The tragedy of Rostam and Sohrab forms part of the 10th-century Persian epic ''

Shahnameh The ''Shahnameh'' or ''Shahnama'' ( fa, شاهنامه, Šāhnāme, lit=The Book of Kings, ) is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE and is the national epic of Greater Iran. Consisting of some 50,00 ...

'' by the Persian poet

Ferdowsi Abul-Qâsem Ferdowsi Tusi ( fa, ; 940 – 1019/1025 CE), also Firdawsi or Ferdowsi (), was a Persians, Persian poet and the author of ''Shahnameh'' ("Book of Kings"), which is one of the world's longest epic poetry, epic poems created by a sin ...

. It tells the tragic story of the heroes

Rostam use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = Kabulistan , death_cause = With the conspiracy of his half-brother Shaghad, he fell into a wel ...

and his son,

Sohrab use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = Turan , death_cause = Killed in combat by his father, Rostam, with neither Rostam nor Sohrab a ...

.Ebrahimi, Mokhtar & Taheri, Abdollah. (2017). The Tragedy in the Story of Rostam and Sohrab in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. Journal of History Culture and Art Research. 6. 96. 10.7596/taksad.v6i1.707. Persian miniature in qahveh-khaneh

Rostam and Sohrab from the Windsor Shahnameh

Plot

Rostam lived in

Zabulistan Zabulistan ( fa, زابلستان ''Zābulistān''/''Zābolistān''/''Zāwulistān'' or simply ''Zābul'', ps, زابل ''Zābəl''), was a historical region in southern Afghanistan roughly corresponding to the modern provinces of Zabul and G ...

, hero and one of the favorites of King Kaykavous. Once, following the traces of his lost horse, he enters the kingdom of Samangan where he becomes the guest of the king during the search for his horse. There, Rostam meets princess

Tahmina use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = Kingdom of Samangan , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , ...

. She admires Rostam and knows of his reputation. She goes into his room at night and asks if he will give her a child and in return, she will bring his horse. Rostam leaves after he impregnates Tahmina and his horse is returned. Before he leaves, he gives her two tokens. If she has a girl, she is to take the jewel and plait it in the girl's hair. If she has a boy, she is to take the seal and bind it on the boy's arm. Nine months later, she bears his child—a son, whom she later names Sohrab. Years go by before Rostam and Sohrab meet. Finally, a new war between Zabulistan and

Turan Turan ( ae, Tūiriiānəm, pal, Tūrān; fa, توران, Turân, , "The Land of Tur") is a historical region in Central Asia. The term is of Iranian origin and may refer to a particular prehistoric human settlement, a historic geographical re ...

is on the horizon. The two armies face each other and prepare for the imminent battle. By then, Sohrab has become known as the best fighter of Turan army. But Rostam's legend precedes him and the Turan army cowers before the hero. No one else dares to fight Rostam, so Sohrab is sent to wrestle with the legendary hero. Though Sohrab knows his father' name, he is unaware that the man before him is Rostam. On the battlefield, Rostam and Sohrab fight for what seems like an eternity, neither knowing the true name of his opponent. After a very long and heavy bout of wrestling, Rostam breaks Sohrab's back and stabs him. Sohrab, dying, tells Rostam that his father will avenge his death and only then do they realize their identities. Sohrab shows the armband amulet that Rostam once gave Tahmina, who gave it to her son to keep him safe during the war. Rostam grieves heavily, sends Goudarz to get the medicine (

Panacea In Greek mythology, Panacea (Greek ''Πανάκεια'', Panakeia), a goddess of universal remedy, was the daughter of Asclepius and Epione. Panacea and her four sisters each performed a facet of Apollo's art: * Panacea (the goddess of univers ...

) but it came too late. When

finds out her son is dead, she burns Sohrab's house and gives away all his riches. Then "the breath departed from out her body, and her spirit went forth after Sohrab her son."

Adaptations

* '' Sohrab and Rustum'' (1853), by

Matthew Arnold Matthew Arnold (24 December 1822 – 15 April 1888) was an English poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the celebrated headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, lite ...

, English language. * '' Rustam and Zohrab'' (1910), by

Uzeyir Hajibeyov Uzeyir bey Abdulhuseyn oghlu Hajibeyov ( az, Üzeyir bəy Əbdülhüseyn oğlu Hacıbəyov; russian: Узеир Абдул-Гусейн оглы Гаджибеков, translit=Uzeir Abdul-Guseyn ogly Gadzhibekov; September 18, 1885November 23, 19 ...

, Azerbaijani language. * '' Rustom O Sohrab'' (1929), by

Agha Hashar Kashmiri Agha Hashar Kashmiri (born Muhammad Shah, 3 April 1879 – 1 April 1935) was an Urdu poet, playwright and dramatist. A number of his plays were Indian Shakespearean adaptations. Early life He started to show interest in stage dramas and mo ...

, Urdu language. * '' Rostam va Sohrab'' (1957), by Shahrok Rafi, Iranian film, Persian language. * ''

Rustom Sohrab ''Rustam Sohrab'' is a 1963 Indian Hindi-language film, produced by F.U. Ramsay and directed by Vishram Bedekar.

'' (1963), by

Vishram Bedekar Vishwanath Chintamani Bedekar (1906–1998), who professionally used the name Vishram Bedekar, was an Indian Marathi-language writer and film director. Bedekar was born on August 13, 1906 in Amravati. After receiving his college degree in Amr ...

, Indian Hindi language film starring Prithviraj, Premnath, Suraiyya and Mumtaz. * ''Rustam and Zohrab'' (1971), by Boris Kimyagarov, Soviet Tajik film, Russian language. * ''

Rostam and Sohrab The tragedy of Rostam and Sohrab forms part of the 10th-century Persian epic ''Shahnameh'' by the Persian poet Ferdowsi. It tells the tragic story of the heroes Rostam and his son, Sohrab.Ebrahimi, Mokhtar & Taheri, Abdollah. (2017). The Tragedy ...

'' (1988), by

Loris Tjeknavorian Loris Haykasi Tjeknavorian ( hy, Լորիս Ճգնավորյան; fa, لوریس چکناواریان; born 13 October 1937) is an Iranian Armenians, Iranian Armenian composer and conductor. He has appeared internationally as a conductor, servin ...

, Persian language. * '' Dastan-e Rustam-ou Suhrab'', a Tajik film produced by Benyamin Kimyagarov. The film plot differs from the story in some places. For example, Tahmineh comes to the battlefield trying to stop the fight; Rustam gives an arm band (not a necklace) large enough to only have fit his stout arms, and now only fit Sohrab's arm; and, Rustam uses a poisoned knife to stab his son. * '' Battle of the Kings: Rostam & Sohrab'' (2013) Iranian animation, by Kianoush Dalvand, Persian language. The film plot differs from the story, for example Sohrab not dead at the end. * '' Sooge Sohrab (The Tragedy of Sohrab)'' (2014) (musical piece), by Sahba Aminikia, English language.

References

The Tragedy of Sohrab and RostamTranslated by Jerome W. ClintonRostam and Sohrab By: Hakim Abol Qasem Ferdowsi Tousi Translated by: Helen Zimmern
* he Kite Runner By: Khaled Hosseini, page 29

External links

* *
List of film adaptations for Rustam and Sohrab
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

EastPage: The Rustan and Sohrab Poem. Russian translation
{{Rostam and Sohrab Shahnameh stories Tragedies (dramas) Iranian folklore Filicide in fiction

Plot

Adaptations

See also

References

External links