==========

This is the translation of one of the world's greatest masterpieces

The Epic of Shahnameh Ferdowsi
(The Epic of Kings: Hero Tales of Ancient Persia)

created by

Hakim Abol-Ghasem Ferdowsi Toosi (940-1020)
World famous Persian (Iranian) poet
The Shahnameh or The Epic of Kings is one of the definite classics of the world. It tells hero tales of ancient Persia. The contents and the poet's style in describing the events takes the reader back to the ancient times and makes he/she sense and feel the events. Ferdowsi worked for thirty years to finish this masterpiece.

An important feature of this work is that during the period that Arabic language was known as the main language of science and literature, Ferdowsi used only Persian in his masterpiece. As Ferdowsi himself says "Persian language is revived by this work".

This is the translation of The Epic of Shahnameh Ferdowsi by Helen Zimmern.


I am deathless, I am the eternal Lord
For I have spread the seed of the Word.
Ferdowsi's Shahnameh is composed of 18 chapters:
  1. The Shahs of Old
  2. Feridoun
  3. Zal
  4. Zal and Rudabeh
  5. Rustem
  6. The March into Mazinderan
  7. Kai Kaous Committeth More Follies
  8. Rustem and Sohrab
  9. Saiawush
  10. The Return of Kai Khosrau
  11. Firoud
  12. The Vengeance of Kai Khosrau
  13. Byzun and Manijeh
  14. The Defeat of Afrasiyab
  15. The Passing of Kai Khosrau
  16. Isfendiyar
  17. Rustem and Isfendiyar
  18. The Death of Rustem

(Click on a button if you have a Java Netscape 3.x or MSIE 3.x or later. Click on a text link above if you have an older browser.)
And a wish: I've a dream of having a world wide and freely accessible Online Library of Persian Art and Literature including classics and contemporary poetry, fine arts, etc., all in Persian. Why not leaving those treasures on-line for our children to read and enjoy? Why not telling our kids where did we come from and how our ancestors contributed to the human culture? Is there anyone else feeling the same? If so, we should work together. I've already taken the first steps and seek help from all of you on volunteer basis. A way that you can contribute to implement this and make it more fruitful is to send me books related to Persian literature in any language, Persian, English, Japanese, French or German. Your contribution to introducing our culture to the world will be highly appreciated. My mail address is given at the bottom of this page. Thank you.
Other pages of this server to visit:
Would you like to add your name and home page to our guests record?

This is a FREE home page recording service for those who visit this server. Check it out.

THIS DOCUMENT AND ITS ENTIRE CONTENTS ARE COPYRIGHT 1995 BY B.H. FAR. COPYING, REPUBLISHING AND DISTRIBUTING THIS DOCUMENT IN WHOLE OR IN PART IS PROHIBITED BY LAW. IF YOU DESIRE TO MIRROR OR REPUBLISH PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT IN ELECTRONIC FORM, PLEASE CONTACT THE AUTHOR .

Last Modified:

This page was created by Dr. Behrouz Homayoun Far.
Please contact far@enel.ucalgary.ca
for any suggestions or comments.

Mail Address:
Dr. Behrouz Homayoun Far
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of Calgary
2500 University DR. N.W.
Calgary, Alberta,
Canada T2N 1N4