Khvatāy-nāmak
Quick Summary
The Khvatay-namak was a history of Persian kings written in Pahlavi (Middle Persian). It served as a primary source for Ferdowsi's Shah-nameh, a celebrated Persian epic poem completed around 1010 CE. Ferdowsi versified and updated the Khvatay-namak's narrative, extending it to the fall of the Sasanian empire in the 7th century. The Shah-nameh has remained immensely popular in Persian-speaking regions for nearly a millennium, recounting tales from mythical times to historical events.1
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Ferdowsī…Pahlavi (Middle Persian) work, the Khvatāy-nāmak, a history of the kings of Persia from mythical times down to the reign of Khosrow II (590–628), but it also contained additional material continuing the story to the overthrow of the Sāsānians by the Arabs in the middle of the 7th century. The…
Read More…Pahlavi (Middle Persian) work, the Khvatāy-nāmak, a history of the kings of Persia from mythical times down to the reign of Khosrow II (590–628), but it also contained additional material continuing the story to the overthrow of the Sāsānians by the Arabs in the middle of the 7th century. The…
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Shāh-nāmeh…verses, mainly based on the Khvatay-nāmak, a history of the kings of Persia in Pahlavi (Middle Persian) from mythical times down to the 7th century. Ferdowsī versified and updated the story to the downfall of the Sāsānian empire (mid-7th century), and, for nearly 1,000 years, it has remained one of…
Read More…verses, mainly based on the Khvatay-nāmak, a history of the kings of Persia in Pahlavi (Middle Persian) from mythical times down to the 7th century. Ferdowsī versified and updated the story to the downfall of the Sāsānian empire (mid-7th century), and, for nearly 1,000 years, it has remained one of…
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Persian literatureThe Arab invasionHe also translated the Khwatāy-nāmak (“Book of Kings”), a compilation of the stories about the kings of Iran put together in Sasanian times. This mostly legendary history of ancient Iran found a place in Islamic historiography and literature in particular on account of its value as an example of…
Read MoreHe also translated the Khwatāy-nāmak (“Book of Kings”), a compilation of the stories about the kings of Iran put together in Sasanian times. This mostly legendary history of ancient Iran found a place in Islamic historiography and literature in particular on account of its value as an example of…
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Islamic artsDevelopment of literary prose…fictitious chronicles of the Persian Khvatāy-nāmak (“Book of Kings”). This was the source of a kind of pre-Islamic mythology that the literati preferred above the somewhat meagre historical accounts of the Arab pagan past otherwise available to them. These activities demanded a smooth prose style, and Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ has therefore…
Read More…fictitious chronicles of the Persian Khvatāy-nāmak (“Book of Kings”). This was the source of a kind of pre-Islamic mythology that the literati preferred above the somewhat meagre historical accounts of the Arab pagan past otherwise available to them. These activities demanded a smooth prose style, and Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ has therefore…
Read More