Kang Diz Huxt and Kuling Dus-Hut (An Investigation into the Name of Żahhāk's Palace in the Shāh-nāma and in Sanī Mulūk al-Arż v-al-Anbiyā')

The name of Żahhāk''s palace is given in the Shāh-nāma as «Kang diz huxt.» Some scholars have identified the final element of the compound، huxt، with hūxt in Pahlavi and have accordingly explained the compound as «the holy Kang diz.» This explanation seems to be incorrect since there is evidence at hand to suggest that the element huxt in this compound is unrelated tohūxt in Pahlavi. Furthermore، hūxt was never used to mean «holy» in the Pahlavi texts. Outside the Shāh-nāma، the name of Żahhāk''s palace also appears in an account by Hamza of Esfahān، where it is given as kalangdis (كلنگ ديس) and damnhat (دمن حت)، and in Mujmal al-Tavārīx v-al-Qisas، where it is given as kang dej huxt (كنگ دژ هوخت) and dashat (دس حت). In Tārīx al-Umam، the first element is rendered as zaranj (زرنج). Based on the evidence reported in this paper، it can be asserted that all these forms are misinterpretations of «Kurind dušīd/ dužīd» in the Pahlavi Xwadāy-nāmag. Doubtlessly، this latter form goes back to «Kuuirinta dužīta» (literary: «impracticable or inaccessible Kuuirinta»)، which is a place name in the Avesta.