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Mâzandarân ( fa, مازندران) is an important place knows as Devil's Land the whose name is mentioned 63 times in the
MAZANDRAN
Places in Shahnameh {{Shahnameh-stub
Mâzandarân ( fa, مازندران) is an important place knows as Devil's Land the whose name is mentioned 63 times in 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 5 ...
, the national epic
A national epic is an epic poem or a literary work of epic scope which seeks or is believed to capture and express the essence or spirit of a particular nation—not necessarily a nation state, but at least an ethnic or linguistic group with a ...
of Greater Iran
Greater Iran ( fa, ایران بزرگ, translit=Irān-e Bozorg) refers to a region covering parts of Western Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, Xinjiang, and the Caucasus, where both Iranian culture and Iranian languages have had a s ...
. There are references to the Mazandaran of legend not only in the Shahnameh, but also in the much older Avesta
The Avesta () is the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language.
The Avesta texts fall into several different categories, arranged either by dialect, or by usage. The principal text in the lit ...
.
It is not clear where Mazandaran was located – various places have been suggested. Some scholars believe that Mazandaran was a region in India, others believe that Mazandaran is in the Levant
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...
or Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
, but there is no consensus between scholars.
The Mazandaran of legend was inhabited by a population that was different from other Iranians: godless magicians, they were invincible to other humans, conquerable only by the power of God.
The life of demons in the forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
– the battle of Akvan Div with Rostam
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, death_place = Kabulistan
, death_cause = With the conspiracy of his half-brother Shaghad, he fell into a w ...
near the sea
The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...
and the use the persian title Shah
Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
of mazandaran for Div-e Sepid of Alborz
The Alborz ( fa, البرز) range, also spelled as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran that stretches from the border of Azerbaijan along the western and entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea and finally runs nort ...
, are completely validating mazandaran in shahnameh is same Mazandaran province.
Also, there are historical places named Div Asiyab, Div Cheshmeh, Div kela, Div hamam, etc. in today Mazandaran.
In the Shahnameh
In the ''Shahnameh'', Mazandaran is the abode of greatDiv
Div or DIV may refer to:
Science and technology
* Division (mathematics), the mathematical operation that is the inverse of multiplication
* Span and div, HTML tags that implement generic elements
* div, a C mathematical function
* Divergence, a ...
s (demons) - so fearful a land that no Shah of Iran dare try to conquer it. One day - so the epic relates - a Div visits Kay Kāvus
Kay Kāvus ( fa, کیکاووس; ae, 𐬐𐬀𐬎𐬎𐬌 𐬎𐬯𐬀𐬥 Kauui Usan); sometimes ''Kai-Káús'' or ''Kai-Kaus'', Firdawsī, ''The Sháh námeh of the Persian poet Firdausí''. Oriental Translation Fund. Volume 21 of Publicat ...
in order to tempt him by reading him a poem extolling the fabulous wealth and beauty of Mazandaran. Ravished by the Div's description and filled with greed, Kai Kavus, an impulsive and imprudent ruler, resolves to conquer the rich kingdom. Everyone is opposed to this decision, recalling that even such great kings as the ingenious Jamshid
Jamshid () ( fa, جمشید, ''Jamshīd''; Middle- and New Persian: جم, ''Jam'') also known as ''Yima'' (Avestan: 𐬫𐬌𐬨𐬀 ''Yima''; Pashto/Dari: یما ''Yama'') is the fourth Shah of the mythological Pishdadian dynasty of Iran acc ...
and mighty Fereydun had never attempted the conquest of Mazandaran. Unmoved by this wise counsel, Kai Kavus persists in his folly, marching to Mazandaran with his army - only to be defeated, blinded and imprisoned by the Divs, together with two-thirds of his army. He sends a letter to Zāl
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, death_place =
, death_cause =
, body_discovered =
, resting_place =
, resting_place_coordinates ...
, begging him to come and rescue him, but Zāl
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 ...
, considering himself too old for such exploits, sends his son, 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 w ...
, instead - despite the fact that the great hero is still only a youth. The safe route to Mazanderan being too roundabout, Rostam has to undertake a shorter path beset with supernatural trials and dangers - and thus come about the celebrated '' Haftkhān-e-Rostam'', the Seven Labours, in which Rostam, ably abetted by his brave and faithful steed Rakhsh, is victorious over the evil beings that try to bar his way as he journeys on his quest to rescue Kāvus and his men from the monstrous Div-e Sepid (White Div).
Prior to the above, there are some references to Mazandaran in the story of Zāl
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, death_place =
, death_cause =
, body_discovered =
, resting_place =
, resting_place_coordinates ...
and 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. They ...
which suggest that Sām, the grandfather of 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 w ...
, may have conquered Mazandaran at the time of Manuchehr.
References
Sources
*Ferdowsi
, image = Statue of Ferdowsi in Tus, Iran 3 (cropped).jpg
, image_size =
, caption = Statue of Ferdowsi in Tus by Abolhassan Sadighi
, birth_date = 940
, birth_place = Tus, Samanid Empire
, death_date = 1019 or 1025 (87 years old)
, d ...
Shahnameh. From the Moscow version. Mohammed Publishing.
External links
MAZANDRAN
Places in Shahnameh {{Shahnameh-stub