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Printing Instructions

The Legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly Arts and Culture in Western Asia, 1256–1353

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The Shahnama, or Book of Kings, written in Persian verses by Abu al-Qasim Firdausi (ca. 935–ca. 1020) and dedicated to Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna, was completed in 1010. The text is based on stories of ancient heroes and kings of pre-Islamic Iran, which in the context of the period can be understood in terms of an Iranian revival marked by interest in a national history. This epic remained one of the most popular throughout the Islamic world, with the first-known illustrated copies dating to the Ilkhanid period.

For information on this section, see Credits.

Introduction
The Great Mongol Shahnama—how and why it exists today

Select an image below to begin a visual and textual exploration of pages from the Great Mongol Shahnama.


		Shah Zav Enthroned The coronation scene of a ruler, whose five-year reign was marked with prosperity and justice

		Isfandiyar's Funeral Procession A royal Mongol funeral procession rendered with calligraphic lines that derive from Chinese painting

		Nushirvan Eating the Food Brought by the Sons of Mahbud (?) An evil chamberlain conspires with a sorceror to poison a privileged paladin

Credits

The Great Mongol Shahnama page descriptions in this section were derived from the exhibition catalogue, The Legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly Arts and Culture in Western Asia, 1256–1353 (edited by Linda Komaroff and Stefano Carboni, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2002), available in the online Met Store.

For references made in the features above, see Works Cited.

Photograph Credits