Slide 1


Slide 2

‫מצגת זו היא השנייה בנושא‪.‬‬
‫אנו ממליצים לצפות במצגת הראשונה תחילה‪:‬‬
‫שאה‪-‬נאמה מצגת ראשונה‬


Slide 3

‫רוסתם‬
‫בשאה‪-‬נאמה של פירדוסי‪ ,‬רוסתם הוא גיבורה המרכזי‬
‫של השושלת הכיאנית‪ .‬ואף על פי כן כמה היבטים‬
‫עושים אותו לדמות חיצונית‪ :‬הוא גיבור ולא מלך; הוא‬
‫גיבור מקומי‪ ,‬ולא גיבור לאומי; והוא בעל קשרים‬
‫גיניאולוגיים מפוקפקים‪ ,‬בהיותו קרוב משפחה של אויבי‬
‫השושלת‪ ,‬של בני תוראן‪.‬‬
‫זאל ובנו רוסתם האריכו ימים יותר מכל אדם‪.‬‬
‫שנות פעילותם שקולות באורכן לתקופת השלטון‬
‫הכוללת של המלכים הכיאניים‪ ,‬עובדה המפתה לראות‬
‫בהם מעין התגלמות של הזמן עצמו‪ ,‬אך ספק אם פירוש‬
‫כזה מוצדק במסגרת האפוס‪.‬‬
‫לפי המסופר במיתולוגיה הפרסית‪ ,‬לידתו של רוסתם‬
‫נתארכה בשל גודלו העצום של העובר‪ ,‬זאל קרא לעזרה‬
‫את סימורג‪ ,‬ציפור הגדי‪ ,‬אשר הנחה אותם כיצד לבצע‬
‫ניתוח קיסרי ראשון מסוגו בימים ההם‪ ,‬דבר שהציל את‬
‫האם ואת התינוק‪.‬‬
‫כילד הוא הורג את הפיל הלבן במכת מקבת של סבו‬
‫סאם‪ .‬הסיפור הטראגי הבולט ביותר בשאה‪-‬נאמה הוא‬
‫הסיפור בו רוסתם הורג את בנו סוהראב בקרב בו אף‬
‫אחד מן הצדדים אינו יודע במי הוא נלחם‪.‬‬


Slide 4

Portrait of the infant Rostam shown to Sam
Timurid: Herat, c.1444
Patron: Mohammad Juki b. Shah Rokh
London, Royal Asiatic Society, Persian MS 239

Zal fell in love with Rudabeh, daughter of king Mehrab
of Kabol. Sam was opposed to a match at first, since
Mehrab was a grandson of the tyrannical king Zahhak,
but he relented when astrologers told him that a son
born to the couple would be a mighty champion of Iran.
Assisted by the Simorgh, who was summoned by the
burning of one of her feathers, Rudabeh gave birth to a
boy of prodigious size. They named him Rostam and
his image was sent to Sam. In the Shahnameh, the
image is a stuffed doll, but here the artist has
interpreted it as a painting on silk. The messenger or

courtier who presents the portrait to Sam has perhaps
taken on some of the nervousness that the artist
himself may have felt in laying his work before his
patron. But Sam radiates satisfaction.


Slide 5


Slide 6

Esfandiyar slays Arjasp in the Brazen Hold
Timurid: Herat, c.1444
London, Royal Asiatic Society, Persian MS 239,

Esfandiyar, son of Goshtasp of Iran, went to the
Brazen Hold to free his sisters who had been
abducted by Arjasp of Turan. Disguised as a
merchant, he entered Arjasp’s fortress, found his
sisters, signalled to his army outside to attack the
castle, and slayed Arjasp. This extraordinary
bird’s eye view distances the main action, while
the intricate web of architecture frames and holds
it in focus. The tile cartouche above the door
reads ‘Mohammad Juki bahador (warrior)’, the
name of the patron of this manuscript.


Slide 7

On his way to release his sisters from Turanian
ruler Arjasp in the Brazen Hold, Esfandiyar
encountered Seven Perils — the counterpart of
those experienced by Rostam when he
rescued Key Kavus (both paralleling the
Labours of Hercules). The first is the threat
posed by two kargs. In this picture the clovenhoofed monsters have a chance resemblance
to unicorns, but the faces of wolves. The
rendering of gurg, or ‘wolf’, and karg, or
‘rhinoceros’, is similar in Persian script. In
addition, Persian painters had only a vague
idea of the appearance of the rhinoceros. This
copy of the Shahnameh represents the type of
manuscripts described as ‘Commercial
Turkman’, since it was produced for the market
rather than a specific patron.

Esfandiyar slays
two kargs .
Shiraz, 15 January 1475


Slide 8

The Simorgh heals Rakhsh
Ferdowsi, Shahnameh
Safavid: Shiraz, c.1590–1595
London, British Library,
Rostam and his horse Rakhsh were
severely wounded in combat with prince
Esfandiyar. Rostam retreated to his father,
Zal, who burnt a feather of the Simorgh and
summoned her assistance. The magical
bird drew eight arrowheads out of Rostam
and six out of Rakhsh, and provided
another of her feathers to stroke and heal
their wounds. We see the fully restored
Rostam — whose wide turban indicates the
period of Shah ‘Abbas I (1587–1629) —
kneeling behind his father. They are
surrounded by the three braziers
mentioned in the text. The Simorgh’s
questing beak is the chief focus. The main
image and the margin are both united and
divided by the Simorgh’s streaming tail,
reminding the viewer that she is a creature
of two worlds.


Slide 9

Tahmineh comes to Rostam
Timurid: Herat, c.1444

Patron: Mohammad Juki b. Shah Rokh
London, Royal Asiatic Society, Persian MS
The scene of Tahmineh visiting Rostam at
night with the request to bear his child is

one of the most frequently illustrated
episodes in the Shahnameh Rostam’s
enthusiasm and Tahmineh’s bashfulness
make this is one of the most delightful
versions. The exquisite rendering of a
princely interior transports the viewer into
the fifteenth century. Tahmineh is no longer
attended by a woman but by a black eunuch,
perhaps reflecting a change in contemporary
custom.


Slide 10

Tahmineh comes to Rostam
Sultanate India: probably North
Deccan, c.1435–1450
Private Collection


Slide 11

Rostam lifts Afrasiyab of Turan
by the belt
Timurid: Shiraz, c.1435-1440
Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum.
The murder of Iraj by his brother Tur sparked
continuous warfare between their descendants
in Iran and Turan. The Turanian attack during
the reign of Key Qobad is the first appearance
in battle of the young champion Rostam, whose
exploits dominate the legendary section of the
Shahnameh. Here Rostam lifts the Turanian
king Afrasiyab by his belt into the air, the only
way to unhorse him because of the shape of the
saddle. The hero lifts his enemy effortlessly, ‘as
if he weighed no more than a mosquito, making
his soul worth less than a fistful of dirt’, as
Afrasiyab told his father later, having escaped
after his belt broke.


Slide 12

The young Rostam kills the mad
elephant
Safavid: Tabriz, Mashhad, c.1570
London, British Museum
We see the young Rostam giving an early
sign of his heroic future. His grandfather
Sam is visiting and after the celebration
Rostam goes to bed intoxicated. He is
woken by shouts that a white elephant has
run wild. Rostam overcomes the elephant
with a blow from his grandfather’s mace

and returns to bed. Rostam’s coat is kirtled
into his belt in a way seen in Shah
Tahmasp’s Shahnameh (64), while the
turban worn by the mahout of the elephant
suggests knowledge of contemporary
Mughal costume under the emperor Akbar
(1556–1605).


Slide 13

‫יג‪,‬ד‬

‫רוסתם הורג את דיו‪-‬לבן‬


Slide 14

Rostam slays the White Div
Safavid: Qazvin or Transoxiana,

mid- to late 16th century
Private Collection,
Rostam has defeated the White Div and is
extracting its liver to cure the blindness of Key

Kavus. This image exemplifies a new fashion for
the selection of celebrated episodes, individual
figures or small groups for inclusion in albums
of drawings and paintings: the traditional twofigure group has been changed from a horizontal
to a vertical position. Persian painting on silk is
known from c.1400 and tends to be associated
with Tabriz or Herat. The Shahnameh records
that silk was the normal support for letters
exchanged between sovereigns.


Slide 15

Rostam slays a dragon
Timurid: Shiraz, c.1430
Patron: Ebrahim Soltan b. Shah Rokh
Oxford, Bodleian Library
Rostam, like Hercules, faced many trials,
notably the Seven Perils he encountered
in the Caspian province of Mazandaran,
while on his way to rescue King Key
Kavus who had been captured by divs
(demons). This action-filled image
shows the third Peril. Rostam’s watchful
steed, Rakhsh, had woken his owner
twice during the night when he saw the
dragon approaching, but as soon as
Rostam opened his eyes, the dragon
disappeared. Here, the dragon appears
for the third time, the hero attacks him
and cuts off his head. Rostam is shown
in his emblematic tiger-skin coat and
snow-leopard cap.


Slide 16

The King of Mazandaran turns himself
into a rock
Timurid: Shiraz, c.1430
Oxford, Bodleian Library
This striking miniature of a stone horseman illustrates
the battle between Rostam and the King of Mazandaran,
a master-sorcerer of demons, who refused to pay

tribute to King Key Kavus. Just as Rostam was about to
spear his chest, the sorcerer transformed himself into a
rock — the moment captured here. Rostam puts his
finger to his lips in amazement and Rakhsh bites the
stone horse in disbelief. But Rostam was able to carry

the massive stone to Key Kavus’s camp, where the
sorcerer resumed his normal shape and was executed.
The petrified king is normally shown as a round
boulder. This portrayal of an equestrian statue is
unusually elaborate.


Slide 17

Rostam deflects a rock
Timurid: Shiraz, c.1430
Oxford, Bodleian Library
When Shah Goshtasp realized that his son
Esfandiyar coveted his throne, he dispatched him
to Sistan to bring back Rostam, if necessary in
chains, on the pretext that the hero had not come
to pay homage. Goshtasp was aware of a prophecy
that Esfandiyar would be killed. Esfandiyar sent his
son, Bahman, to convey Goshtasp’s demand. On
seeing the massive Rostam roasting an onager,
Bahman realized that his father’s mission might fail
and rolled a boulder down on the hero. Rostam
nonchalantly waited until the last moment and we
see him here kicking the boulder aside, while
continuing to cook his meal.


Slide 18

Rostam lifts an adversary

on his spear
Qazvini, ‘Aja’eb al-Makhluqat, anonymous
Persian translation
Turkman Commercial style: Shiraz, c.1475
Compiled in the later thirteenth century,
the ‘Aja’eb al-Makhluqat, or ‘Wonders of
Creation’, resembles an encyclopaedia of
cosmology and the natural world. Heroes
of the Shahnameh are included in some
copies, such as this late fifteenth-century
example, where Rostam is mentioned
eighth in a list beginning with Faridun.
There is no mention in the text of any
particular feat, but Rostam’s habitual
ability to unseat an opponent with his
spear is emphasized and illustrated here.


Slide 19

Sohrab slain by Rostam
Timurid: Shiraz, c.1430
Oxford, Bodleian Library
This image illustrates one of the most
famous and tragic episodes in the
Shahnameh. Unaware of his opponent’s
identity, Rostam kills his son Sohrab.
Tahmineh’s son had grown up knowing
that Rostam was his father, but the two
have never met until they found
themselves fighting on opposing sides in a
battle between Iran and Turan. With
matching stubbornness they refused to
reveal their identity to each other. Rostam
delivered a deadly blow, but on opening

Sohrab’s clothing he found the jewel that
he had given to Tahmineh for their child.


Slide 20

Rostam binds the Black Div
Azadsarv, Shabrangnameh
Late Mughal period: late 18th century
London, British Museum,
This leaf is not from a copy of the
Shahnameh, but from a successor epic
about the Black Div, son of the
Shahnameh’s White Div . Both the event
and this illustration are modelled on
Rostam’s slaying of Akvan. This bold
page with its six text columns poses
questions. The lightly tinted landscape
shows a well assimilated influence from
European watercolour and suggests a
late 18th-century date. The strong sense
of physicality of the div’s plump body,
argue for an Indian rather than Persian
origin. The stylized form of the div’s
muzzle and that of Rostam’s snowleopard cap recall various artefacts made
for Tipu Sultan of Mysore (1782–1799).


Slide 21

Bizhan slays Nastihan
Turkman: Lahijan, 1493–1494
Patron: Soltan ‘Ali Mirza
Private Collection


Slide 22

Rostam rescues Bizhan
from the pit
Safavid: Esfahan, May 1628
London, British Library,
Manizheh has guided Rostam to the pit where her
lover Bizhan is imprisoned. Rostam is about to let
down his lasso for the rescue. The period when this
manuscript was made witnessed a considerable
production of single-figure studies of fashionable
people. The curving posture of Manizheh and the

companion nearest to Rostam show the influence of
such studies. Their impact is also felt in the soft
rendering of trees and rocks. By contrast, the bold
pink background, signalling intense drama,
originated in manuscript illustration.


Slide 23

After a long battle with Esfandiyar, Rostam was prompted by the Simorgh to shoot his adversary in the
eyes with a double-headed arrow of tamarisk. Esfandiyar fell, but drew out the arrow himself, as his

brother Pashutan and his son Bahman ran to assist him. Esfandiyar entrusted Rostam with the care for
Bahman, although he found out that the hero had received assistance from the Simorgh. We see Rostam
as he begins to regret and his father Zal who realizes that the hero’s life will now be darkened.
The manuscript was presented to King George III or George IV by the Marquess of Hastings, who had
been Governor General in India.

The dying Esfandiyar watched
by Rostam and Zal
Safavid: Qazvin, c.1585
Windsor, The Royal Collection,
Lent by Her Majesty The Queen


Slide 24

The historical age
A brief mention of the Ashkānīyān
(Arsacid) dynasty follows the history of
Alexander and precedes that of Ardashir I,
founder of the Sassanid Empire. After this,
Sassanid history is related with a good
deal of accuracy. The fall of the Sassanids
and the Arab conquest of Persia are
narrated romantically.

Bahram Gur pins the coupling onagers


Slide 25

Eskandar (Alexander the Great) visits the Ka‘ba
Timurid: Shiraz, c.1435–1440
Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum.
The story of Alexander the Great, called Eskandar in the
Shahnameh, is an important chapter in the epic. On his
way from India to North Africa he made a stop in Mecca,
Eskandar paid his respects to the Ka‘ba, the House of
Abraham, which Ferdowsi describes, as ‘the place of
worship before any others existed … where God
causes you to worship and to remember him.’ Here,
Eskandar watches as a pilgrim reaches for the door
handle of the Ka‘ba; in later versions Eskandar himself
is depicted as a pilgrim.


Slide 26

Eskandar (Alexander the Great) enters the Land of Darkness

Rashid al-Din, Jami’ al-Tawarikh
(‘Compendium of Histories’)
Il-Khanid: Tabriz, 1314
Edinburgh University Library

Eskandar, or Alexander the Great, went into the Land of Darkness to seek the Water of Life, but
failed to find it. Here, he sends his horse forward into the swirling darkness. His followers look
anxious and even two of the horses stare at each other, uncertain of what they are about to
encounter. The flame-like protuberances on Eskandar’s helmet probably allude to his
identification with the qur’anic figure Dhu’l-Qarnayn (‘Lord, or Possessor, of Two Horns’).
This is one of the earliest Shahnameh illustrations that are precisely datable.


Slide 27

Eskandar (Alexander the Great)
contemplates the Talking Tree
Timurid: Shiraz, c.1430
Oxford, Bodleian Library,
Towards the end of his travels, Eskandar, came to a
town at the edge of the world. The local curiosity was a
tree with two trunks of talking heads; the male trunk
spoke by day and the female at night. Intrigued,
Eskandar visited the tree and heard a voice
prophesying his death. He is shown here standing
before the tree, his finger to his lips. The tree’s mystical
qualities are emphasized by the assortment of human
and animal heads. The absence of text lends the image
an unusual solemnity.


Slide 28

Eskandar (Alexander the Great) shown
his portrait
Safavid: Mashhad, 1648
Artist: attributed to Mohammad Qasem by Robinson
Patron: Qarajaghay Khan, governor of Mashhad
Windsor, The Royal Collection,
Lent by Her Majesty The Queen
After visiting the Ka‘ba, Eskandar led his troops to
Egypt. Queen Qeydafeh of Andalus (Candace of
Meroë) sent a spy to make a portrait of him.
Eskandar came to Qeydafeh’s court disguised as his
ambassador, but the queen recognised him and he
had to admit his true identity. One would expect to
see Qeydafeh enthroned with Eskandar’s portrait
and Eskandar himself seated at a lower level.
Instead, the painting shows Eskandar on the throne
and no Qeydafeh — unless we imagine that she is
looking through our eyes, the eyes of the viewers.


Slide 29

Eskandar seeks the Water of Life
Turkman Commercial style: Shiraz, 1494
Oxford, Bodleian Library
Eskandar (Alexander the Great) was informed
that in the Land of Darkness, where the sun
sets, there was a spring of the Water of Life,
which bestowed immortality. He took the
prophet Khezr as his guide, giving him one of
two rings that would light up when near water.
Eskandar lost his companion in the darkness.
Khezr found the water and bathed in it, while
Eskandar passed on to a mountain where a
talking tree foretold his doom. The artist has
employed a pictorial variant that is more
appropriate for the account given in the
Khamseh of Nezami, where Khezr is
accompanied by Elyas. Both figures have
flaming halos indicative of their prophetic
powers. The differing paths are clear in the
composition: the two prophets focus their
attention downwards to the Water of Life,
while Eskandar proceeds with his eyes fixed
on a distant horizon.


Slide 30

Lohrasp enthroned with
scribes in attendance
Rashid al-Din, Jami’ al-Tawarikh
Il-Khanid: Tabriz, 1314
Edinburgh University Library
This image depicts Key Khosrow’s
successor, Lohrasp, enthroned. Here
we see figures characteristic of the IlKhanid court: young attendants wear
split-brimmed Mongol caps with their
hair in bunches, while old, bearded
figures with aquiline profiles have
turbans. The latter have long written
scrolls and pen-boxes. They are
Persian bureaucrats, indispensable
to the running of the empire.
This is one of the earliest
Shahnameh illustrations that are
precisely datable.


Slide 31

Lohrasp enthroned
Ferdowsi, Shahnameh
Safavid: Shiraz, 1540s
Fitzwilliam Museum,

This double-page image captures the splendour of the Persian court. On the right, Lohrasp, who has
just succeeded Key Khosrow, is enthroned among courtiers and entertained by musicians beside the
pool, while an attendant offers him pomegranates and another one, behind the throne, holds his sword.
On the left, food is served, while petitioners wait outside. The fine blue and gold illumination framing
the scene marks the beginning of the second part of the Shahnameh.


Slide 32

Bahram Chubineh kills Saveh Shah
Safavid : Astarabad or Esfahan, July 1643
Patron: Mirza Mohammad Taher Beg
Cambridge, Corpus Christi College,
In the Sasanian period, Hormozd of Iran
was concerned by the threat posed by
Saveh, the Turkish ruler of Herat. Through
a prophecy, he was led to Bahram
Chubineh, a lord willing and able to lead
the army against Saveh. Bahram Chubineh
routed the much larger Turkish force.
Saveh took to flight, but Bahram shot him
in the back. Here, Saveh is shown facing
his opponent, rather than fleeing, but he
has clearly met his fate. The rearing of the
horses, slightly out of phase with the rocky
horizon that rises and falls like waves
behind them, emphasizes the vigorous
action.


Slide 33

Bowl showing Bahram Gur
hunting with Azadeh
Probably Kashan,
late 12th or early 13th century
The young prince Bahram Gur is shown
hunting with Azadeh, the slave girl who was
a fine musician and ‘his heart’s delight and
desire.’ Azadeh challenged him to
demonstrate his skill as a hunter and, firing
successive shots from his bow, to turn a
male gazelle into a female, a female one into
a male, and then to pin together the foot and
ear of a third one. Bahram shot two arrows
into the female deer’s head and cut off the
antlers of the male deer with a doublepointed arrow. He nicked the ear of a third
gazelle and when she raised her foot to
scratch it, he pinned foot and ear together,
as can be seen here.


Slide 34

Ardeshir executes Haftvad
Turkman: Shiraz style, 25 April 1486
Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art,
This story refers to the beginning of the
lucrative silk industry. The Sasanian ruler
Ardeshir found himself threatened by
Haftvad, who had prospered thanks to a
gigantic worm and had established his own
formidable fortress. Ardeshir killed the
worm by pouring molten lead into its
mouth. He then had Haftvad and his son
Shahuy suspended from gibbets and shot
with arrows — this image illustrates their
gruesome fate. On the right, Ardeshir,
crowned and under the royal parasol,
makes a gesture known as ‘biting the
finger of surprise’. Although illustrated in
the Commercial Turkman style of Shiraz,
this manuscript was produced for a son of
the Aq Quyunlu ruler based in Tabriz.


Slide 35

The besotted Iranian
camp attacked


Slide 36

Drums thunder and trumpets blare as
the Iranian and Turanian armies clash.


Slide 37

The Raja of Hind sends the Game of
Chess to Nushirvan


Slide 38

‫לצפייה במצגת ראשונה‪:‬‬

‫שאה‪-‬נאמה‪ ,‬מצגת ראשונה‬
‫לצפייה במצגות על כתבי יד עבריים עתיקים‪:‬‬

‫יהדות‪-‬כתבי יד עתיקים‬

‫‪Facade to Ferdowsi's Mausoleum in Tus‬‬


Slide 39

:‫מקורות‬
http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/gallery/shahnameh/
http://shahnama.caret.cam.ac.uk/new/jnama/page/
http://www.iranian.com/Davis/2004/July/Shahnameh/1.html
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/khan6/hd_khan6
http://usuarios.multimania.es/lospersas/epica_4.htm
http://etcweb.princeton.edu/shahnama/mspages
http://www.persia.org/Images/Shahnameh/shahnameh.html
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahnameh
http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/shahnameh/browse.php
http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/Art/manuscript.htm
http://gperiod2010africa.wikispaces.com/The+Shah-nameh

.‫ הוצאת מוסד ביאליק‬.‫ספר המלכים‬-‫נאמה‬-‫ שאה‬,‫פירדוסי‬
A King’s book of Kings. The Shah-Nameh of Shah Tahmasp.

‫קלריטה ואפרים‬
‫הנכם מוזמנים להיכנס לאתר שלנו‬
www.clarita-efraim.com
‫נשמח לתגובות‬