use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , burial_place = , burial_coordinates = , monuments = , nationality =

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

, other_names = , siglum = , citizenship = , education = , alma_mater = , occupation = , years_active = , era = , employer = , organization = , agent = , known_for = , notable_works = , style = , net_worth = , height = , television = , title = , term = , predecessor = , successor = , party = , movement = , opponents = , boards = , criminal_charges = , criminal_penalty = , criminal_status = , spouse =

Rudaba Rudāba or Rudābeh ( fa, رودابه ) is a Persian mythological female figure in Ferdowsi's epic Shahnameh. She is the princess of Kabul, daughter of Mehrab Kaboli and Sindukht, and later she becomes married to Zal, as they become lovers. The ...

, partner = , children =

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 ...

Zavara Zavara or Zavareh ( fa, زواره) is an Iranian hero in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. He was brother to Rostam and the son of Zal and played an important role in the Iranian invasion of Turan after the murder of Siyavash by the command of the Turanian ...

Shaghad Shaghad or Shoghad () was the half-brother of Rostam, the mighty Iranian hero of the Shahnameh The ''Shahnameh'' or ''Shahnama'' ( fa, شاهنامه, Šāhnāme, lit=The Book of Kings, ) is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Fe ...

, parents = , mother = , father = Sam , relatives = , family =

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 awa ...

(grandson) , callsign = , awards = , website = , module = , module2 = , module3 = , module4 = , module5 = , module6 = , signature = , signature_size = , signature_alt = , footnotes = Zāl ( fa, زال ), alternatively spelled as Zaal, is a legendary

king from

Sistan Sistān ( fa, سیستان), known in ancient times as Sakastān ( fa, سَكاستان, "the land of the Saka"), is a historical and geographical region in present-day Eastern Iran ( Sistan and Baluchestan Province) and Southern Afghanistan (N ...

, and is recognized as one of the greatest warriors of the ''

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 ...

'' epic. He is the father of the equally legendary Iranian hero,

Background

Zāl came from a family whose members were legendary warriors, who – for generations – served in the Persian army as great generals. His father,

Sām Sām ( fa, سام), also (sam) transliterated Saam, is a mythical hero of ancient Persia, and an important character in the Shahnameh epic. He was the son of Nariman, grandson of Garshasp and father to Zāl. He was Iran's champion during the rule ...

and, later, his son, Rostam were also great heroes of Persia. Zāl was born with white hair. Because of this, his parents called him Zāl. In the

Persian language Persian (), also known by its endonym Farsi (, ', ), is a Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian subdivision of the Indo-European languages. Persian is a pluricentric language predominantly spoken and ...

, ''zal'' refers to those who have

albinism Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino. Varied use and interpretation of the term ...

. Zāl was the son of

and the grandson of Nariman, both heroes of ancient Persia and protectors of "Motherland Iran" (''Iran-zamin''). Because of his appearance, Zāl was rejected by his father, who blamed the evil spirit,

Ahriman Angra Mainyu (; Avestan: 𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎 ''Aŋra Mainiiu'') is the Avestan-language name of Zoroastrianism's hypostasis of the "destructive/evil spirit" and the main adversary in Zoroastrianism either of th ...

, for the appearance of his son. Zāl was abandoned when only an infant in the Alborz Mountain, which has the highest geographic peak in Iran. The mythical

simurgh Simurgh (; fa, سیمرغ, also spelled ''simorgh, simorg'', ''simurg'', ''simoorg, simorq'' or ''simourv'') is a benevolent, mythical bird in Persian mythology and literature. It is sometimes equated with other mythological birds such as the ...

(a very large and wise bird which darkens the sky when flying, said to be related to the

phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

) found the baby and took him to her nest. Then after a time, passing caravans saw a noble young man, his chest a mountain of silver, his waist a reed, in the bird's nest. Rumor of this remarkable presence finally reached Sam, who was encouraged by his wise men to hasten to the scene. There, looking up, he saw his son, but when he tried to climb toward him, he couldn't find a way to the lofty perch. He then prayed to God, asking for forgiveness and help. When the simurgh saw Sam, she knew that he had come for her charge. The devoted bird gave Zaal a feather, saying: "Burn this if ever you have need of me, and may your heart never forget your nurse, whose heart breaks for love of you." The mighty and wise simurgh gave Zāl this one feather to burn when in trouble. She would appear as soon as the feathers were lit.

Zal and Rudabeh

After reuniting with his son, Sam made every effort to redress past wrongs.

Manuchehr Manūchehr Help:IPA/English">mænuː'tʃer.html" ;"title="Help:IPA/English.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Help:IPA/English">mænuː'tʃer">Help:IPA/English.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Help:IPA/English">mænuː'tʃer (, older Persian Manōčihr, Avestan � ...

, too, gave the young man due regard. When Sam went off to wage war in Mazandaran, Zal, recommended by the elders, was given Sam's kingdom. Setting forth on a royal progress to view his eastern provinces, Zal at every stage held court and called for wine, harp, and minstrelsy. In

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

Mehrab Mihrab ( ar, محراب, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "qibla ...

, a vassal king descended from the evil

Zahhak Zahhāk or Zahāk () ( fa, ضحّاک), also known as Zahhak the Snake Shoulder ( fa, ضحاک ماردوش, Zahhāk-e Mārdoush), is an evil figure in Persian mythology, evident in ancient Persian folklore as Azhi Dahāka ( fa, اژی دهاک) ...

, paid homage with gifts of horses and slaves. Learning of

Rudabeh Rudāba or Rudābeh ( fa, رودابه ) is a Persian mythological female figure in Ferdowsi's epic Shahnameh. She is the princess of Kabul, daughter of Mehrab Kaboli and Sindukht, and later she becomes married to Zal, as they become lovers. The ...

, Mehrab's beautiful daughter, Zal lost his heart in love. But the affair was to progress slowly. Once even, Zal came near Rudabeh's palace where Rudabeh gave her tresses to Zal as a rope. However, he had brought his own, with which he scaled the walls. In a heat of passion, the lovers made love to each other and Rudabeh conceived. When her father learned of this, he was outraged. Zal marries Rudaba

Zal rightly feared that his father and Manuchehr would disapprove of his marrying a descendant of Zahhak, and while Mehrab generally approved of the young prince, some of Zal's actions made him bristle. Zal accordingly wrote a letter to his father and requested him to agree to his marriage, reminding him of the oath he had made to fulfill all his wishes. Sam and the Mubeds, knowing that Rudabeh's father, chief of Kabul, was Babylonian from the family of Zahhak, did not approve of the marriage. Finally, the ruler Sam referred the question to astrologers, to know whether or not the marriage between Zal and Rudabeh would be prosperous. He was informed that the offspring of Zal and Rudabeh would be the conqueror of the world. When Zal arrived at the court of Manuchehr, he was instructed by the Emperor to showcase his skills. Zal was asked highly difficult questions and riddles by the emperor's wisest men, which Zal proceeded to answer correctly. The emperor then held a tournament for Zal to prove himself against the royal warriors. Zal proved himself unparalleled in marksmanship (archery) and in fighting from horseback. The great warrior hurled his

javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with th ...

with such strength that he was able to impale three shields at once. Finally, Zal succeeded in defeating Menuchehr's warriors and lifted an enemy warrior off his horse with complete ease. Impressed, Menuchehr gave his approval of Zal and Rudabeh's marriage. After a while, the marriage of Zal and Rudabeh was celebrated in Kabul, where they first met each other.

, the great Persian hero, was born from their wedlock. Zal used one of the feathers he received from the simurgh when his wife Rudabeh was in a difficult labor, and it looked like she would lose her life as well as the unborn baby. The simurgh appeared and instructed him to run a feather across his wife's belly like a knife. That is how Rostam was born.

Later life

Zal brought up and trained Rostam. He had another son with Rudabeh, named Zawara. He sent Rostam on many campaigns. Zal later ruled

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 ...

and served as a general and advisor to the king. He became famous for his military victories against the Turanians and against many barbarians. Zal lived for more than three centuries, outliving his wife, Rudabeh. He sired a son, Shagad, with a servant woman. Although he was warned by counselors that the child was evil, Zal refused to abandon, lest he commit the same mistake his father, Sam, did. When Esfandiyar challenged Rostam, Zal warned his son not to fight, as he was aware that Esfandiyar's murderer would be doomed. When Rostam returned, grievously wounded, Zal healed him and summoned the Simurgh, to find out a way to defeat Esfandiyar. Later, Zal lived to see his sons kill each other, and the fall of his family. Esfandiyar's son, Bahman, avenged his father's death by invading Zabulistan. Zal was too old to fight, and Bahman threw the ageing king in prison, and took his treasures. Bahman then however released him after own uncle, Pashotan, intervened on Zal's behalf. Bahman later withdrew to Iran, and Zal once again ruled as king. The great king died later of natural causes, and his dynasty splintered.

Family tree

References

Sources

* *

External links

Zal Featured in Rostam Comic Book

A king's book of kings: the Shah-nameh of Shah Tahmasp
an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Zal {{DEFAULTSORT:Zal Kayanians Shahnameh characters People with albinism