The Persian Empire
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Kay Kavus also plays a central role in the tragic story of his son and crown prince Siyavash. The long and bloody conflict between Iran and Turan erupts yet once again during the reign of Kay Kavus. Kay Kavus has designated Siyavash as his crown prince. The wife of Kay Kavus and the queen of Iran is Sudabeh, who falls in love with her stepson. Sudabeh attempts to seduce Siyavash, but the honorable crown prince rejects her advances. Siyavash’s rebuff enrages Sudabeh, who accuses Siyavash of raping her. Convinced of the truthfulness of his queen and outraged by the nature of her accusation, Kay Kavus orders Siyavash to undergo an ordeal that would demonstrate his guilt or innocence. This test of innocence requires the accused to ride a horse through a large bonfire. If the accused is innocent, he will emerge out of the fire unscathed. However, if he is guilty, the fire will consume him as he rides through it. Siyavash accepts the trial. He rides through the fire and survives the ordeal unharmed. Recognizing the slanderous nature of his queen’s allegations, Kay Kavus orders his henchmen to execute her. Siyavash, however, intercedes and begs his father to forgive his queen and spare her life. Kay Kavus, who remains enamored with his queen, forgives her.
At this juncture, Afrasiyab at the head of a Turanian army invades Iran. Kay Kavus appoints Siyavash as the commander of the Kayanian army. The Iranians defeat the Turanian enemy. Though victorious, Siyavash negotiates a peace treaty with the Turanians, which requires Afrasiyab to send 100 hostages to the Iranian court. Afrasiyab agrees to the terms of the treaty and sends the hostages to the Kayanian court. The news that his son has concluded a peace agreement with the hated Afrasiyab enrages Kay Kavus. The king sends a message to Siyavash demanding that all the Turanian hostages be executed immediately. Kay Kavus also orders Siyavash to continue his successful military campaign against the Turanians until their king, Afrasiyab, has been captured or killed. Realizing that his father is opposed to peace and can only be satisfied by vengeance, Siyavash refuses to violate the treaty he has signed and decides to flee Iran for Turan. He travels to Turan, the historical enemy of Iran, and seeks the protection of Afrasiyab, the very foe he had only recently defeated.
At first Afrasiyab welcomes the Iranian crown prince, who is renowned for his courage, valor, and splendor, and showers him with royal honors and gifts. Afrasiyab also arranges a marriage between Siyavash and his daughter Farangis. The warm relationship between Siyavash and Afrasiyab deteriorates, however, as a result of intrigues by members of Afrasiyab’s own family, particularly the Turanian king’s brother Garsivaz. Garsivaz accuses Siyavash of maintaining secret contact with his father and claims that the Kayanian prince covets the Turanian throne for himself. Alarmed by his brother’s allegations, Afrasiyab sends an army against Siyavash, who surrenders peacefully. Siyavash is then carted in bondage to the royal court of Turan, where he is beheaded by the order of the tyrannical and brutal Afrasiyab, whose fears and suspicions overwhelm his prudence and humanity. Afrasiyab also orders the murder of his own daughter, Farangis, but the intercession of his influential minister and adviser Piran saves the life of the princess and her unborn son, Kay Khosrow.
Kay Khosrow is raised among shepherds, with distant supervision from the Turanian dignitary Piran, who has saved his and his mother’s lives. With assistance from several Iranian heroes and dignitaries, including the greatest of Iran’s legendary heroes, Rostam and Gēv, Kay Khosrow and his mother escape to Iran and are welcomed by Kay Kavus, who designates his grandson as the heir apparent and the crown prince. To avenge his father’s death, Kay Khosrow raises an army and marches against Afrasiyab, his maternal grandfather. The Iranians and Turanians fight numerous battles before Kay Khosrow manages to defeat the Turanians and kill Afrasiyab. According to one Pahlavi text, the victory over Afrasiyab on the shores of Lake Chao Chast takes place on the day of Khordad in the month of Farvardin, or the sixth day of the first month of the Iranian calendar, which corresponds with the celebration of Greater Nowruz (New Year) (Kia: 8). Kay Khosrow completes his victory by destroying the Turanian temple of idols, which is located on the shores of the same lake. After his victory over Afrasiyab, Kay Khosrow returns to Iran and assumes the reins of power upon the death of Kay Kavus. Kay Kavus tries unsuccessfully to ascend to heaven on a throne carried by eagles (The Zend-Avesta, Part II: 242n1). The Avesta identifies the victorious deity of war, Verethraghna (Bahram), as the angel who carries “the chariot of Kavi Usa; upon his wings” (The Zend-Avesta, Part II: Bahram Yasht, 39).
See also: Legendary Kings: Kay Khosrow; Rostam; Siyavash; Zal
Further Reading
Ferdowsi. Shahnameh. Edited by Djalal Khaleghi-Motlagh. New York: Mazda Publishers, 1997.
Ferdowsi, Abulqasem. Shahnameh. Translated by Dick Davis. New York: Penguin Classics, 2007.
Kia, Sadeq. Mah-e Farvardin Ruz-e Khordad. Tehran: Iran Kudeh, Number 16, 1952.
Pahlavi Texts, Part I: The Bundahishn. Translated by E. W. West. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1965.
Pahlavi Texts, Part III: Dina-i Mainog-i Khirad. Translated by E. W. West. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1965.
Skjærvø, Prods Oktor. “Kayāniān VII: Kauui Haosrauuah, Kay Husrōy, Kay Kosrow.” Encyclopaedia Iranica, 2013, http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/kayanian-vii.
Tabari. Tarikh-e Tabari, Vol. 2. Translated from Arabic into Persian by Abol Qassem Payandeh. Tehran: Asatir Publications, 1984.
Yarshater, Ehsan. “Iranian National History.” In Cambridge History of Iran, Vol. 3(I), edited by Ehsan Yarshater, 359–480. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983.
The Zend-Avesta, Part II: The Sirozahs, Yashts and Nyayish. Translated by James Darmesteter. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1965.
Kay Khosrow
Kay Khosrow is a legendary king of the Kayanian dynasty. In the Avesta, the Zoroastrian holy book, he appears as the “holy king Husravah” (The Zend-Avesta, Part II: Farvardin Yasht, 132) or Kavi Husravah (The Zend-Avesta, Part II: Zamyad Yasht, 74). The “gallant Husravah” is presented as “he who united the Aryan nations into one kingdom” (The Zend-Avesta, Part II: Aban Yasht, 49). He offers a sacrifice of 100 male horses, 1,000 oxen, and 10,000 lambs to the goddess of waters, Aredvi Sura Anahita, behind the deep saltwater lake Chao Chast, which has been identified by some scholars as the saltwater lake Orumiyeh in the western Azerbaijan province of Iran (The Zend-Avesta, Part II: Aban Yasht, 49, 66n2). He pleads with the mighty goddess to grant him the power to become “the sovereign lord of all countries, of Daevas [demons] and men, of the Yatus [wizards] and Pairikas [witches], of the oppressors, the blind and the deaf” (The Zend-Avesta, Part II: Aban Yasht, 50). Husravah also begs Ashi Vanguhi, or the good Ashi, a feminine impersonation of piety, to grant him blessing so that he may defeat and kill “the Turanian murderer, Franghrasyan [Afrasiyab],” to avenge the murder of his father Siyavarshana (Siyavash) (The Zend-Avesta, Part II: Ashi Yasht, 42). In the Pahlavi text Bundahishn, the father of “Kai Khusrov” is identified as “Siyavakhsh,” the son of “Kai Kaus,” and his mother is identified as “Vispanfrya” (Farangis), the daughter of the Turanian monarch “Frasiyab” (Afrasiyab) (Pahlavi Texts, Part I: Bundahishn, 31.18, 31.25). Here Kai Khusrov is presented as a king of the Kayanian dynasty who ruled for 60 years (Pahlavi Texts, Part I: Bundahishn, 34.7).
In Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh [Book of Kings], Husravah appears as Kay Khosrow, the son of the Iranian prince Siyavash and the Turanian princess Farangis. Siyavash is the son of Kay Kavus, the king of Iran, and Farangis is the daughter of the Turanian monarch Afrasiyab. The life of Kay Khosrow and his rise to power and prominence are inexorably connected to the life and the violent death of Siyavash, a tragic hero in the legendary history of Greater Iran. Although he is the crown prince of Iran, Siyavash never ascends the throne of Iran. Instead, he is forced to flee his homeland and seek the protection of the king of Turan, Afrasiyab, the most dangerous and formidable enemy of Iran.
The ordeal of Siyavash begins after his stepmother, Sudabeh, the queen of Iran, falls in love with him. Sudabeh attempts to seduce
her stepson, but the honorable Siyavash rejects her advances. Siyavash’s rejection enrages Sudabeh, who accuses her stepson of raping her. Convinced of the truthfulness of his queen, Kay Kavus orders his crown prince to undergo an ordeal that would demonstrate his guilt or innocence. This test of innocence requires the accused to ride a horse through a large bonfire created by gathering an enormous amount of firewood and timber. Ancient Iranian tradition maintained that if the accused was innocent, he would emerge out of the fire unscathed. However, if he was guilty, the fire would consume him as he rode through it. Siyavash accepts the challenge, rides through the fire, and survives the ordeal unharmed. Kay Kavus, who has recognized the dishonesty of his queen, orders her execution. Siyavash, however, intercedes and begs his father to forgive Sudabeh and spare her life.
Illustration from Shahnameh [Book of Kings], the masterpiece of the Persian epic poet Ferdowsi, depicts Kay Khosrow, the legendary king of the Kayanian dynasty, marching at the head of his army to rescue the hero Godarz (Gudarz). (Heritage Image Partnership Ltd./Alamy Stock Photo)
Though Siyavash has demonstrated his innocence, his ordeal is far from being over. When Afrasiyab, the king of Turan, invades Iran, Siyavash is appointed by his father as the commander of the Iranian army. The Iranian forces fight courageously under the able leadership of their crown prince and defeat the Turanians. Though victorious, the gracious and peace-loving Siyavash negotiates a treaty with the Turanians, which requires the defeated enemy to send 100 hostages to the Iranian court. The Turanians agree to the terms of the treaty and send their hostages to Iran. The news that his son has concluded a peace agreement with Iran’s most formidable enemy enrages Kay Kavus, who orders Siyavash to execute all the Turanian hostages who have been sent to his camp and continue his campaign until the king of Turan has been captured and killed. Realizing that his father is opposed to peace, the honorable Siyavash refuses to violate the treaty he has signed with the Turanians. Instead, he travels to Turan and seeks the protection of its ruler, Afrasiyab, the leader he had only recently defeated.
At first Afrasiyab welcomes the Kayanian crown prince and showers him with royal honors and gifts. Afrasiyab also arranges a marriage between Siyavash and his daughter Farangis. The warm relationship between Siyavash and Afrasiyab deteriorates, however, as a result of intrigues by jealous courtiers and members of Afrasiyab’s own family. They accuse Siyavash of coveting the throne of Turan for himself. Alarmed by these allegations, Afrasiyab sends an army against Siyavash, who surrenders without a fight. Siyavash is brought in bondage to the royal court of Turan, where he is beheaded by the order of Afrasiyab. Afrasiyab also orders the murder of his own daughter, Farangis, but the intercession of his influential adviser Piran saves the life of the princess and her unborn son, Kay Khosrow.
With assistance from several Iranian heroes and dignitaries, including Iran’s legendary heroes Rostam and Gēv, Kay Khosrow and his mother escape to Iran and are welcomed by the king, Kay Kavus, who appoints his grandson as his heir apparent and crown prince. To avenge his father’s death, Kay Khosrow raises an army and marches against Afrasiyab, his maternal grandfather. The Iranians and Turanians fight numerous battles before Kay Khosrow manages to defeat the Turanians and kill Afrasiyab. According to Zoroastrian texts, Afrasiyab is defeated and executed on the shores of Lake Chao Chast on the day of Khordad in the month of Farvardin, or the sixth day of the first month of the Iranian calendar, which corresponds with the celebration of Greater Nowruz (the Persian New Year) (Kia: 8). Kay Khosrow completes his victory by destroying the Turanian temple of idols, which is located on the shores of the same lake. The victorious prince returns home from his impressive victories and ascends the throne of Iran after his grandfather, Kay Kavus, dies. At the age of 60, Kay Khosrow decides to abdicate the throne. Before departing his kingdom, he appoints an obscure member of the Kayanian dynasty, Lohrasp, as his successor and the next king of Iran. He then bids farewell to his generals as well as to the tearful masses who have gathered to witness the departure of their beloved monarch. In one of the most heart-wrenching and poignant sections of the Shahnameh [Book of Kings], the epic poet Ferdowsi superbly describes the departure of the Iranian king and the subsequent disappearance of several of the country’s legendary heroes and warriors who accompany their monarch.
See also: Legendary Kings: Afrasiyab; Farangis; Rostam; Siyavash
Further Reading
Ferdowsi, Abulqasem. Shahnameh. Translated by Dick Davis. New York: Penguin Classics, 2007.
Kia, Sadeq. Mah-e Farvardin Ruz-e Khordad. Tehran: Iran Kudeh, Number 16, 1952.
Pahlavi Texts, Part I: The Bundahishn. Translated by E. W. West. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1965.
Skjærvø, Prods Oktor. “Kayāniān VII: Kauui Haosrauuah, Kay Husrōy, Kay Kosrow.” Encyclopaedia Iranica, 2013, http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/kayanian-vii.
Yarshater, Ehsan. “Iranian National History.” In The Cambridge History of Iran, Vol. 3(I), edited by Ehsan Yarshater, 359–480. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983.
The Zend-Avesta, Part II: The Sirozahs, Yashts, and Nyayish. Translated by James Darmesteter. 1883; reprint, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1965.
Kay Qobad
Kay Qobad is the first king of the legendary Kayanian dynasty. In the Avesta, the Zoroastrian holy book, he appears as the holy king Kavata (The Zend-Avesta, Part II: Farvardin Yasht, 132) and Kavi Kavata (The Zend-Avesta, Part II: Zamyad Yasht, 71). The Zoroastrian text Bundahishn claims that as a child, Kavad had been abandoned in a waist cloth on a river and was discovered by King Uzava, who appears as Zab in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh. The child was frozen and trembling on a doorsill. Uzava (Auzobo) took in the child and adopted him as his own son (Pahlavi Texts, Part I: Bundahishn, 31.24). Once he ascends the throne of Iran, Kay Kavad rules for 15 years (Pahlavi Texts, Part I: Bundahishn, 34.7).
In the writings of the historians of the Islamic era, Kay Kavad appears as Kay Qobad, the first king of the Kayanian dynasty. The historian Tabari wrote that when he ascended the throne, Kay Qobad declared that he would destroy the land of the Turks. He promised also to improve the living conditions of his subjects (Tabari: 2.370). Tabari wrote that Kay Qobad fought numerous battles against the Turks. He also assigned names to regions and provinces and designated certain rivers and springs for irrigation of cultivable lands. During his reign, people were encouraged to work on their land. He also took a 10th of the harvest and used this tax to cover the expenses of his army.
In Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh [Book of Kings], Kavad appears as Kay Qobad, the founder and the first king of the Kayanian dynasty. With the death of King Garshasp, the throne of Iran becomes vacant. Afrasiyab, the king of Turan and the most formidable enemy of Iran, uses the prevailing confusion and weakness in Iran to attack. Anxious to raise an army against the Turanians, the Iranian leaders appeal to the great hero Zal to lead the resistance against the foreign invaders. The aging Zal appoints his son Rostam as the commander of Iranian forces. But both Zal and Rostam are painfully aware that aside from a strong army and a capable general, the country also needs a new leader who possesses the divine glory and the sufficient qualifications to rule. They therefore select a descendant of the great king, Fereydun, who lives in the Alborz Mountains of northern Iran, as the new king. This young and capable man is Kay Qobad, who ascends the throne of Iran as the first monarch of the new Kayanian dynasty.
See also: Legendary Kings: Kay Kavus; Rostam; Zal
Further Reading
Ferdowsi. Shahnameh. Edited by Djalal Khaleghi-Motlagh. New York: Mazda Publishers, 1997.
Pahlavi Texts, Part I: The Bundahishn. Translated by E. W. West. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1965.
Pahlavi Texts, Part III: Dina-i Mainog-i Khirad. Translated by E. W. West. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1965.
Sunjana, Peshotun Dustoor Behramjee. The Dinkard. 1876; reprint, n.p.: CreateSpace, 2013.
Tabari. Tarikh-e Tabari, Vol. 2. Translated from Arabic into Persian by Abol Qassem Payande
h. Tehran: Asatir Publications, 1984.
The Zend-Avesta, Part II: The Sirozahs, Yashts and Nyayish. Translated by James Darmesteter. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1965.
Lohrasp
Lohrasp, also spelled as Luhrasp, is a king of the legendary Kayanian dynasty. In the Avesta, the Zoroastrian holy book, he appears as Aurvath-aspa, the father of the valiant Kavi Vishtaspa (Goshtasp) (The Zend-Avesta, Part II: Aban Yasht, 105). In the Pahlavi text Bundahishn, his lineage is given as Lohrasp, “son of Auzav, son of Manush, son of Kai Pisin, son of Kai Apiveh, son of Kai Kavad” (Pahlavi Texts, Part I: Bundahishn, 31.28), who ruled for “a hundred and twenty years” (Pahlavi Texts, Part I: Bundahishn, 34.7). In Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, Lohrasp is presented as the unexpected and unanticipated successor to the Kayanian monarch, Kay Khosrow. At the age of 60, Kay Khosrow shocks his dignitaries by announcing that he has decided to abdicate the throne. Before departing his kingdom, he handpicks Lohrasp, a knight of modest repute, as his successor and the next king of Iran. The choice is initially opposed by the grandees and army commanders at the court. In fact, a row erupts between the departing king and his generals over the qualifications of Lohrasp as a future king. The dispute is quickly settled, however, and Lohrasp ascends the throne. His long reign of 120 years proves to be uneventful. The new king’s only real trouble arises from his power-hungry son Goshtasp, who pressures his father to abdicate the Kayanian throne in his favor. When Lohrasp dismisses his son’s demand, Goshtasp leaves Iran in protest and travels west, where he marries Princess Katayun, the daughter of the king of Rum. Lohrasp sends one of his sons to convince Goshtasp to return home. The ambitious son returns home. Upon Goshtasp’s arrival, Lohrasp abdicates the throne and allows his son to assume the reins of power. For the remainder of his life, Lohrasp pursues a life of seclusion and meditation. In the writings of the historians of the Islamic era, Lohrasp appears as Lohrasf, the king of the Kayanian dynasty (Tabari: 2.432). He is credited with the construction of the city of Balkh in present-day Afghanistan (Tabari: 2.453). He rules for 120 years and is succeeded by his son Goshtasp. Several Muslim historians wrote that Lohrasp was killed by the Turanians when they invaded Balkh, the capital of the Kayanian kingdom (Ibn al-Balkhi: 51).