Overview

Firdausi’s great epic poem, The Book of Kings or Shahnama, does for the formative myths, legends and early history of Iran what Homer’s tales do for the ancient Mediterranean civilizations. It narrates the history of mankind from the creation of the world, putting Iran at the centre of the Universe, from the dawn of time to the destruction of the Persian Empire in the early 7th century AD at the hands of the conquering Muslim Arabs. One of the Bodleian Library’s treasures is a copy of this Iranian national epic, commissioned by Ibrahim, the grandson of the great Timur and governor of Shiraz in southern Iran from 1414 to 1435. This royal manuscript is bursting with extraordinary and highly original paintings, which were extremely influential on later illustrators. This book explores the literary context of the poem, Firdausi’s world and the manuscript’s royal provenance. It also provides a brief overview of the story and the illuminations. It then looks in greater detail at the individual miniatures, their meaning and technique and also includes helpful extras such as a glossary of Persian terms and a list of the dramatis personae. This is a beautiful book exploring the mysteries and legends surrounding a rare and treasured manuscript.

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9781851243464

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Firuza Abdullaeva is a Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford and University Lecturer in Persian Literature at the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. Charles Melville is Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge, Director of Studies in Oriental Studies, and University Reader in Persian History at the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Cambridge.

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