this month, as the Smith-sonian Institution celebrates 1,000 years of the Shahnameh.
Shahnameh, translated as the Book of Kings and written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi, is considered to be one of the world’s greatest literary masterpieces. The classic work tells the story of Iran up until the 7th century Arab conquest and is novel in the fact that the author took pains to use a text of pure Farsi putting an end to an era in which many Iranians wrote in Arabic.
In celebration of the anniversary of the epic book, folios from the work will be on display as part of an exhibit entitled, “Shahnama: 1000 Years of the Persian Book of Kings” at the Sackler Gallery between October 23, 2010, and April 17, 2011.
Ferdowsi completed Shahnameh around 1010 CE. The work recounts the legends and “history” of ancient Iran, and is composed of more than 50,000 verses, written about 50 monarchs, which in turn serve as a frame for subsequent stories. The mythical tales explore a range of themes from honor, loyalty and justice to fate, bravery and pride.
Massumeh Farhad, the curator of Islamic art and organizer of the upcoming exhibit, said, “This exhibition celebrates the remarkable achievement of Ferdowsi and the manuscript painting it has inspired over the last millennium. In its cultural significance and popularity, the Shahnameh is on equal footing with the works of Shakespeare, Homer and the Mahabharata.”
The exhibition will include more than 30 paintings and artifacts from the 14th to the 16th centuries. A 14th-century copy of the celebrated work completed for the Mongol rulers of Iran and folios from the most lavishly produced Shahnameh manuscript in the Islamic world and a 16th-century copy commissioned by Shah Tahmasb (reigned 1524-76) will be on display.
The exhibit will be divided into several parts. The primary themes of the epic and their ancient Persian origins will be discussed first, after which the major characters from the epic’s mythical section—including Rostam, the legendary hero and protector of Iran—will be introduced.
The second section of the exhibit will focus mainly on Iskandar or Alexander, the Macedonian conqueror who ushered in the semi-historical section of the Shahnameh. Alexander invaded Iran in 330 BCE, but he is represented in Persian literature as a just and fair king.
The galleries will offer exhibition-related programming as well, including a performance of the legendary Persian tale “The Adventures of King Bahram, the Hunter” by Ardavan Mofid & Co. In addition, a professor of Persian literature, Dick Davis, will speak on the role of women in the Shahnameh, and Azar Nafisi, the best-selling author of “Reading Lolita in Tehran,” will discuss the significance of Iran’s national epic.
The Sackler Gallery is located at 1050 Independence Avenue S.W. and is part of the Smithsonian Institution.