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Zal, the Iranian prince, and Rudabeh, the Turanian princess, had heard of each other’s beauty but never met. This folio depicts Zal approaching Rudabeh’s palace at night in an attempt to finally see her. Although Rudabeh lets her hair down for him to climb up the wall, Zal respectfully refuses the offer and instead uses a tethered rope. Their subsequent marriage resulted in the birth of Rustam, the greatest hero of the Shahnameh.
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