Khaleghi-Motlagh, J. (2025). Az Shāhnāmeh ta Khodaynāmeh: Jostari Darbareh Maākhez Mostaghim va Gheir Mostaghim-e Shāhnāmeh. Tehran: Afshar Foundation Publication and Sokhan Publication.
The book “From the Shāhnāmeh to the Khodaynāmeh: An Inquiry into the Direct and Indirect Sources of the Shāhnāmeh”, written by Dr. Jalal Khāleghi-Motlagh, has been published by Sokhan Publishing House in collaboration with the Dr. Mahmoud Afshar Foundation. The purpose of Professor Khāleghi-Motlagh in this work is to demonstrate that Ferdowsi’s Shāhnāmeh has a written origin and that its primary source the prose Shāhnāmeh commissioned by Abu Mansur was itself based on earlier written texts, following the ancient tradition of Khodaynāmeh-writing.
The appendix of this study includes a detailed list of lost Pahlavi texts and their Arabic and Persian translations, as cited in early Islamic sources. This list serves as compelling evidence for the existence of a culture of writing and textual preservation in the Sasanian era.
This work represents the most recent scholarly research by Professor Khāleghi-Motlagh, focusing on the foundational origins of the Shāhnāmeh namely, the Khodaynāmeh. It is of great significance, as a deeper understanding of the primary sources of the Shāhnāmeh offers valuable insights into the development of Iranian mythology. The book comprises 279 pages and, like other publications by Sokhan and the Afshar Foundation, is adorned with an illuminated cover design.
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