and on his return to Ghazna com m anded that a rich present
to the value o f 60,000 gold dinars - one for each couplet o f the
Shahnama — should be sent to Firdawsi at Tus, his birthplace to w hich
he had returned. But, as Nizami al-‘Arudi goes on to tell us, as the
royal camels bearing the gift entered the city by the river gate, the
corpse o f Firdawsi was carried out to burial by the Gate o f Razan.
T he p o et’s daughter proudly refused the royal bounty, w hich was
used instead to build a caravanserai on the road to Nishapur.
Firdawsi’s sources were both literary and oral. In 928, shortly
before the poet’s birth, as related in the ‘old’ preface to the Shahnama ,
a certain Abu M ansur A l-M a‘mari, a high official, commissioned a
prose Shahnama for the governor o f Tus. This was to be translated
and edited from the original Pahlavi sources by a team o f four
Zoroastrian scholars (their names are given; all are pure Persian
w ithout a single Muslim name among them ), and the result o f their
labours, now unfortunately lost, must have been Firdawsi’s main
source.4 Additional sources would probably have been other Persian
or Arabic translations from the Pahlavi, such as al-M uqaffa’s
translation o f a history o f Isfandiyar son o f Gushtasp, and an
abridgem ent o f the Book o f Zarir (brother o f Gushtasp) w hich was
included by Tabari in his m onum ental annals. N o doubt he also
received oral inform ation and assistance from scholarly acquaintances
THE POET & THE POEM 5
w ho clung to the old religion and so were familiar w ith the Pahlavi
language and traditions.
The contents o f the Shahnama in its present form fall into four
dynastic periods o f unequal length: (i) the Pishdadian, in w hich the
early Kings (all, o f course, completely mythical) teach their subjects
the arts and trades, and engage in wars w ith the demons (div), the
sequence being broken by the long and bloody reign o f the Arabian
usurper Zahhak; (ii) the Kayani, in w hich the national hero Rustam
is the most prom inent character, and there is almost incessant warfare
w ith the northern neighbour Turan and its king Afrasiyab;5 (iii) the
Ashkanian (Parthian), a period o f nearly 500 years (BC249-A D 226),
dispatched by Firdawsi in a mere twenty couplets, as no m ore than
‘Kings o f the Tribes’ (muluk al-tawa’if. cf Genesis xiv.I, ‘Tidal King o f
N ations’); (iv) Sasanian (AD226-652), in w hich the treatm ent is
broadly historical, though an occasional dragon puts in an
appearance. The text varies somewhat in length in different copies,
and portions o f later epics, w ritten in imitation o f Firdawsi, are often
included in manuscripts o f the 16th century onwards.
From its first appearance the Shahnama enjoyed im m ense
popularity amongst the Persians, and hence the text, sometimes in
a fairly corrupt form, has survived in innumerable m anuscript copies
right down to the 1860s. The earliest surviving copy, in the National
Library, Florence, is dated to 1217 —two centuries after the death o f
Firdawsi —and we have to wait another century before we encounter
a copy illustrated w ith miniature paintings. In 1425, under the
cultured young T im urid Prince Baysunghur Mirza, a scholarly
recension o f the text and a new preface were undertaken, and these
are usually followed in subsequent copies. Baysunghur’s text and
preface were first enshrined in a magnificent manuscript produced
under the prince’s supervision and dated to 1430, w hich is now in
the Gulistan Palace Library, Tehran. The fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries produced an enorm ous range o f fine illustrated Shahnama
manuscripts, after w hich their numbers gradually decreased, and
faded out after the appearance o f the first Persian prin ted
(lithographed) edition in 1850.
As noted above, the Shahnama comprises the whole history of
Persia, in its traditional form, down to the Arab conquest. It must be
emphasised that, although most Persians accepted it till comparatively
6 TH E PER SIA N B O O K OF KINGS
THE PISHDABIAN
DYNASTY
R E I G N OF G A Y U M A R T H
R E I G N OF H U S H A N G
Hushang taught his subjects to mine and w ork iron and to use it to
make tools and other metalwork. H e encouraged agriculture and
irrigation, and certain animals were domesticated.
O ne day as Hushang rode out w ith his followers, he encountered a
loathsome dragon. The King seized a stone and hurled it at the
monster, but he missed his aim, and the stone struck a rock. Sparks
11
12 E P I T O M E O F T H E S H A H N A M A
flew, and a fire was started. Hushang and his m en were impressed by
this phenom enon, and in due course discovered that fire can also be
produced by striking stone w ith iron. Fire was welcom ed as a
heavenly gift and became an object o f worship. The King instituted
the Feast o f Sada in its honour, and died soon afterwards.
R E I G N OF T A H M U R A T H
In all this he was assisted by his wise counsellor Shidasp, and soon
felt capable o f tackling the evil Ahrim an and his demons. H e bound
Ahrim an w ith spells, and rode him about the world like a horse.
Enraged by his hum iliation o f their leader, the demons once again
came out to battle, but were quickly dispersed by Tahm urath and the
royal troops. T he captive demons begged for quarter, promising to
instruct the king in a new and fruitful art — the art o f writing.
Tahm urath agreed and learnt to w rite in various scripts, but kept the
demons in subjection, thus gaining the title o f Div-band, Binder o f
the Demons.
R E I G N OF J A M S H I D
In Arabia at this time there ruled a good old king named Mirdas. But
his son Zahhak was a young man o f evil tendencies, and in order to
gain the throne and under the persuasion o f Iblis (the Devil)7 he
m urdered his father by causing him to fall into a deep pit w hich he
14 E P I T O M E OF T H E S H A H N A M A
had prepared. O nce on the throne he was visited by Iblis in the form
o f a cook, w ho provided him w ith such delicious meals that Zahhak
offered him whatever favour he m ight ask. Iblis simply requested the
honour o f kissing the King’s shoulders. N o sooner had he done so
than two w rithing serpents grew from Zahhak’s shoulders, and Iblis
vanished. The serpents were cut off, but grew again immediately
causing the king intense pain, and Iblis soon reappeared, this time in
the guise o f a physician. H e counselled the w retched king that the
only way to relieve the pain was to feed the serpents daily on hum an
brains. Accordingly every day two youths were sacrificed to satisfy
the serpents’ horrible appetite.
THE PISHDADIAN DYNASTY 15
R E I G N OF F A R I D U N
Faridun now ascended the throne. His m other Faranak, as soon as the
joyful news reached her in her hiding place, brought out the hoarded
THE PISHDADIAN DYNASTY 17
became jealous o f Iraj, and began to plot against him. A m eeting was
arranged to settle matters betw een them , in the course o f w hich Tur
attacked Iraj, striking him down w ith a stool and finishing him off
w ith his dagger.
Faridun was prostrated w ith grief w hen he received the news in
the form o f the severed head o f his youngest and favourite son. Iraj,
however, had left a daughter w ho in due course was m arried to
Faridun’s nephew, Pashang, and their son was M inuchihr. As soon as
he was o f age his great grandfather urged him to execute vengeance
upon his great-uncles. This he faithfully performed, first on Tur and
then on Salm, both o f w hom he slew in single combat. Soon after
this the aged Faridun died, leaving the throne and kingdom to
M inuchihr.
R E I G N OF M I N U C H I H R
R E I G N S OF N A W D A R , Z A V & G A R S H A S P
THE KAYANIAN
DYNASTY
R E I G N OF KA Y Q U B A D
23
24 E P I T O M E OF T H E S H A H N A M A
R E I G N O F KA Y K A ’U S
Disaster in M azandaran
Kay Q ubad was succeeded by his eldest son Kay Ka’us, a rather
foolish, headstrong young man. Very soon after his accession he was
persuaded by a dem on in the guise o f a minstrel, to invade the
T H E KA Y A N I AN D Y N A S T Y 25
Zal naturally decided to send R ustam to the rescue (feeling too old
himself), and w hen the latter enquired o f the route, his father replied
that there were two possible ways. The first, w hich had been taken
by Kay Ka’us and his army, was safe and easy, but m ight take several
m onths; the second was beset by dangers and obstacles o f all kinds,
but m ight be covered in seven days. As befitted a national hero,
R ustam unhesitatingly chose the second, saddled up, and bade his
father farewell.
As night fell after his first day’s journey, R ustam found himself in a
dense forest where, sighting a herd o f wild asses, he quickly secured
one o f them w ith his lasso, spitted and roasted it whole, and made a
hearty meal. H e then found a comfortable spot under a large tree
where he spread his blanket, leaving R akhsh to graze nearby, and was
soon deeply asleep. After a while Rakhsh heard a rustling in the
undergrow th, and a huge lion suddenly emerged and attacked the
faithful steed. But Rakhsh fought hard w ith hoofs and teeth, and
eventually trampled the lion underfoot and left it dead. The noise
aroused the sleeping hero, w ho quickly realised what had happened,
and sternly rebuked Rakhsh for not waking him, thus putting them
both, and his vital errand, in danger. The remainder o f the night
passed quietly.
W hen they left the forest the following m orning they found
themselves in a treeless desert under a blazing sun, and soon both
man and horse were suffering terribly from thirst. After wandering
hopelessly for some time in search o f water, Rustam fell exhausted
on the burning sand, and prepared himself for death. But he also
prayed earnestly to the Almighty to spare him so that he m ight rescue
the King and his captive army, and suddenly a fat sheep appeared.
Rustam staggered after it, and it led him to a spring, w here he and
Rakhsh were able to quench their thirst and cleanse themselves. But
w hen Rustam looked round for the sheep it had vanished, and he
realised that his prayer had been answered by a miracle.
Conditions improved on the following day, and as night came on
Rustam , having slain, roasted and eaten another wild ass, lay down to
sleep, emphatically repeating his warning to Rakhsh not to tackle any
dangers w ithout waking him. At m idnight an enorm ous fire-
breathing dragon made its appearance, w hereupon Rakhsh furiously
neighed and stamped by his master’s side, but w hen the hero awoke
and looked about him, the m onster had disappeared. This happened
a second and third time, so that Rustam became enraged and
threatened the noble horse w ith death if he should again waken him
unnecessarily. B ut suddenly the darkness lifted revealing the
monstrous dragon close upon them. Rustam engaged it boldly, but
would have been overwhelmed had not Rakhsh distracted the
creature’s attention by biting its shoulders. This gave R ustam his
chance, and he was able to cleave the dragon’s head w ith his sword.
In the course o f the next day they entered Mazandaran, the land o f
the magicians, a delightful country o f rich vegetation and purling
streams. All at once R ustam came upon a charm ing spot by the
waterside where a sumptuous meal was laid out. R ustam was ever a
good trencherm an, so dispensing w ith ceremony he ate and drank his
fill, though he suspected that he was being watched. H e noticed a
lute on the ground nearby, so he took it up and sang to his own
accom panim ent o f the joys and glory o f a w arrior’s life. At this, a
beautiful wom an appeared and made herself pleasant, laughing and
bantering w ith him, till Rustam pressed a cup o f wine on her,
bidding her drink in gratitude to the Almighty for his bounty. But no
28 E P I T O M E OF T H E S H A H N A M A
sooner had she heard the Divine N am e pronounced that she perforce
resumed her natural repulsive shape, for she was one o f the
magicians. The hero quickly caught her in his lasso, drew his sword,
and cut her in two.
They next passed through a land o f utter darkness, where Rustam
dropped his reins on the neck o f R akhsh allowing the faithful horse
to determ ine the way. He eventually brought them out into an
extensive farmland, where Rustam lay down to sleep on a grassy
bank, leaving Rakhsh to graze among the corn. The farm er soon
appeared, and imprudently roused R ustam w ith foul words and
blows o f his stick, w hereupon the hero, furious at this ill-m annered
awakening, seized him by the ears and tore them from his head. The
w retch fled to the local marchlord, Awlad, to make his complaint,
and the latter rode swiftly w ith a body o f his guards to where Rustam
was resting. They attacked him, but he made such havoc among
them that they fled in confusion, Awlad himself being taken in
R ustam ’s lasso. R ustam promised him his life and the kingship o f
Mazandaran if he would act as his guide to the lair o f the W hite
D em on, an offer which Awlad was relieved and delighted to accept.
But first Rustam had to encounter the dem on host that had
defeated and imprisoned Kay Ka’us and his arm y It was dark w hen
he came in sight of their camp-fires, so he decided to settle down for
the night, having secured Awlad and set Rakhsh on guard over him.
At daybreak he rode forth shouting his challenge, and the
com m ander of the dem on army, w ho was named Arzhang, came
furiously to m eet him. R ustam simply seized him by the horns, tore
his head from his body, and flung it among the other demons, w ho
fled in all directions. He then rode on into the city, which he found
deserted. Rakhsh was so delighted w ith their progress that he gave a
loud neigh which reached the ears o f the captive king in his prison;
but w hen he joyfully told his fellow captives, they thought he was
mad, and it was not till the hero himself burst into the prison that
they felt liberty was at hand. Kay Ka’us urged Rustam to lose no time
in seeking out the W hite D em on, w ho would otherwise call up a
host o f dem on reinforcements, and he added that blood from the
m onster’s liver was the only sure cure for their blindness.
So Rustam set forth, still guided by Awlad, on his last stage. Among
the Seven Mountains he encountered the W hite D em on’s bodyguard,
T H E K A Y A N I A N D Y N A S T Y 29
w hom he fell upon w hen the sun was high and most o f them were
asleep, and dispersed them w ithout difficulty. Soon he entered a deep
m ountain cleft, at the end of which was a cave o f utter blackness,
almost entirely filled by a monstrous sleeping figure. Rustam boldly
advanced, shouting his war-cry, w hereupon the creature leaped up and
hurled a huge millstone at him. Rustam dodged it, and, rushing to
close quarters, lopped off a hand and foot from the demon. There
ensued a terrible wrestling bout during which first Rustam and then
the W hite D em on felt himself failing, but the hero put up a desperate
prayer, and found himself endued with an access o f strength by which
he was enabled to dash the W hite D em on to the ground and plunge a
dagger into his heart. W hen he had recovered his breath Rustam cut
out the D em ons liver, w ith the blood o f which he anointed the eyes
o f the King and his soldiers, w ho became quite delirious w ith joy at
the restoration of sight and liberty.
The period o f peace and prosperity that followed these victories was
interrupted by the curious episode o f Kay Ka’us and his flying
machine. Iblis, the Devil, once m ore took hum an shape as an
engaging youth, w ho pointed out to the King that though he was
lord o f all the earth, he was not yet familiar w ith the heavens; should
he not find means o f ascending thither? Kay Ka’us, as was his nature,
eagerly seized on the idea, and devised a throne w ith a spear fixed
upright at each corner; on the point o f each spear was suspended a
leg o f m utton, and below, at each corner o f the throne, a trained
eagle was secured. The King seated himself upon the throne, a cup o f
wine before him, and gave the word. The eagles flew eagerly upward
to get at the meat, and the whole contraption rose into the air. After
a while the eagles tired, or perhaps gave up in despair, and the
machine made a forced landing in a forest on the Caspian coast.
Miraculously the King was unhurt, and prayed hum bly and earnestly
for deliverance. In some unexplained m anner news o f his plight got
through to R ustam w ho organised a body o f troops and eventually
found and rescued him. H e berated the king soundly for his folly, and
escorted him home, overcome w ith shame, in a litter.
R ustam ’s Raid
H ere ensues the best know n (in the West) episode o f the Shahnama :
the tragic story o f Rustam and his son Suhrab. Once, on a solitary
hunting expedition, Rustam awoke to find that his faithful steed
R akhsh had, as he thought, been stolen during the night. H e
therefore made his way on foot to the neighbouring city o f
Samangan near the Turanian border. He was received there w ith
great respect by the local ruler, w ho offered him entertainm ent and
accom m odation whilst a search for Rakhsh was organised. After he
had retired to bed in the ruler’s palace, Rustam was visited by his
host’s beautiful only daughter, Tahmina. She averred that she had
long been in love w ith him after hearing o f his prowess and
adventures, and longed to bear his child. Rustam reciprocated her
feelings, formally requested her hand from her father, and the
marriage was solemnised and consummated. M eanwhile R akhsh had
been found and restored to his master. It was not long before the
T H E K A Y A N I A N D Y N A S T Y 33
dispositions, and the following m orning he took w ith him his Persian
captive Hajjir to the top o f an eminence which gave them a view o f
the w hole Persian camp. H e particularly asked Hajjir to identify the
positions o f the various Persian leaders, in the hope o f locating his
father; but Hajjir refused to identify Rustam , fearing that he would
be sought out and slain by Suhrab in the impending battle.
Suhrab then led his army against the Persians, penetrating to w ithin
striking distance o f the royal tent, where he called out a challenge to
Kay Ka’us to send out a w arrior w orthy o f combat w ith him. There
was no reply, but the King sent for Rustam , w ho was lying low in his
tent. The hero arm ed and came forth, and so father and son faced
one another for the first time, neither knowing w ho the other was.
In a preliminary exchange, Suhrab expressed himself as unwilling to
kill an old man, whilst Rustam , nettled at this, loudly regretted that
such a fine young man should be rushing on his doom . Suhrab,
however, felt an instinctive sympathy w ith his opponent, and asked
him directly if he were Rustam. Rustam denied it, and they fell to
combat till both were exhausted and their weapons broken. The next
day they m et once more, but before the fight resumed, Suhrab again
pressed his opponent to confess that he was indeed R ustam son o f
Zal, but R ustam again dismissed any such suggestion. They then
contended in wrestling, and suddenly Suhrab heaved up R ustam and
flung him on the ground, where he sat astride him and drew his
dagger for the fatal blow. R ustam ’s quick wit saved him; he pleaded
that the customs o f battle differed betw een Iran and Turan, and that
in the form er a victor in wrestling might only kill his opponent on
the second throw. The chivalrous youth accepted this plea, and they
parted once more. W hen they confronted one another on the third
day, Suhrab felt unaccountably depressed, while R ustam sensed a
revival o f his powers. In the struggle that followed he dashed his son
to the ground and, not giving him the second chance he had
successfully claimed himself, stabbed him fatally. ‘M y father Rustam
will avenge m e!’ cried Suhrab. R ustam was deeply shocked to hear
this, and demanded proof. His son bade him uncover his arm, and
there he found, bound round it, the signet he had given to Tahmina.
R ustam ’s desperate request to Kay Ka’us for an elixir to restore his
son was turned down, and the youth expired. R ustam was almost
distracted w ith grief, and returned to Zabulistan. The desolate
36 E P I T O M E OF T H E S H A H N A M A
maid in the forest; they quarrelled about whose she should be, and
agreed to let the king decide. Kay Ka’us resolved the dispute by
marrying her himself, and in due course she gave birth to prince
Siyawush. The child showed such physical promise that the king
entrusted his education to Rustam in Zabulistan. As a boy he was
brought to court by the hero, and was given a sumptuous reception.
Soon after this the m other o f Siyawush died, m uch to the grief o f her
young son.
As he grew up, Sudaba the Q ueen fell violently in love w ith her
step-son, w ho had been urged by his father to visit her following his
m other’s death. She finally attem pted to seduce him, but he rejected
all her advances till, in the fury o f a wom an scorned, she tore her hair,
disordered her dress, and accused Siyawush o f violating her. The
King was unconvinced, so she later took dead twins, to w hich a
palace wom an had just given birth, passed them off as her own, and
loudly com plained that Siyawush was the father. Even after
consulting astrologers and other wise men, Kay Ka’us was unable
to make up his m ind on the affair, and decided to subject Siyawush to
an ordeal by fire. Two huge fires were accordingly built, w ith a
narrow passage betw een them, and the young prince, clad in white,
rode unharm ed through the blaze. The people rejoiced and the King
embraced him w ith relief. H e condem ned Sudaba to be hanged, but
the chivalrous Siyawush begged his father to spare her life, and his
request was granted. Nevertheless the Q ueen revived the King’s love
for her by witchcraft, and continued to slander the prince to him.
As this point news arrived o f another invasion by the restless
Afrasiyab. Siyawush volunteered to lead the Persian troops, and Kay
Ka’us agreed, but put him under the protection o f Rustam . The first
engagement took place near Balkh, a city which the Persians
occupied after three days o f fighting. Afrasiyab was infuriated, and
that night he had a terrible dream that he was in the midst o f his
slaughtered soldiers, while the Persians trium phed everywhere; one
o f them dragged him before Kay Ka’us, and there Siyawush clove
him in two w ith his sword. His wise m en warned him that this dream
foretold disaster if he fought against Siyawush, and he therefore
decided to make peace. His brother Garsiwaz was sent to negotiate.
Lenient terms were arranged, including the surrender o f hostages by
the Turanians, and Siyawush sent the news to his father by Rustam .
Kay Ka’us was enraged at the peaceful outcom e o f the campaign;
he thirsted for Turanian blood. Rustam was perem ptorily sent hom e
to Zabulistan, and the King wrote a letter to Siyawush berating him
for his mildness in the face o f the Turanian foe, and ordering the
hostages to be sent to him to be hanged. There was a fruitless
exchange o f correspondence and finally Siyawush decided that he
could not act against the Divine Will by giving up the hostages, nor
could he in honour return to his father. So, putting the army under
the com m and o f his lieutenants Bahram and Zanga, he made up his
m ind to seek refuge w ith Afrasiyab. O n the advice o f his wise
minister Piran, Afrasiyab wrote to Siyawush, saying that he had heard
o f his trouble, and offering hospitality, prom otion, and every luxury
if he would join the court o f Turan.
Afrasiyab did indeed give the prince the warmest o f welcomes, and
before long invited him to display his skill in various knightly
accomplishments - polo, archery, hunting - in all o f w hich Siyawush
distinguished himself. Afrasiyab conceived a genuine affection for
him, and Piran gave him his daughter Jarira in marriage. Shortly after
this, on Piran’s advice, he requested and gained the hand of
Afrasiyab’s daughter Firangis. By Jarira he had Farud, and by Firangis
he had Kay Khusraw, destined to be one o f the greatest o f Persian
kings. Amid the rejoicing at these happy events, only the face o f
T H E K A Y A N I A N D Y N A S T Y 39
Garsiwaz was sour, boding ill for Siyawush, and his m ood was further
darkened w hen Siyawush trounced him at polo, and carried out w ith
considerable panache several m ore breath-taking feats o f arms.
Afrasiyab bestowed a province on Siyawush, where the latter built
a splendid castle called Gang-Dizh, and later the m onarch gave him a
choice site where he built a city w hich he named Siyawushgird, and
was visited there by Piran and Garsiwaz. But w hen they returned to
Afrasiyab, Garsiwaz slandered Siyawush, accusing him o f intriguing
with the neighbouring nations, and o f scheming to usurp the throne
o f Turan, for w hich purpose, he said, the prince had assembled a
large army. Afrasiyab was half inclined to believe these slanders, and
sent Garsiwaz back w ith an invitation to Siyawush and Firangis to
come to court. D uring his visit, Garsiwaz succeeded in sowing
suspicions o f Afrasiyab s intentions towards him in the m ind o f
40 E P I T O M E O F T H E S H A H N A M A
Birth o f K ay Khusraw
W hen news o f the m urder o f Siyawush reached Iran, Kay Ka’us was
prostrated w ith grief and remorse, whilst Rustam was almost mad
w ith rage. H e hauled Sudaba from her palace by the hair and cut her
down in the street. The army was immediately prepared for a war of
revenge. The van was led by Faramurz, a young son o f Rustam , w ho
defeated and slew Warazad, king o f the border state o f Sipanjab,
whilst his father routed the main force o f the Turanians, led by
Afrasiyab’s son Surkha. This prince was captured and beheaded in
revenge for Siyawush. A final effort by Afrasiyab himself also ended
in a rout, despite heroic deeds by the champion Pilsam, w ho was
finally slain by Rustam . Afrasiyab fled, and despatched Kay Khusraw
to the distant land o f Khutan to prevent his joining the victorious
Persians. M eanwhile R ustam devastated the land o f Turan, and ruled
over it for seven years.
W arned in a dream, the paladin Gudarz sent his son Giv to find Kay
Khusraw. The weary search took him seven years, and whenever he
made enquiries he slew his inform ant to prevent his quest becom ing
know n in Turan. But at length he came upon the prince and his
mother, and identified him by a black birthm ark on his arm w hich he
42 E P I T O M E O F T H E S H A H N A M A
R E I G N OF KAY K H U S R A W
Tragedy of Farud
From the beginning o f his reign Kay Khusraw was determ ined to
exact a full revenge for the m urder o f his father, and having
dispatched various formalities —receiving homage, making a progress
44 E P I T O M E O F T H E S H A H N A M A
through his kingdom, num bering the paladins, and so on —he first of
all granted R ustam ’s request to pacify a troublesome province on the
frontier w ith India, and thus adjacent to R ustam ’s own domain. H e
then reviewed his army, w hich he placed under the com m and o f Tus,
and sent them on a punitive expedition to Turan. But first he warned
Tus that he must go by the desert route in order to avoid the castle o f
his half-brother Farud, w ho was not to be molested or interfered
w ith in any way. But w hen the time came, and despite the protests of
Gudarz, Tus took the easier route past Farud’s castle.
T he young Farud learned o f the approach o f Tus and his army, and
took his counsellor Tukhar w ith him to the top o f a m ountain from
w hich the whole Persian host could be viewed. Tukhar pointed out
all the chiefs to him by their blazons. The appearance o f the two o f
them on the m ountain enraged Tus, w ho thought they were hostile
spies, and he sent Bahram to question them. W hen Bahram
discovered w ho Farud was, he welcomed him, but, not trusting
Tus, advised him to treat w ith no envoy but himself; he then
returned to the camp and reported to Tus. But the general was still
peevish, and called for a w arrior to go up and bring him the head o f
Farud. Two successive warriors w ho tried to obey this summons
were shot by Farud, w ho sensed their hostile intent. Tus him self then
sallied forth, but this time, on the advice o f Tukhar, Farud shot only
the horse, leaving the general to make an inglorious return on foot.
Giv followed w ith the same result. Finally Bizhan, Giv’s son, rode
out, and again Farud shot the horse, but this time Bizhan continued
his advance on foot, and Farud turned from him towards the castle
gate. Bizhan severely w ounded Farud’s horse, but the rider escaped
into his castle. N ext day the army o f Tus launched a general assault;
most o f Farud’s m en were slaughtered, but he fought on alone. At
last, mortally wounded, he managed to gain the castle interior and
expired in his m other’s arms. His m other, Jarira daughter o f Piran,
then slew herself on his corpse. The Persian warriors were overcome
w ith grief and remorse w hen they viewed the corpses, and turned
angrily on Tus, w ho endeavoured to palliate his guilt by giving Farud
a splendid funeral.
Persian Reverses
Tus then pursued his errand o f vengeance into Turan, burning and
pillaging as he went. A Turanian champion named Palashan was
killed by Bizhan on the way, but soon the Persian army encountered
a terrible blizzard which raged for eight days. They suffered badly
from cold and starvation, and were reduced to eating their horses.
The next Turanian champion they m et was Tazhav, a local marchlord
and a renegade Iranian. H e led out his troops boldly, but in the fight
that followed they were put to flight, and Tazhav himself narrowly
escaped capture by Bizhan, w ho snatched from his head a splendid
crown he had received as a gift from Afrasiyab. T he Persians looted
his castle, and replaced from his herds the horses they had eaten.
Tazhav himself got away to carry the news to Afrasiyab, w ho
immediately sent out an army under Piran. Having driven off a
num ber o f the Persians’ horses he launched a night attack on their
camp, which took them by surprise, many o f them being drunk. The
rout was complete, and the Turanians pursued the defeated rabble for
some distance.
46 E P I T O M E O F T H E S H A H N A M A
Kay Khusraw was furious w hen the army returned, but eventually
pardoned them, and, on R ustam ’s intercession, re-appointed Tus to
the com m and, and sent him out once m ore against Turan.
R eluctantly Piran came to m eet him and, pretending to accept
Tus’s proposal that he should come over to the Persian side,
succeeded in delaying matters till Afrasiyab could send him a fresh
army. A huge force was duly set in m otion, and hostilities
recom menced. O n the first day Tus slew Arzhang, a famous
Turanian champion, and engaged Hum an, the Turanian com m ander
under Piran, but approaching darkness stopped the fight.
O n the following day, the Turanians employed a sorcerer named
Bazur. H e was sent up to the top o f a m ountain by Piran, and there
conjured up a terrible blizzard o f snow and ice to afflict the Persian
army. Tus prayed for divine assistance, and the sorcerer was detected
and slain, w hereupon the sun began once m ore to shine through.
Nevertheless, despite the heroism o f their leaders, the Persian army
fled to M ount Hamavan, where they were closely besieged by the
T H E K A Y A N I AN D Y N A S T Y 47
In conference after this set-back, Piran and Kamus decided that the
Persian champion on foot was not Rustam , and their allies, led by the
Khaqan, resolved on an all-out assault. O n his side R ustam made a
speech encouraging his troops, and appeared in full panoply,
m ounted on Rakhsh. Kamus rode out w ith his usual challenge,
and after some hesitation Aiwa, a com panion o f Rustam , came out to
T H E K A Y A N I A N D Y N A S T Y 49
face him. But Kamus made short work o f him, filling R ustam w ith
rage and grief at the death o f his friend. So he immediately attacked
Kamus, dragging him from his horse w ith his lasso, bound him, and
cast him down before the Persian chieftains, w ho soon finished him
off w ith their scimitars. But the Turanians were still uncertain o f
R ustam ’s identity, and w hen the death o f Kamus was announced to
the Khaqan he urged them to find out, by all possible means, the
name and origin o f his vanquisher. O ne o f his warriors, Chingish,
eager to avenge Kamus, volunteered to engage the unknow n Persian
champion. However Rustam again refused to identify himself, and
his formidable appearance was too m uch for Chingish, w ho turned
tail and fled. But the hero spurred on Rakhsh and soon caught up
w ith him, seized his horse by the tail, cast him to the ground, and
struck off his head. The Khaqan then decided to send H um an in
disguise to question the hero, but R ustam would only say that if the
Turanians wanted peace they must deliver up all w ho had any part in
the betrayal and m urder o f Siyawush, and he added that he fervently
desired to m eet Piran. H um an was now convinced that they had
R ustam to deal with, and told Piran so. Piran told the Khaqan, w ho
sent him to Rustam. The hero received him kindly, and on learning
his name revealed his own. Their converse was friendly, but Rustam
still insisted that he was there to exact retribution for the m urder o f
Siyawush, and no other solution was possible, so Piran sadly
departed.
Again the armies faced each other and a bloody fight ensued,
during w hich Rustam successively overthrew the Indian King
Shangul, w ho managed to escape alive, Sawa, a kinsman o f Kamus,
w hom he demolished w ith his mace, and Gahar o f Gahan w hom he
slew as he fled. Finally he encountered the Khaqan himself, and,
being goaded by the latter’s shouted insults, lassoed him and dragged
him from his w hite elephant to the ground, where he was quickly
secured as a prisoner.
News o f the disastrous defeat o f his powerful allies was duly carried
to Afrasiyab, while the Persian army continued its advance into
Turan. The vanguard came to a city o f cannibals, ruled by Kafur the
M an-eater, w ho led out his troops against them and inflicted heavy
casualties. But w hen R ustam came up he soon turned the tables,
killing Kafur and sacking his city where the Persians took a rich
booty o f slaves and treasure. Conscious o f R ustam s approach,
Afrasiyab mustered the army o f Turan, and enlisted the help o f
Puladwand, a king from am ong the m ountains o f China, and thought
to be an invincible wrestler, w ho joined him w ith a large force.
W hen the armies met, Puladwand overthrew Tus, Giv and R uhham
in quick succession, so that the Persians were throw n tem porarily
into confusion. W hen R ustam heard o f the havoc w rought by
Puladwand he was m uch grieved, and rode out to challenge him.
After an inconclusive combat on horseback, they agreed to dism ount
and wrestle. But Afrasiyab, disdaining the rules o f wrestling, sent
T H E K A Y A N I A N D Y N A S T Y 51
[Here follow two detached episodes: the story o f R ustam and the
D em on Akwan, and the story o f Bizhan and Manizha.]
they encountered him the hero spread death and destruction in all
directions, drove off the elephants and horses, and returned to his
spring. There the dem on found him again, but this time R ustam was
too quick for him, caught him in his lasso, and knocked him on the
head. H e then returned in trium ph to the King’s court, driving the
elephants and horses before him.
O nce again Kay Khusraw was drinking w ith his paladins w hen a
deputation from the land o f Irman, on the borders o f Turan, waited
upon him, complaining o f a noxious plague o f wild boars, which
were doing untold damage to crops, trees, and livestock. As before,
the king called for volunteers, and this time young Bizhan stood
forth and, despite the opposition o f his father Giv, was given the task
o f clearing the land o f this plague. But in view o f his youth, he was to
be accompanied by Gurgin, an older w arrior w ho had m ore
experience and knew the country. From the beginning Gurgin was
jealous o f Bizhan, and sought to thw art him at every turn. However
the young w arrior successfully exterm inated the boars, taking their
tusks as trophies for the King.
They were now near the border o f Turan, and Gurgin suggested
that they should visit a delightful spot he knew in the neighbourhood
w here parties o f young Turanian girls, including Manizha, the
daughter o f Afrasiyab, were in the habit o f disporting themselves.
Bizhan needed little persuasion to fall in w ith this plan, and leaving
Gurgin behind, soon came in sight o f M anizha’s pavilion. She
observed him w ith approval as he stood in the shade o f a cypress tree,
and sent her old nurse to bid him welcome. So they feasted and
drank w ith her maids for three days and nights, but then it was time
for Manizha to go home. She could not bear to be separated from
Bizhan, so put a drug in his wine, and smuggled him, still
unconscious into her apartment in the palace, where they continued
their revels. But is was not long before his presence was detected by a
chamberlain, w ho w ent and told Afrasiyab. The King was infuriated
and sent Garsiwaz w ith a detachment o f soldiers to seize and bring
before him any man found in the princess’s apartments. Guided by
54 E P I T O M E O F T H E S H A H N A M A
the sound o f revelry, Garsiwaz soon located the chamber, and found
Bizhan within, w ith M anizha and a considerable num ber o f her
maids. Bizhan drew a dagger he carried in his boot, but Garsiwaz
tricked him into surrendering it, trussed him up, and brought him to
Afrasiyab. The latter, not surprisingly, condem ned him to the gallows
w ithout hesitation. However, by good fortune Piran happened to
pass that way w hen m en were busy erecting the gibbet, and w hen
they told him it was for Bizhan he bade them cease w ork whilst he
sought an audience w ith the king. H e succeeded in having Bizhan’s
sentence com m uted to imprisonm ent, and he was confined, heavily
fettered, in a dark and noisome pit covered by a huge stone. As for
M anizha, her apartments were sacked, she was deprived o f her
fortune and status, and reduced to begging in the streets. She
m anaged to make a small hole under the covering stone o f Bizhan’s
dungeon, through w hich she was able to pass such scraps o f food as
she could obtain.
M eanwhile the w retched Gurgin became alarmed w hen Bizhan
failed to return. H e found the young w arrior’s horse wandering by
the riverside, and decided to return to Iran w ith a concocted story o f
Bizhan’s fate. H e was first confronted by Bizhan’s father Giv, and told
him a tale o f a dem on wild ass in pursuit o f w hich Bizhan had
vanished. Giv was not convinced, and brought him before Kay
Khusraw, to w hom he babbled his story in a most unconvincing
manner. The king had him put in chains, sent search parties in all
directions and, w hen they failed to trace the young man, called for
his magic cup, in w hich he was able to see all that was happening in
the Seven Chimates. By this means he soon descried Bizhan confined
in the pit and Manizha attending him. So he sent a letter to R ustam
by the hand o f Giv, im ploring his assistance. As usual, the hero
readily assented, and, again as usual, invited Giv to jo in him in a three
day feast and drinking bout. W hen they eventually came to court,
Kay Khusraw welcomed them w ith another feast and drinking
session, to which all the other paladins were invited. H earing o f
R ustam ’s arrival, Gurgin besought him to plead his cause before the
King, w hich Rustam did to such effect that Gurgin was freed from
his chains.
W hen the situation had been explained to Rustam , he decided to
employ his old stratagem o f disguising himself and seven chosen
T H E K A Y A N I AN D Y N A S T Y 55
drinking session, with fair slaves circulating the wine and girl
musicians playing in the background. The following m orning
R ustam requested the Kings leave to go home, w hich he did,
loaded w ith gifts. Finally, Bizhan had a long interview w ith Kay
Khusraw, telling him the full story o f his vicissitudes in Turan, and
praising M anizha’s loyalty and courage, and the king entrusted him
w ith a great load o f brocades, dresses, carpets, slave-girls, and purses
o f gold as a present for his faithful lady.
T H E KAYANI A N D Y N A S T Y 57
Piran s body from breast to liver. Finding him dead, Gudarz drank o f
his blood and smeared his face w ith it in m em ory o f the m urder o f
Siyawush, but refrained from taking his head. As the bodies were
brought in to burial the watchm en on both sides saw the approaching
host o f Kay Khusraw, whilst a host sent by Afrasiyab to the aid o f
Piran was m et by the melancholy news that the old w arrior was dead.
Thereupon Lahhak and Farshidward, rem em bering the instruc
tions o f Piran in the event o f defeat, fled towards Turan. Gudarz sent
Gustaham in pursuit, and Bizhan obtained permission to follow him
and aid him at need, though not before his father, ever anxious o f his
safety, had once m ore tried to prevent him. Gustaham had a tough
fight with the two brothers, but eventually slew them both, though
60 E P I T O M E O F T H E S H A H N A M A
news o f this reached Kay Khusraw he led his troops north; the
Turanians m arched out o f Gang Bihisht to m eet him, and the battle
was joined. It was as hotly contested as ever; Kay Khusraw prayed for
divine succour, and a fierce w ind arose, blowing sand and dust in the
eyes o f the Turanians. W hen darkness fell, both armies withdrew.
Then came news o f the approach o f Rustam , bringing exultation to
one side and despair to the other; Afrasiyab w ithdrew all his forces
w ithin the walls o f Gang Bihisht, while great joy reigned in the
Persian camp. Kay Khusraw moved quickly against the fortress,
which was besieged, assaulted, and sacked, Afrasiyab himself escaping
through a subterranean passage.
supported the king. This was decisive, and the expedition sailed,
conducting en route a m inor (and, o f course, victorious) campaign
against the King o f M akran. The outstanding feature o f the voyage
was the incredible num ber and variety o f the sea-m onsters
encountered and observed. Eventually the expedition reached Gang
Dizh, and the Persians marched in unopposed, for Afrasiyab s heart
had failed him at last, and he fled alone. But Kay Khusraw stayed a
year at Gang Dizh, enjoying the amenities o f the balmy climate, till
his soldiers rem inded him o f duties at home. O n the return journey
he was warmly welcom ed by one and all, especially at Makran, and
Rustam rejoined him halfway. At last they reached Iran, and the aged
Kay Ka’us came out joyfully to m eet his grandson. Lavish festivities
naturally followed.
bait. This seemed a good idea; the unfortunate Garsiwaz was brought
to the place and sewn up in an ox-hide which, as it dried, shrank,
causing him intense agony. His cries o f pain —a brother’s voice —had
the desired effect, and Afrasiyab came to the surface. He was quickly
lassoed by H um , and delivered to Kay Khusraw. The two brothers,
heavily fettered, were brought before the king, and after prolonged
m utual recriminations, in which Afrasiyab, in the face o f im m inent
death, showed the dignity o f resignation, Kay Khusraw beheaded
him w ith his own hand. Garsiwaz was consigned to an executioner,
w ho cut him in two at the waist.
T H E K A Y A N I AN D Y N A S T Y 65
Soon after the death o f Afrasiyab, the aged Kay Ka’us died, and an
uncanny change came over Kay Khusraw. He w ithdrew himself,
spending m uch time in solitude and prayer, and closed the court,
m uch to the discomfort o f the paladins and courtiers. Zal and
Rustam came from Zabulistan to see what they could do to help. But
the angel Surush had visited the king in a dream and warned him that
his end was near. He gave a last charge to his subjects, patents to his
paladins, and a fond farewell to his wom en. H e appointed Luhrasp to
succeed him, and began a last journey up a m ountain, crowds
following him. At a certain point he ordered all to leave him. The
crowd dispersed, and Zal, Rustam , and Gudarz, w ho had always
obeyed him implicitly, went w ith them. But five o f the paladins -
Tus, Giv, Fariburz, Bizhan, and Gustaham - could not bring them
selves to part from their King, and they accompanied Kay Khusraw
to a spring where, entering the water, he vanished from their sight.
They remained long by the spring, talking o f old times, but at length
sleep overcame them . W hile they slept a terrible snowstorm
descended on the m ountain, and they were never seen again.
R E I G N OF L U H R A S P
Gushtasp in R um
Kay Khusraw was what is sometimes called ‘a hard act to follow’, and
Luhrasp, his successor, appears somewhat colourless and insignificant,
by comparison. Luhrasp had two sons, Gushtasp and Zarir, and
Gushtasp, the elder, was angry that his father refused to name him as
his heir, so left the court to take refuge in Hindustan. Luhrasp sent
Zarir to bring him back, but on his return he found that his father’s
plans for the succession were still vague, so departed in disgust for
R um , the realm o f Caesar, w here Luhrasp’s attempts to trace him
failed. Arrived in R um , Gushtasp tried to get w ork as a secretary, a
herdsman, or a camel-driver, but was turned down every time. H e
was finally taken on as an assistant to a blacksmith, but w hen
entrusted w ith the heavy hammer, he smashed at one blow the mass
66 E P I T O M E O F T H E S H A H N A M A
o f red-hot metal and the anvil under it, and was not surprisingly
shown the door im m ediately At length a compassionate village
headman, a descendant o f Faridun, took him in.
It was Caesar’s custom, w hen one o f his daughters reached
marriageable age, to allow her to choose a husband from among the
assembled nobles and grandees. It was now the turn o f his eldest
daughter Kitayun; she saw nobody she fancied at first, so Caesar
invited candidates to present themselves from every part o f his
empire. Gushtasp’s host urged him to jo in the throng, and, o f course,
Kitayun chose him. As he was a foreigner, Caesar gave only grudging
consent, and denied the couple residence in the capital, so they
repaired to the hospitable village headman, who gave them quarters
in his village, where they were able to raise sufficient m oney on
Kitayun’s jewellery to maintain themselves.
After a while a noble R om an named M irin requested the hand of
Caesar’s younger daughter, Dilanjam, in marriage. But her father
decided to impose stiff conditions on this occasion, and told M irin
that he must first slay the monstrous rhinoceros11 o f Faskun. M irin at
first dem urred, saying that he was only prepared to take on hum an
foes. But by means o f astrology he discovered Gushtasp o f w hom
mighty deeds in R u m were foretold, and asked for his assistance.
Gushtasp readily agreed, borrow ed steed and arm our from M irin,
and tracked the monster down. The rhinoceros killed his horse, but
Gushtasp split its skull. The grisly carcass was shown to Caesar, w ho
congratulated M irin as its slayer, and bestowed on him his daughter.
There was another young R om an named Ahran, w ho aspired to the
hand o f Caesar’s third daughter, and Caesar decided once m ore to
change the old custom, inform ing Ahran that he must first rid the
land o f the dreadful dragon o f M ount Saqila. Ahran did not at all
fancy tackling the dragon himself, and consulted M irin. The latter,
having put him under a strong oath o f secrecy, told him how he had
procured Gushtasp to slay the rhinoceros o f Faskun on his behalf. In
short, Gushtasp was again persuaded to undertake the task, w hich he
rapidly dispatched, thrusting his sword into the dragons maw, and
then cleaving its head. Ahran duly received Caesar’s congratulations,
and the marriage ceremony was perform ed by the bishop.
It was the practice o f M irin, Ahran, and other R om an youths to
engage in equestrian and military exercises on Caesar’s riding-
T H E K A Y A N I A N D Y N A S T Y 67
ground, and one day, w hen Gushtasp and his wife were watching
them, Kitayun persuaded him to jo in in. His skill at archery and polo
was such that Caesar, w ho was also watching, sent for him, and asked
w ho he was and w here he came from. Gushtasp replied by rem inding
him o f the harsh treatm ent he and his wife had received, being
banished from court, and proceeded to relate how he had slain the
rhinoceros and the dragon. Caesar apologised, prom oted him, and
also apologised to his daughter Kitayun, privately requesting her to
find out from her husband his true name and country o f origin,
w hich he had so far concealed. Caesar also sternly rebuked M irin and
Ahran for their double-dealing.
At this time Caesar was concerned to levy tribute from his
neighbours the Khazars, and sent a perem ptory letter to that effect to
Ilyas their king, threatening an invasion under Farrukhzad (the name
68 E P I T O M E OF T H E S H A H N A M A
R E I G N OF G U S H T A S P
Vicissitudes of Isfandiyar
Isfandiyar’s main task now was the rescue o f his sisters (one o f them
his wife), w ho were confined in the Brazen Hold. T he captive
Gurgsar was enlisted as guide, and he gave Isfandiyar an account o f
three possible routes, which would take him three months, one
m onth and seven days respectively, graphically describing the dangers
involved, especially on the third route. It need hardly be added that,
like the great Rustam on his journey to Mazandaran, Isfandiyar chose
the third, and set forth w ith his army. The first stage o f their journey,
Gurgsar w arned him, involved an encounter w ith a pair o f
rhinoceroses13 each as large as an elephant.
They started at daybreak, but as they approached the place o f
danger Isfandiyar placed his m en under the comm and o f the veteran
Bishutan and rode forward alone. As soon as the monsters appeared,
he rained arrows on them, by w hich they were both disabled and
became easy prey to the prince’s sword. W hen the army came up
w ith him they found Isfandiyar offering a prayer o f thanksgiving, and
the two monstrous corpses lying by. This first victory was celebrated
w ith a feast.
In the evening Isfandiyar ascertained from Gurgsar that the next
peril to be m et was a pair o f savage lions before w hich the mightiest
wild beasts quailed. N othing daunted, he led his troops in a night
march, and w hen day dawned he once m ore rode forward, leaving
Bishutan in charge o f the troops. He soon encountered the lions, and
they made the fatal mistake o f attacking the prince separately. First
T H E K A Y A N I A N D Y N A S T Y 71
came the lion, w hich Isfandiyar clove from head to belly; then the
lioness, though appalled at the slaughter o f her mate, rushed at him
desperately, but in a m om ent her severed head was rolling on the
ground.
So they encamped for the night, and this time Gurgsar warned the
prince o f an enorm ous fire-breathing dragon w hich he must m eet on
the morrow. In view o f the fearsome size and deadly attributes o f this
m onster, Isfandiyar kept his engineers busy till nightfall in
constructing a strongly built arm oured chariot bristling w ith blades,
in the midst o f w hich was a reinforced com partm ent in w hich
Isfandiyar himself would ride. The night was m oonlit as the army
resumed its march, and in the m orning Isfandiyar entered his
arm oured vehicle and drove on ahead. The dragon soon heard the
rum bling o f its wheels and confronted it w ith a roar and cavern-like
open jaws breathing flames. The prince drove his horses straight at it,
and the dragon swallowed them, chariot and all. But w hen the blades
w hich covered the vehicle began to do their work, the dragon
became weak through loss o f blood, so that Isfandiyar managed to
cut himself loose aha brained the monster. But the foul emanations
from its flowing blood and mutilated corpse tem porarily over
powered him so that he fell unconscious till revived by Bishutan with
a liberal splash o f rose-water.
Gurgsar next warned him o f a powerful witch, by whose spells he
was sure to be made defenceless. So after the usual night march he
took his goblet, w ith wine and a lute, and settled himself by a spring,
passing the time by singing to himself. M eanwhile the w rinkled and
hideous w itch changed her shape into that o f a beautiful girl, and
joined Isfandiyar in his solitary revel. But he saw through her
disguise, encircled her w ith a steel chain he had received from the
prophet Zardusht, and slew her w ith his sword.
W hen they had pitched camp, Gurgsar was, as usual, interrogated
on what was to be expected on the following day. A beetling
m ountain, he replied, on which dwells a monstrous bird, the
Simurgh14 and her twin offspring. She can carry off an elephant or a
crocodile w ith no effort, and is always ready for battle. O n thinking
over this prospect, Isfandiyar decided to have recourse once m ore to
the arm oured chariot in w hich he had tackled the dragon. The
Simurgh observed from her m ountain eyrie the advance o f the
72 E P I T O M E OF T H E S H A H N A M A
Isfandiyar (like his father before him) now considered that the time
had come for Gushtasp to abdicate in his favour. H e told his m other
so, but she tried vainly to dissuade him from such a treacherous
purpose, and he answered her roughly. Gushtasp suspected some
thing o f the sort, and enquired o f the astrologers what fate awaited
the prince. They replied through the counsellor Jamasp that
Isfandiyar was fated to die by the hand o f Rustam. So w hen the
prince appeared before his father and openly dem anded the
kingdom , the latter replied that he must first bring R ustam before
him in chains, as recently (he alleged) the old hero had not shown
him all the respect and loyalty he demanded. Isfandiyar agreed,
though very reluctantly, and in spite o f his m other’s protests, and so
set out for Zabulistan w ith a company o f followers.
At the borders o f Zabulistan he sent on his son Bahm an15 w ith the
king’s message; Zal received him, but Rustam was out hunting.
Bahman was therefore given a guide to help him to locate the hero,
and w hen he spied Rustam in a valley below him, he determ ined to
put him to the test. He dislodged a large boulder from the hilltop and
sent it thundering down on Rustam , w ho was just engaged in
cooking his usual supper, a wild ass roasted whole. The hero was
unperturbed, and as the boulder reached him he simply kicked it out
o f the way. M uch impressed by R ustam ’s strength and sang-froid,
Bahman gave him and his party a hearty welcome to the meeting,
and was even m ore impressed w hen at the ensuing feast R ustam
demolished another complete roasted wild ass.
Bahman delivered Gushtasp’s message, to w hich R ustam replied
politely but firmly: he could never consent to appear in chains before
T H E K A Y A N I AN D Y N A S T Y 75
withdraw up a hill, and Isfandiyar did not pursue him. Surveying his
wounds that evening his old father Zal judged the occasion to be
serious enough for burning one o f the Simurgh’s feathers. The great
bird immediately appeared, drew out eight arrow-heads from the
hero’s body and six from that o f Rakhsh, and healed the wounds by
stroking them w ith her feathers. She then instructed Rustam to make
a forked arrow o f tamarisk wood, and to aim it at the eyes of
Isfandiyar, but she gave warning at the same time that an evil fate
awaited the slayer o f the young prince. W hen the two confronted
each other on the following day, Rustam made a last, and ineffectual,
appeal to Isfandiyar to call off their conflict and disregard his father’s
comm and, and the last tragic stage o f the duel began. R ustam used
the forked arrow as instructed by the Simurgh, striking Isfandiyar full
in the eyes, blinding and mortally w ounding him.
In his dying words to Rustam , Isfandiyar acknowledged that the
blame for his death lay on his father King Gushtasp, and im plored the
hero to train and take care o f his son Bahman in Zabulistan. To this
R ustam willingly agreed, though his brother Zawara spoke against it.
T he coffin o f Isfandiyar was conveyed to his father, whose courtiers
openly reproached him, and the prince was bitterly m ourned by his
m other Kitayun and her wom en. Rustam faithfully discharged his
promise to the dying Isfandiyar, and Bahman grew up a stalwart
w arrior under his tutelage, till he was sum m oned hom e by his
grandfather.
Death of Rustam
took refuge behind a large plane tree. The dying hero, summ oning
all his remaining strength for a supreme effort, draw the bow to his
ear and sent his last arrow straight through the tree and through the
body o f his treacherous half-brother. Zawara, who had accompanied
his brother, died in another o f the pits.
As soon as the terrible news reached Zal, he sent an army under
Faramurz against Kabul. Faramurz recovered the bodies, prepared
them for burial, and sent them hom e to Zabulistan; the body o f
R akhsh was carried on an elephant. H e then routed the Kabuli army,
captured the king and threw him into one o f the pits, burned forty of
his relatives, throwing the corpse o f Shaghad on the pyre. R ustam ’s
old m other R udaba was so distraught at her son’s death that she lost
her reason.
R E I G N OF B A H M A N
Soon after this Gushtasp died, having given up the kingdom to his
grandson Bahman. The new king lost no time in m ounting an
expedition against Zabulistan to avenge his father Isfandiyar on
R ustam ’s family. The aged Zal was made prisoner but pardoned,
Faramurz however, was hanged head downwards and shot to death
w ith arrows. Bahman then m arried his own daughter16 Humay, w ho
succeeded him w hen he died, despite the claims o f his son Sasan.
Sasan retired to Nishapur in the north-east, and his descendants
became royal herdsmen; from them the Sasanian dynasty traced its
origin.
R E I G N OF Q U E E N H U M A Y
R E I G N OF D A R A B
Birth of Iskandar
Darab, builder o f the city ofD arabjird, first defeated a large Arab host
under Shu‘ib, and then routed the army o f Failakus (Philip o f
M acedon). From the latter he demanded a heavy tribute and the
hand o f his beautiful daughter Nahid. But in a very short time he was
disgusted to find that his bride suffered badly from halitosis, and so
sent her back to her father. She was however, already pregnant, and
her son was Iskandar (Alexander the Great), so that w hen Darab
died, leaving the crown to his younger son Dara, Iskandar, as the
elder, felt himself cheated o f his inheritance.
R E I G N OF D A R A
R E I G N OF I S K A N D A R
Iskandar in India
physician, and your magic cup. This was timely advice, for Iskandar
was already marching against Kaid (for no ostensible reason), sending
him a high-handed ultim atum in advance. Kaid remained calm, and
returned a conciliatory reply offering to make Iskandar a present o f
his Four Treasures. Iskandar’s bellicose m ood was thus changed into
one o f greed and curiosity, and after suitable negotiations, these
remarkable gifts arrived, accompanied by a profusion o f m ore
conventional offerings. O f the Four Treasures it was Kaid’s beautiful
daughter that at first m onopolised Iskandar s attention; indeed, before
T H E K A Y A N I AN D Y N A S T Y 81
he had even inspected the others he formally m arried her (so soon
after Rushanak?). H e then subjected the other three Treasures to
various ingenious tests, all o f w hich were passed w ith flying colours,
so that Iskandar expressed himself as completely satisfied, and Kaid
was left in peace.
The great conqueror’s vaulting ambition was next directed at Fur
(Porus), king o f the neighbouring Kanauj. His customary blustering
call to surrender produced a dignified and reproachful reply from
Fur. But it was not long before the armies were face-to-face. By the
advice o f his sages, Iskandar had caused a large num ber o f hollow
iron horsem en on wheels to be constructed, and these were filled
w ith naphtha, to be ignited and set in m otion as the battle began.
These fire-breathing machines caused dismay and confusion among
Fur’s elephants, and to prevent further slaughter, Iskandar challenged
Fur to single combat, and the challenge was eagerly accepted. But a
sudden clamour from the troops behind him distracted the Indian
king’s attention, and Iskandar seized the opportunity to deal him a
quick death-blow.
and royal dignity. She on her part sent privately for the portrait she
had commissioned, by w hich she was able to recognise him, but gave
no sign o f it, whilst he, still pretending to be an envoy, repeated his
threatening message. She then dismissed her courtiers and w hen they
were alone addressed him as Iskandar, showing him the portrait, and
reproaching him for his ill-m annered presumption. She added that
her son Tainush was the late King Fur’s son-in-law, and was eager to
avenge him. At his farewell audience Iskandar at first made bold to
repeat his threats o f war and destruction if tribute were not paid.
Tainush was furious, and Iskandar felt it advisable to climb down, and
T H E KAYANI A N D Y N A S T Y 83
Iskandar then visited the land o f the Brahmins and partook o f their
wisdom. N ext he travelled to the W estern sea, where he beheld great
marvels, and after that waged war on the Habash (Ethiopians) and the
Narm pai, both o f w hom he subdued. In the land o f the Narm pai he
slew a monstrous dragon by the astute use o f naphtha.
H e then climbed a great m ountain, on the summit o f w hich was a
gorgeously attired corpse seated on a throne. W hen he approached it
Iskandar heard a voice proclaiming that his end was near; this was the
first o f four such warnings he received in the course o f his travels. His
next call was at Harum , the city o f w om en — true amazons w ith a
and so keeping out the savage people o f Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and
Magog) w ho had made a misery o f the citizens’ lives. Still pursuing
his restless course, Iskandar came to a m ountain w here a boar-headed
hum an corpse was lying on a throne by a fountain, and once again
heard a disembodied voice predicting his early demise - the third
warning. The local inhabitants then guided him to the W orld’s End,
w here grew a great tree w ith twin trunks, male and female, w hich
gave tongue, one at midday and the other at m idnight. B oth trunks
gave Iskandar his fourth warning o f im m inent death in a foreign land.
But this did nothing to curb Iskandar’s wanderlust, and he made his
way from the W orld’s End across the desert to China and eventually
reached the sea. Presumably as a m atter o f habit, he wrote an arrogant
letter to the Faghfur (Emperor o f China), w ho replied w ith restraint
and dignity, that he was prepared nether to fight nor to flee. By this
Iskandar seems to have been somewhat non-plussed, and made
thoroughly ashamed o f his boorish behaviour. So he turned back,
passing through India, defeating the m en o f Sind, and crossing to
Yemen. O n the way from there to Babylon the army, exhausted by
scaling a m ountain barrier, descended to a plain adjoining the sea.
T here they m et a hairy savage w ith enorm ous ears whose name was
Gushbistar. H e guided them to a strange city built entirely o f bones,
w here the elders showed him the treasure-house o f Kay Khusraw, o f
w hich they were the custodians. Iskandar did not hesitate to remove
the contents, and m arched on to Babylon, increasingly conscious o f
his im pending fate. This state o f m ind gave rise to a mad scheme to
massacre the whole royal family, but this was scotched just in time by
the intervention o f his tutor, Aristotle. Arrived at Babylon, Iskandar
found that a monstrous birth has just occurred; the child was born
dead, but had the head o f a lion, hoofs, and the tail o f an ox. This was
the last straw, and after w riting a farewell letter to his m other,
containing detailed instructions for his obsequies and the disposal o f
his treasures, Iskandar died in the presence o f his troops, and was
m ourned throughout the w orld.18
Ill
THE ASHKANIAN
DYNASTY
87
88 E P I T O M E OF T H E S H A H N A M A
R E I G N OF A R D A W A N
Rise of Ardashir
89
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IV
THE SASANIAN
DYNASTY
R E I G N OF A R D A S H I R I
o begin with, a war w ith the Kurds, at first unsuccessful, was won
T in the end by a night attack. The king then turned his attention
to the south-eastern city o f Kujaran, where a chieftain, Haftwad,
enjoyed m uch power and unfailing good fortune. The source o f his
prosperity was a little w orm found in an apple by his daughter. She
kept the w orm as a pet, and just like our own Lambton W orm, it . . .
91
92 E P I T O M E OF T H E S H A H N A M A
had the desired effect, he melted the lead in the cauldron; the W orm
lifted its head to receive its customary meal o f rice pudding and
honey, but instead the m olten metal was poured down its throat.
There was a roar like thunder, and the W orm expired. Ardashir raised
a smoke signal to summon his general, Shahrgir, waiting w ith the
main body o f troops, and the latter advanced on the city. They were
m et by Haftwad and his men, but easily dispersed them, and Haftwad
was taken prisoner. H e and his son Shahwi were hanged and shot to
death w ith arrows, and Ardashir quickly brought the rest o f Ardawan’s
kingdom under his control.
Birth of Shapur
R E I G N OF S H A P U R I
R E I G N S O F H U R M U Z D I, B A H R A M I, B A H R A M II,
B A H R A M III, N A R S I & H U R M U Z D II
R E I G N OF S H A P U R II
Early in this reign the Arab chieftain Ta’ir invaded southern Iran and
carried off Nusha, the daughter o f Narsi and Shapur’s aunt, and by
her Ta’ir had a daughter named Malika. W hen Shapur was tw enty-
six he made a punitive expedition against Ta’ir, and besieged him in
his stronghold. Malika saw him from the ramparts, fell in love w ith
him at first sight, and sent a message to him by her nurse offering to
deliver up the stronghold to him if he would make her his wife, to
w hich Shapur returned an enthusiastic affirmative. Malika then
caused her father and his chief warriors to be made drunk, and
opened the gates to the Persians. Ta’ir was captured, brought before
Shapur, and beheaded. All the Arab prisoners had their shoulder-
blades removed, and Shapur thus earned the sobriquet o f Z u ’l-aktaf,‘
or ‘Lord o f the shoulders’).21
Shapur in Rum
Mani
The last major event o f Shapur’s reign was the appearance o f the false
prophet and painter Mani (Manes).22 Shapur sum m oned him to a
debate w ith the Zoroastrian priests, in which he was put to
confusion; the king then had him flayed, and his skin, stuffed w ith
straw, hung on the city gate. Soon after this Shapur died, leaving the
throne to his brother Ardashir.
R E I G N OF Y A Z D A G I R D I
R E I G N OF B A H R A M V ( B A H R A M G U R )
In the first o f these Bahram was, as was his habit, enjoying the chase,
w hen he engaged a local in conversation, enquiring about local
conditions and characters. The local inform ed him that in the
neighbouring city lived two contrasting characters: Lambak, a water-
T H E S A S A N I AN D Y N A S T Y 101
carrier, poor but generous and hospitable, and Baraham a Jew, rich
and miserly. Bahrain’s curiosity was aroused and he decided to
investigate. H e first issued a proclamation that water sold by Lambak
was bad. H e then w ent to the w ater-carrier’s house pretending to be
an army captain, and requested lodging for the night. Lambak
received him warmly and entertained him lavishly; in fact he
persuaded him to stay three nights, though as a result o f the
proclamation he had to pawn the tools o f his trade in order to
procure sufficient provisions. O n the third evening the King himself
cooked the meal, and in the m orning excused himself and returned
to the chase.
In the evening he knocked on Baraham ’s door, posing as a
m em ber o f the hunt w ho had lost his way, but his request for
lodging was at first curtly refused. How ever in the end he was
allowed to bed dow n outside the door, and the Jew stipulated that
he must clear up his horse’s droppings in the m orning. In Bahram ’s
presence his ‘host’ was served w ith a lavish meal but offered not so
m uch as a m outhful to his guest. N ext m orning the King returned
to the palace, donned his crown, and gave a state reception to
w hich both Lambak and Baraham were bidden. T he Jew was made
to sit dow n whilst the King sent a servant to his house w ith
baggage-animals and orders to strip it o f all contents and bring them
to him. So vast was the treasure w ithin that m ore baggage-animals
had to be procured, and even then m uch was left behind. Bahram
presented Lambak w ith a hundred camel-loads o f this treasure,
distributing the rem ainder to the poor, and scornfully dismissing
Baraham w ith four small coins.
T he next story begins, like the foregoing, with Bahram at the chase;
this time his quarry was lions. A pair o f them rushed at him, but one
after the other, so that having transfixed the male w ith an arrow, he
was able to slay the lioness w ith his sword. This was observed by the
owner o f the land, who congratulated Bahram on his prowess, saying
that these lions had long been a plague to him. He made a great feast
for the king, not realising w ho he was (though he remarked on his
likeness to the king). N ext m orning, w hen Bahram was drinking
w ith his courtiers, they were joined by a noble villager o f the
neighbourhood bearing gifts o f fruit. He was cordially invited to
partake, which he did, somewhat to excess, and finally excused
himself in some disorder, rode into the country, and lay down to
sleep it o ff W hilst he was thus unconscious, a crow came and pecked
out his eyes, as a result o f w hich he expired. W hen he heard o f this
melancholy event Bahram immediately forbade all wine drinking
throughout his dominions.
It happened that at this time a young shoe-maker was m arried to a
virtuous wife, but found him self unable to consum m ate the
marriage. H e confided his problem to his m other, w ho produced
wine from a hidden stock w ith w hich she plied him generously, and
then bade him go to it again. This time he was successful, and, full of
THE SASANIAN DYN AS TY 103
euphoria, and the fumes still in his head, he strode into the street.
There he encountered one o f the royal lions w hich had broken loose,
and, nothing daunted, leaped upon its back. The lion was clearly
startled, but accepted the situation philosophically, while the youth
grasped its ears to steer it and to steady himself. The keeper soon
came up w ith them, secured the lion, and lost no time in reporting
this phenom enon to the King. Bahram heard the whole story from
the lad’s m other, w hich caused him to laugh heartily and to lift the
ban on drinking wine.
O nce m ore the King was hunting, but being wearied in the heat,
and having found no game, he rode into a prosperous and populous
village to rest awhile. The population came out to view the royal
cortege, but none o f them did obeisance. So Bahram, by this time in
a foul temper, cursed the village and its inhabitants. R uzbih the high
priest was w ith him, and took this for a command, so he harangued
the villagers, saying that the king was m uch pleased w ith them, and
decreed that all were raised to noble rank - men, w om en and
children — and thus all were made equal. The result was bloody
chaos; youths m urdered their elders and then fell upon each other,
those w ho were able fled away, no crops were sown, trees withered,
and streams ran dry.
A year passed, and Bahram , once m ore h u n tin g in the
neighbourhood, was horrified to find the village desolate and
alm ost u n in h ab ite d . H e o rd ered R u z b ih , w h o was again
accompanying him, to put matters right w ithout delay, drawing
on the royal treasury for whatever was required. R uzbih searched
the area, and at last found an old m an w ho told him the sad story
o f the ruin o f the village, w hich he blamed on the decree
prom ulgated by the K ing’s minister. R uzbih therefore appointed
him governor on the spot, bidding him dem and w hatever he
wanted, including craftsmen to assist him, and a body o f the
unemployed to restore the population, but each man to m aintain his
own proper rank and position in society. In a year’s tim e prosperity
was restored to the village, the king was delighted, and R uzbih was
richly rewarded.
104 E P I T O M E O F T H E S H A H N A M A
After another hunt in sultry weather King Bahram was suffering from
the colic. H e stopped, incognito o f course, at the house o f a certain
106 E P I T O M E OF T H E S H A H N A M A
m erchant and asked for a night’s lodging. The m erchant made him
comfortable, and Bahram, handing him some money, asked if he
m ight have some roasted almonds and cheese. The m erchant had no
almonds in the house, and felt no inclination to go out to buy them,
but after some delay, produced a roasted fowl from the larder, w hich
he placed before Bahram on a tray. The king was angry, not only at
receiving the w rong kind o f food for his ailing stomach, but also for
being kept waiting for it, and rebuked the m erchant accordingly. The
latter retorted vigorously that as a guest he should be satisfied w ith
w hat was put before him. The rest o f the evening passed in silence. In
the m orning, as he was preparing to depart, Bahram was detained by
the m erchant’s young apprentice, who, after a visit to the bazaar
served up a delicious meal in w hich almonds and cheese were
prom inent, with plenty o f wine on the side. W hen the king
eventually returned to his palace, he had the m erchant and his
apprentice brought before him. H e placed the apprentice among the
nobles and presented him w ith a bag o f gold, but decreed that his
master should henceforth be his slave, and pay him a sum o f m oney
twice a m onth from his savings. So Bahram Gur showed his
contem pt for avarice.
their loyal devotion and hum ble apologies for shortcomings in the
entertainm ent provided. Bahram, laughing, made the old man
headman o f the village, and rode on his way.
N ext, Bahram shot a pair o f lions on the edge o f a forest, and a little
further on came across a large flock o f sheep. T he head shepherd
replied to the king’s enquiry that the sheep belonged to a very rich
jew eller nam ed Mahiyar, w ho had a beautiful daughter, and gave
him directions to the jew eller’s house. Bahram pursued his way to
the village alone, while Barzin, left behind, gave way to a violent
tirade against the king for his womanising, saying that he had heard
from one o f the eunuchs that the palace contained nearly a
thousand w om en, and that at this rate the king w ould soon fade
away.
Arrived at the jew eller’s house and hearing sounds o f revelry,
Bahram again pretended to be a huntsm an w ho had lost his way, and
was readily admitted to a feast followed, as usual, by a drinking
session. M ahiyar was very proud o f his daughter Arzu, and got her to
sing a couple o f songs for the entertainm ent o f his unexpected guest.
Almost inevitably, Bahram was enraptured and immediately asked the
hand o f Arzu in marriage. She was very willing, but her father
counselled Bahram to sleep on it and make his decision in the
m orning. But the king was all impatience, and Mahiyar, overruled,
pronounced them man and wife. However she returned to her room
before dawn, and one o f Bahram ’s servants hung the royal whip over
the house door. By m orning a considerable num ber o f Bahram ’s
troops had seen it and assembled outside. The porter was the first to
realise the true situation, and woke his master, w ho was feeling some
effects o f the pervious night’s indulgence, and the latter hastened to
enlighten his daughter. M eanwhile Bahram awoke, called for Arzu,
w ho attended him w ith wine, and they were soon joined by her
father full o f compliments and apologies for imagined irregularities
110 E P I T O M E O F T H E S H A H N A M A
whilst in his cups. The king brushed these aside, and M ahiyar put on
another feast to w hich the king’s men, still waiting outside, were all
admitted. The festivities closed w ith another song by Arzu w ith her
harp, and R uzbih appeared w ith forty R om an eunuchs and a litter in
w hich the king’s latest conquest was duly conveyed to the royal
bower.
troops for a day, he made a surprise attack on the Khan and inflicted
on him a crushing defeat, the Khan himself and 300 o f his noblem en
being made prisoners.
W hen he had rested a while at Marv, Bahram m arched his m en
against Bukhara. H e signally defeated the Turkman host, and
received a deputation from them, begging for mercy, and offering
submission and tribute. To this he acquiesced, at the same time
restraining his troops from further bloodshed. H e established the
river Jihun (Oxus) as the boundary betw een the two kingdoms, and
appointed Shahra, a trusty warrior, as governor o f Turan.
H e then wrote a letter to his brother Narsi describing his campaign
and victories. Narsi meanwhile received a deputation o f all those
w ho had been concerned in the traitorous submission to the Khan,
begging him to entreat his royal brother to grant them mercy and
forgiveness. Bahram freely pardoned them all, and after a state
thanksgiving made a progress through the realm, distributing largesse
and repairing caravanserais and bridges on the way. This culminated
in a trium phal entry into Taisafun (Ctesiphon) the capital, w here he
was happily reunited w ith his brother Narsi. Bahram then sent a
circular letter to all his chiefs and provincial governors, full o f piety
and good advice, and appointed Narsi governor o f the great north
eastern province o f Khurasan.
Bahram then turned his attention westwards, and noted that
Caesar’s ambassador was still at court awaiting an audience. H e was
assured that the ambassador was a noble, wise, learned, and modest
man, but also heard that his staff were ill-conditioned and held the
Persians in low regard. The ambassador was warmly received in
audience by Bahram, w hom he greeted and com plim ented w ith
equal warm th, announcing that he had seven questions to put to the
wise m en o f the Persian court. These, o f a rather esoteric and
philosophical nature (the ambassador was a Platonist) were answered
w ithout difficulty and at some length by the Persian H igh Priest,
w hich earned him a robe o f honour and other royal gifts. T he two
m en continued their high-flow n discussions at court next m orning,
after w hich Bahram gave the ambassador leave to depart, loaded w ith
rich gifts. H e also made a wide distribution o f largesse to his chiefs
and officials, accompanied by a long and edifying speech that brought
tears to the eyes o f his audience.
THE SASANIAN DY NASTY 113
Later, the king was w arned by one o f his ministers o f the hostile
activities o f Shangul, King o f H ind (India) on his eastern frontier.
Bahram decided to deal w ith the m atter himself, in the guise o f an
ambassador, bearing a letter o f stern adm onition. H e departed,
ostensibly on a hunting expedition, but w hen he was near the
border rode off w ith a select party, and soon reached Shangul’s
m agnificent palace. H e was readily adm itted to the latter’s presence,
and was provided w ith a golden throne to sit on. B ut w hen the
letter was read to Shangul by a scribe, his face grew dark, and he
gave an angry and bombastic answer. Bahram replied by proposing a
debate or com bat betw een chosen m en o f Iran and H ind, at w hich
Shangul, som ew hat mollified, suggested that they sleep on it, and
meanw hile enjoy a feast together. By way o f entertainm ent, he put
on a wrestling m atch betw een two Indian champions, after w hich
Bahram offered to wrestle w ith the victor. H e overthrew the
cham pion w ith o u t difficulty, and after further potations the
com pany sought their beds.
In the m orning the Indian king amused himself for some time on
his polo-ground, and then invited Bahram to show his skill in
archery, w hich he did to such effect that he excited Shangul’s
suspicion that he must be something m ore than a mere ambassador.
W hen this was put to him, Bahram disclaimed anything o f the kind.
But Shangul instructed a trusty courtier to approach him, and invite
him to stay on in India, and receive a great estate and high
advancement, an offer which Bahram politely but firmly declined,
saying that he was anxious to return home.
But Shangul was determ ined to bring Bahram down, and asked
him to deal w ith a giant rhinoceros in a w ood nearby. Bahram readily
agreed if a guide could be provided. The guide dilated on the
immense size and ferocity o f the monster, as they approached its lair,
but decamped before they reached it. Bahram ’s Persian followers
tried to dissuade him from such a perilous encounter, but the king
rode at the beast full tilt, disabled it w ith a shower o f arrows, and then
dism ounting drew his sword and cut off its head. Shangul made a
great feast to celebrate this victory, but he was still uneasy, and next
day he sent Bahram off w ith another guide to rid the land o f a huge
114 E P I T O M E OF T H E S H A H N A M A
Shangul drew up a docum ent bequeathing all his treasures and his
kingdom to Bahram. So he returned hom e w ith his suite and many
precious gifts.
Having ordered an account to be made o f all the royal treasure, and
finding it ample to cover the rem ainder o f his life, Bahram rem itted
all taxes throughout his dominions. Yet there was still some unrest
and crime which he endeavoured to remedy by appointing new and
capable governors in all the provinces. H e m et complaints from the
poor that they had no music for their rustic revels by asking Shangul
to send 10,000 gypsies from India. W hen these arrived, they
thw arted all his attempts to make them settle down as agriculturists,
and earned a living wandering through the villages making music for
the peasants. Soon after this Bahram died peacefully, having
bequeathed the crown to his son Yazdagird.26
R E I G N S OF Y A Z D A G I R D II & H U R M U Z D III
R E I G N OF P I R U Z
T he next king was Piruz (or Firuz), son o f Yazdagird II and older
brother o f H urm uzd III. He was at first a builder o f cities, but later
made war on the Khan (see note 25) in breach of the treaty made
w ith him by Bahram G ur after his successful campaign. Khush-
nawaz, the K han’s son, sent Piruz a letter o f protest, but the king
persisted in his impious course. In the battle that followed, Piruz and
his troops were lured by a feigned retreat o f the K han’s m en into a
concealed ditch. The enemy then wheeled upon them as they
struggled in utter confusion, and inflicted a crushing defeat w ith
heavy casualties, Piruz himself being among the slain.
T H E SASANIAN DYNAS TY 117
R E IG N O F B A L A SH
P iruz Avenged
Balash was a younger son (or possibly brother) o f Piruz and was
crowned as his successor, but in view o f his youth Sufarai, a
prom inent and experienced nobleman, was appointed to gather and
com m and an army to avenge the death o f Piruz. The preliminary
118 E P I T O M E O F T H E S H A H N A M A
FIR ST R E IG N OF Q U B A D
Rebellion
R E IG N OF JA M A SP
S E C O N D R E IG N OF Q U B A D
Some time after this a certain Mazdak, a man o f noble birth and great
talent, appeared at court, professing and practising a kind o f
communism, and Q ubad was at first sympathetic to his views. But
Mazdak complained to the king that the prince Kisra was opposed to
his teaching. So Kisra arranged a debate betw een Mazdak and a
group o f Zoroastrain sages in w hich Mazdak had the worst o f it, and
Q ubad turned him over, along w ith three thousand o f his followers,
to the prince. Kisra had all the Mazdakites buried head downwards
w ith their feet in the air. H e then brought in Mazdak him self to view
this discouraging spectacle, w hich he facetiously called his ‘garden’,
and had him hanged high and shot to death w ith arrows. After this
Q ubad bestowed the throne on Kisra, w ho was then renamed
Nushirwan (‘o f imm ortal spirit’).
R E I G N OF N U S H I R W A N
Revolt of N ushzad
O ne o f N ushirw an’s wives was a Christian, and her son Nushzad was
brought up in that faith. W hen he was grown up, the king fell ill, and
Nushzad took this opportunity to raise a rebellion, having heard a
false report o f the kings death. Nushirwan entrusted the task of
putting down the rebellion to R am Barzin, giving him strict orders
T HE SASANIAN DY NASTY 121
N ushirw an one night had a strange dream w hich none o f his sages
was able to interpret. So he sent them out to various parts o f the
country to try to find one sufficiently versed in dream interpreta
tion for the purpose. O ne o f them reached M arv in the far n o rth
east, and there by chance encountered a youth nam ed Buzurjm ihr,
w ho said he had the skill. H e interpreted the king’s dream as
122 E P I T O M E OF T H E S H A H N A M A
Introduction of Chess
N ext, an envoy arrived from the Raja o f Hind, bearing many gifts,
amongst which were a chess-board and set of chess-men. H e made a
rather original proposal that if the Persians could work out how the
game was played, and correctly identify the various pieces and their
moves, they might call on the Indians for tribute, but if they failed,
let the reverse obtain. The king asked for a w eek’s grace, and w hen all
the sages at court had laboured in vain, Buzurjm ihr was sent for, and
solved the whole thing in a day and a night, m uch to the chagrin o f
the Indian envoy. H e then turned the tables on the Indians by
inventing the game o f word (backgamm on), and bore it, at
N ushirw an’s bidding, to the Raja, to w hom he explained its
T H E S A S A N I AN D Y N A S T Y 125
A famous Indian king, Jamhur, had a son named Gav, but died w hen
the latter was still an infant. Gav’s m other then m arried her late
husband’s brother Mai, w ho ruled the kingdom during the infancy of
Gav, and had a son by him named Talhand. But Mai also died w hen
the boys were no m ore than seven and two years old, and the
counsellors made their m other queen. W hen they were o f age both
princes were eager for the succession, and sat together at an assembly
o f the nobles, w ho were bidden to choose betw een them. But no
decision could be reached, the princes quarrelled, and in the end
both parties took up arms, and a battle was fought after Gav’s efforts
at reconciliation had failed.
In this battle Gav was victorious, but Talhand prepared to renew
the conflict, and a second battle took place by the sea. This time
Talhand’s heart failed him in the midst o f the battle, and he swooned
and died on his elephant. His m other at first blamed Gav for his
brother’s death, but in order to assure her o f the true course o f events
he instructed his wise m en to make a plan or model o f the whole
battle, w ith all the protagonists and their moves, thus showing how
Talhand was surrounded and gave up the ghost. And so the game of
chess was invented.
R E I G N OF H U R M U Z D IV
Khusraw and Bahram C hubina were now open rivals for the throne,
and as their two armies approached one another, the two leaders held
an abortive parley. Khusraw offered Bahram a high position at court,
Bahram scornfully refused, and the parley degenerated into an
undignified slanging match. Bahram then staged a night attack w hich
was at first successful, but in an encounter on the bridge o f Nahravan
Khusraw, displaying great valour, caused Bahram to retreat. But
Khusraw’s army and resources were seriously depleted, and his father,
w hom he contrived to visit in his distress, advised him to seek the aid
o f Caesar. W hen his party were already on the road to R u m , Bandwi
132 E P I T O M E O F T H E S H A H N A M A
and Gustaham turned back, entered the palace, and strangled the
w retched H urm uzd w ith a bowstring.
R E I G N OF K H U S R A W ( P A R V I Z )
Caesar's Talisman
chief envoy, was called upon to try. H e observed the figure closely,
and noticed several features about her that seemed mechanical rather
than hum an, and told Caesar so. Caesar com m ended him highly, and
this led to a conversation on the religion o f the Hindus and
Christianity, culminating in praise o f the religion o f Zoroaster, and o f
the Persian Kings in their practice o f it.
Caesar sent not only troops to the aid o f Khusraw, but also his
daughter Maryam in marriage to him, w ith a numerous train and
rich gifts. Khusraw received them w ith great satisfaction, m arried
M aryam immediately, and com bined the Persian troops w ith his
R om an allies, putting all under the com m and o f Caesar’s brother
Niyatus. W hen the army was in m otion, Khusraw was joined by
Bandwi and Mawsil, an Arm enian w ho had sheltered him in his
flight; and he visited a neighbouring fire-temple to pray solemnly for
aid in the coming struggle.
H earing o f Khusraw’s movements, Bahram Chubina wrote letters
to the Persian chiefs urging them to abandon Khusraw and jo in up
w ith him, but the bearer o f the letters was so impressed by the
splendours o f the royal camp that he handed over the letters to
Khusraw himself. The king com m ended and rewarded him, and sent
him back to Bahram C hubina w ith a packet o f forged letters,
purporting to come from the chiefs addressed and pledging their
support.
T he armies confronted one another for their first battle, and Kut, a
R om an champion, rode out and challenged Bahram C hubina to
single combat. But Bahram cut him through from helm et to breast,
bound the corpse to its horse, and sent it back to Khusraw’s camp. In
the general engagement that followed, the Rom ans, dismayed by the
fate o f their champion, were defeated w ith great slaughter.
In the second battle on the following day Khusraw decided to
dispense w ith his R om an allies, and attacked Bahram C hubina w ith
his Persian troops. Bahram ’s elephant was overwhelmed by their
arrows, as was the horse he then m ounted. But he fought so
desperately on foot that he drove the Persians back, and even
THE SASANIAN DY NASTY 135
Activities of Gurdiya
Birth o f Shirwi
A bout this time Sarkash, the court musician, felt his position
threatened by a younger perform er named Barbad, and contrived to
have him denied access to the court. But Barbad found a friend in the
person o f M ardwi the gardener, w ho arranged for him to be present,
but unseen, w hen Khusraw took his pleasure in the garden at the
N ew Year. So Barbad dressed himself in green and, carrying his harp,
climbed into the branches o f a great cypress tree, beneath w hich the
king soon took his place to drink wine. W hen he played and sang,
Khusraw and all the court were enraptured, but nobody could
discover where he was. At length he came down and stood before the
king, w ho forthw ith made him chief musician. W hen his behaviour
became known, Sarkash was disgraced.
Fall of Khusraw
But in his latter years Khusraw turned from justice to oppression; his
sole aim was to increase his wealth. The people began to leave their
homes, and some sought refuge in R um . Two traitors, Guraz and
Farrukhzad, invited Caesar to invade and take over the kingdom , and
very soon his armies were in m otion. By a crafty ruse, however,
Khusraw induced him to retire. But the trouble at hom e became
serious; fighting broke out betw een the rebels and the royal troops, in
w hich the latter were worsted. Shirwi was released from his house-
THE SASANIAN DY NASTY 141
arrest, and hailed as king w ith the royal name o f Q ubad (II).
Awakened by the noise, Khusraw attem pted to conceal himself in the
garden, but he was caught there by Farrukhzad and the rebels. He
was placed on an elephant and conveyed to Taisafun w here he was
kept in strict confinem ent, whilst his son Shirwi ascended the throne
as Q ubad II.
142 E P I T O M E OF T H E S H A H N A M A
R E I G N OF Q U B A D II ( S H I R W I )
M urder o f Khusraw
R E I G N S OF A R D A S H I R III, G U R A Z , P U R A N D U K H T ,
A Z A R M I D U K H T & F A R R U K H Z A D 30
Period of Confusion
Ardashir III came to the throne in AD 628 and during the next four
years five successive monarchs reigned. Ardashir was m urdered after
six months, and his successor, the usurper Guraz (or Farayin), m et
the same fate after a mere fifty days. After him came two queens,
Purandukht and Azarmidukht, daughters o f Khusraw, both o f w hom
died (or were murdered) w ithin a few months o f accession. The
form er signalised her reign by the execution o f Piruz, the m urderer
o f Ardashir III, w ho was bound to an unbroken colt w hich was then
driven at high speed, vainly trying to rid itself o f its helpless rider, till
it finally rolled upon him and he died miserably Farrukhzad’s was the
last, and shortest, o f these unhappy reigns; he survived one m onth on
the throne before being poisoned by a slave.
144 E P I T O M E O F T H E S H A H N A M A
R E I G N OF Y A Z D A G I R D III
M ahwi now assumed the crown, giving out that it had been
bequeathed to him by Yazdagird himself, and filled the highest posts
w ith his creatures. But Bizhan the Turk heard the true story, and
m arched against him to avenge the m urdered king. M ahwi was run
down, captured, mutilated, and bound to a horse w hich was turned
loose in the desert. His second-in-com m and, Guraz, and his three
sons were burned to death. Bizhan himself, whose record in these
terrible events is not wholly creditable, went mad and com m itted
suicide. And so, like a Jacobean tragedy, amid madness, mutilation
and murder, the mighty Sasanian dynasty finally collapsed, and the
great epic comes to an end. In his epilogue the poet Firdawsi tells us
that he wrote the final lines on the day o f Ard in the m onth of
Sapandarmad in the year o f the Flight 400 (AD 1010).
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NOTES
1 Readers who have had the benefit o f a classical education will doubtless
have noticed a similarity between Rustam ’s panoply as depicted here (and in
other illustrations to this volume) and classical Greek portrayals in sculpture
or vase painting o f Heracles wearing the skin of the Nemean lion. Rustam
wore his tiger-skin surcoat (babri-bayani) constantly, as vouched for by
Firdawsi, and it appears from the earliest (early fourteenth century)
representations o f the hero onwards. But the mask of a leopard on his
helmet has to wait another hundred years. Its first appearance was at Shiraz
in 1411 in a richly decorated anthology commissioned by the outstanding
patron and bibliophile (but disastrous polititian) Iskandar Sultan, a grandson
of the great conqueror Timur, or Tamerlaine (British Library MS
Add.27261, f.298b). Classical remains are still common in Asia Minor,
and it may be that a figure o f Heracles with the grinning mask of the
Nemean lion on his brow was observed and noted by one of Tim ur’s
officers during his Ottom an campaign or even by Prince Iskandar himself,
who accompanied his grandfather on this occasion. But the latter had a
lively mind, and was quite capable of thinking of the idea himself. The
sevenfold plume on Rustam ’s helmet is a unique feature and quite consistent
with the genius of the greatest painter of the time, Sultan Muhammad.
2 E.G. Browne, A Literary History o f Persia, London 1908, Vol. II, p.132.
3 A typical passage as translated by Browne (op. cit. Vol II, p.81):
147
148 T H E P E R S I A N B O O K OF K I N G S
10 This is known as the Battle of the Twelve Rukhs, as it is held to include the
combat of Bizhan and Human, described above, as well as the eleven duels
here enumerated.
11 The Persian word for rhinoceros is karg, which is often confused with gurg
(wolf), the Persian letters G and K being very similar in appearance. But
Persian painters who have illustrated this story often depict a rhinoceros,
which is a more formidable adversary for a hero to tackle, and its terrible
horn is also more suited to the evisceration of Gushtasp’s horse (see below).
The same confusion occurs later in the adventures of Isfandiyar and Bahram
Gur. The rhinoceros is sometimes depicted as a unicorn. See R .
Ettinghausen, The Unicorn (Freer Gallery of Art, Occasional Papers, Vol.I,
no. 3), Washington, D.C., 1950.
12 The practice o f marriage with the next-of-kin was in accordance with the
Magian (Zoroastrian) religion.
13 See note 11.
14 Evidently quite a different breed from the benign creature who saved the
baby Zal and brought him up!
15 Bahman may claim to be the first historical character to appear in the
Shahnama, though Gushtasp has sometimes been equated with Hystaspes;
earlier attempts to identify Kay Khusraw with Cyrus have been shown to be
futile. Bahman was called diraz-dast (‘long hand’) and is thus identifiable
with Artaxerxes Longimanus (BC 465-425). However his successor in the
Shahnama, Q ueen Humay, has no historical counterpart. Her son Darab
corresponds to Darius II (BC 424—404), and Dara (Alexander’s half-brother
in the epic) is, o f course, the ill-fated Darius III (Codomannus) (BC
336-330). The chronological confusion is obvious, but from here onwards
the often fabulous or fictitious events o f the Shahnama are enacted in a
broadly historical framework.
16 See note 12.
17 Though now the main focus of Muslim pilgrimage, the Ka‘ba, or Holy House,
has a long and chequered pre-Islamic history. Briefly, it is said to have been
founded by Adam, rebuilt by Abraham after the Flood, and supplied by the
archangel Gabriel with the famous Black Stone, of volcanic origin and set in
the south east corner o f the building. Later, however, idolatry was introduced
into Mecca after a certain Amr b.Luhayy brought back an idol called Hubal,
which he had been given on his travels by the Amalekites. Soon hundreds of
idols were installed in and around the Ka‘ba till they were all destroyed by
Muhammad in AD 629, and the Ka‘ba was cleansed. As well as Hubal, they
included the three daughters o f Allah, al-Lat (mentioned by Herodotus as
Alilat), al-‘Uzza, and Manat, whose favourable mention in the ‘Satanic Verses’
(Quran LIII.19, 20) caused much embarrassment to the Prophet.
18 It is wasted effort to try to trace or follow Iskandar’s travels (as here related)
on a map; they defy all the laws of geography and most other laws. The
reader is recommended to relax, with disbelief suspended, and so to enjoy
149
150 T H E P E R S I A N B O O K O F K IN G S
‘Bahram who hunted the wild ass (gur) all his life
See how the grave (gur) has hunted him down.’
Pishdadian Gayumarth 30
Hushang 40
Tahmurath 30
Jamshid 700
[Zahhak] 1000*
(usurper)
Faridun 500
Minuchihr 120
Nawdar 7
Zav 5
Garshasp 9
153
154 E P I T O M E O F T H E S H A H N A M A
Reign Reign
Name Nam e (in years) (dates)
Dynasty (Persian) (Latin) (Shahnama) (Historical)
155
156 T H E P E R S I A N B O O K O F K I N G S
157
158 T H E P E R S I A N B O O K O F K I N G S
Dreams; 15, 18, 23, 38, 41, 47, Gahar of Gahan, Turanian
65, 79, 88, 120, 127 warrior; 50
Gang Bihisht, Turanian fortress;
Elephants; 20f, 52f, 55, 71, 78, 81, 60f
108, 125, 129, 134, 141 Gang Dizh, Turanian fortress; 39,
62f
Faghanish, Fiaitalian King; 123 Garshasp, last Pishdadian King; 21
Faghfur, Chinese Emperor; 62, Garsiwaz, brother of Afrasiyab;
85,115 38ff, 53f, 63f
Failakus (Philip ofM acedon); 79 Gav, Indian prince; 125
Faramurz, younger son of Gayumarth, 1st Pishdadian King;
Rustam; 41, 75, 78 11
Faranak, mother of Faridun; 15f Ghatkar, Haitalian King; 123
Faranak, daughter of Barzin; 108 Ghazna, city of Afghanistan; 2
Farat (Euphrates), river; 78 Giv, son of Gudarz; 41-43, 45ff,
Farayin, see Guraz 50, 53f, 57f, 65
Farfurius (Porphyrius?), Rom an Gloom, Land of; 84
general; 120 Gog and Magog (Yajuj and
Fariburz, son of Kay Ka’us; 43, Majuj), northern barbarians; 85
46f, 57, 65 Gudarz, paladin, father of Giv; 33,
Faridun, 5th Pishdadian King; 36, 41, 57ff, 63, 65
15-18, 23, 63, 66, 105, 111, Gudarz, Ashkanian; 87
118 Gulistan Palace Library, Tehran,
Farrukhi, Ghaznavid court Baysunghur’s Shahnama; 5
poet; 2 Gulnar, mistress of Ardashir; 88f
Farrukhzad, name assumed by Guraz (Farayin, Shahr Baraz),
Gushtasp (qv) in R um traitor and usurper; 140, 143
Farrukhzad, traitor and usurper; Guraz, officer under Mahwi; 145
140f, 143 Gurazm, relative of Gushtasp; 69
Farshidward, brother of Piran; 58f Gurdafarid, amazon; 33
Farshidward, brother of Isfandiyar; Gurdiya, amazon, sister of Bahram
70 Chubina; 131, 137f
Farshidward, miser; 110 Gurdwi, brother of Bahram
Farud, son of Siyawush; 33, 44ff Chubina; 138
Faskun, rhinoceros of; 66 Gurgin, Persian warrior; 53f, 55
Firangis, daughter of Afrasiyab; Gurgsar, Turanian warrior; 70f, 73
38-43, 47 Gurwi, murderer of Siyawush; 40,
Firdawsi, author of the Shahnama; 58, 60
Iff, 87, 98, 100, 145 Gushbistar, a monstrous savage;
Florence, National Library, earliest 86
Shahnama Manuscript; 5 Gushtasp, 5 th Kayanian King;
Flying Machine of Kay Ka’us; 31f 65-70, 74, 76, 78
Four Treasures of Kaid; 80f Gustaham, paladin, brother of Tus;
Fur (Porus), Indian King; 3 I f 59f, 65
160 T H E P E R S I A N B O O K OF K I N G S