Iran 1692

     The Shahnameh, “Book of Kings,” is an heroic poem telling the early history of Persia, beginning with creation and ending with the Islamic conquest of Persia in the 630s. It was composed by Firdousi, a pen name for Abul al-Qasim Mansur. It is based on a prose translation, by Firdousi, of an earlier Persian history, the Khavatay-namak. It was dedicated to Sultan Mahmud of Ghanzna 979-1030), the Moslem conqueror of Persia in the 11th century. His kingdom, Ghanzna, included Afghanistan, Iran and northwestern India.
     An illuminated page from a copy of the Shahnameh is the central design element on an Iranian stamp issued in 1972, to celebrate the International Book Year.