Why Read the Shāhnāmeh Today?

Ferdowsi's Shāhnāmeh is not only an ancient epic; it is a mirror in which we can re-read our most modern questions: the responsibility of power, the price of war, the meaning of homeland.

Three simple reasons

1. Language: Ferdowsi preserved Persian at a pivotal moment of its history.
2. Ethics: the stories of Rostam and Siyāvash are trials of conscience.
3. Beauty: the music of the verses is itself an experience, beyond meaning.

A taste

Powerful is the one who is wise; through knowledge the old heart grows young.

This simple couplet is the motto of the entire Shāhnāmeh: wisdom is the foundation of both power and youth of soul.

In our weekly circle in Valencia, every Thursday we read a story from the Shāhnāmeh together — in Persian, with translation alongside in Spanish and English.