THE SHAHNAMEH, THE “BOOK OF Kings”, is to Iran what the Iliad or the Aeneid are to Western civilisation. It is a verse epic comprising 50,000 couplets, composed between AD 977 and 1010 by the poet Ferdowsi, who was said to have been paid a gold coin for every couplet — which perhaps helps to explain its length.
The Shahnameh mixes myth and history from the deep Persian past and contains dynastic succession, picaresque stories, moral lessons, religious instruction and heroes.
IN AN EXTRAORDINARY ACT OF VANDALISM, THE BOOK WAS DISMEMBERED AND THE ILLUSTRATIONS SOLD The most beautiful illustrated version of the poem was created for Shah Tahmasp, who ruled from 1524 to 1576. The pictures — of the utmost magnificence, rich with gold and lapis — were painted by…
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The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, November 2024