The “Shahnameh” is a literary epic. Tens of thousands of verses of poetry merge together myth, legend and history, chronicling the reigns of Persia’s kings. Written in the 11th century by Ferdowsi, one of the giants of Persian poetry, it tells the story of the struggle between good and evil. It lies at the heart of Persian literature, a glittering thread weaving through Iranian culture, stringing together each chapter of the nation’s history.
A new exhibition of “Shahnameh” manuscripts at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge marks 1,000 years since Ferdowsi laid down his pen. All of them are from British collections. Many are incomplete. Britain and Russia played tug-of-war with some of the manuscripts, as they did over Iran itself, finally tearing them apart, each nation hoarding its lonely leaves. Others are in Iran, Dublin and New York.
Fitzwilliam Museum
