Folio page with three boxes of text, two horizontal and one angled, and an illustration showing three mounted warriors attacking a soldier. In the upper left, three soldiers watch from behind rocks. There are tufts of grass and bushes. The illustration is bordered in lines of red and gold.
AKM455, Combat of Bahram and Tazhav

© The Aga Khan Museum

Folio page with two columns of horizontal text with a red sub-heading, enclosed on three sides by a box containing angled text. Each box outlined with a thin gold line, and all is bordered in gold, red, and black lines. The background of the text is a muted green colour.
AKM455, Combat of Bahram and Tazhav

© The Aga Khan Museum

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Combat of Bahram and Tazhav
Folio from a manuscript of Shahnameh (Book of Kings) by Firdausi (d. 1020)
  • Accession Number:AKM455
  • Place:India
  • Dimensions:28.7 × 17.3 cm
  • Date:ca. 1600–1610
  • Materials and Technique:opaque watercolour, gold and ink on paper

  • After a heavy battle between the two armies of Iran and Turan, Bahram—a Persian hero from the well-known family of Goudarz—rode back to the battlefield to collect his whip. Once there, one of the wounded Iranian soldiers recognized him. Bahram dismounted to assist the soldier, and his horse galloped away, leaving him vulnerable to attack. Later, he was mortally wounded by Tazhav, the Turanian hero. Bahram’s brother, Giv, found him the following day and avenged his death.

Note: This online resource is reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis. We are committed to improving this information and will revise and update knowledge about this object as it becomes available.

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