Investigating Popular Culture in " Firuz Shah Nameh"

Undoubtedly, folk stories are an important part of popular culture. In countries such as Iran, where historians have been less active in explaining and describing the lives of people, these stories gain more importance and become important sources for gaining information on social life of Iranians and their costoms, habits and traditions. Firuz Shah Nameh, next to Sammak-e Ayyar and Darabnameh, is the most important folk story, enjoying originality. Firuz Shah Nameh is an important text in Persian prose literature, and, in fact it is the third volume of Darabnameh. Mohammad Beighami has written this book in the 9th century AH. However, it is clear that the origin of this book dates back to earlier times. Besides its grammatical, lexical, and linguistic contributions, it could also be beneficial in historical sociology. Studying and understanding this important heritage can lead to the understanding of Iranian history, culture and society. It can also demonstrate the development of Iranian thought and the social evolution of people. Using a descriptive-analytic method and through a library research, this study analyzed thoughts, traditions and other elements of popular culture depicted in the book. It should be mentioned that regarding folk elements, this book is of prime importance. Social and cultural traditions, as well as superstitious beliefs have the highest frequency in the popular culture of Firuz Shah Nameh.