Afrasiyab Consulting His Son Shida (painting, verso); Upon Hearing Rustam' s Arrival to Turkestan, Afrasiyab Goes to Engage him in a Battle (text, recto), illustrated folio from a manuscript of the Shahnama of Firdawsi

Seated upon the throne on the left, Afrasiyab, the mythical king of Turan, confides in his son Shida about facing the formidable Iranian warrior Rustam on the battlefield. Their royal status is clear from their crowns and their elevated position on a lavish throne covered with an assortment of textiles. The surrounding figures amplify the intensity of their discussion, as they too seem engaged in earnest dialogue. The section heading on the recto side of the same folio reads: Rustam heads towards Turkestan and Afrasiyab, having gained awareness of this, arrives at the battlefield (برفتن رستم بترکستان و آگاهی یافتن افراسیاب و آمدن بجنگ). This folio comes from the so-called “Big Head” Shahnama which was completed in 899 AH (1493/1494) and commissioned by Sultan Mirza Ali (r. 1478-1504/05), the local ruler of the Karkiya Zaydi dynasty, based in Lahijan, Gilan. The manuscript is richly-illustrated, containing approximately 360 paintings. The bulk of the manuscript is preserved in two separate collections in Istanbul: volume one (202 paintings on 282 folios) is in the Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi and volume two (109 paintings on 304 folios) is in the Istanbul University Library. Over 40 illustrated folios have been separated, allegedly from the first volume of the text, and are dispersed throughout several private and public collections worldwide. See also 1985.264 The patron Mirza Ali was a Shi‘i who claimed descent from Imam Husain. He is renowned for welcoming the fugitive Ismail Safavi to his court in Lahijan in late 898 (1493). This remarkable coincidence in timing has led to some speculation that the manuscript was started in anticipation of Ismail’s arrival to Lahijan. Thus, the Shahnama volume in progress could be conceived as a pleasant distraction for the young Ismail and a way of educating him in the history of Iran and the traditions of rulership. Notably, apart from the “Big Head” Shahnama, the written sources remain silent on Mirza Ali’s patronage of the arts.