Shāhnāmah va pāyān-i Sāsānīyān Persian 2021

In this study, Zagros Zand examines Ferdowsi's account of the final years of the Sasanian Empire in the Shahnameh, comparing its narrative of the period from the revolt against Khosrow II (Khosrow Parviz) to the collapse of the Sasanian dynasty with the accounts preserved in the principal Islamic, Byzantine, Armenian, and Syriac historical sources. Through a detailed comparative analysis, the author identifies the similarities and differences among these traditions, evaluates the strengths and limitations of the Shahnameh as a historical source, and highlights episodes preserved in Ferdowsi's epic that are absent from other surviving records.

As the author explains in the introduction, no independent study has previously undertaken a comprehensive comparison of the Shahnameh's account of the closing phase of the Sasanian Empire, following the reign of Khosrow II, with both early Islamic chronicles and contemporary non-Islamic historical sources. Although numerous valuable studies have explored the historical significance of the Shahnameh, the history of the Sasanians within the epic, and comparisons with selected historical texts, comparatively little attention has been devoted to the historiographical methods and distinctive characteristics of Ferdowsi's narrative in relation to other historical traditions.

Given the extensive body of scholarship on the Shahnameh and the early Islamic chronicles, the author organizes the existing literature into four thematic sections:

The Shahnameh, its historical value, and the representation of the Sasanians in Ferdowsi's epic.

Early Arabic and Persian historical chronicles of the Islamic period.

Modern Sasanian studies, covering the period from the reign of Shiruyeh (Kavadh II) to the fall of the Sasanian Empire.

Iranian historiography.

Within each section, the studies are presented in chronological order of publication, enabling readers to trace the development and evolution of scholarship in each field.