Hand, Labour, and Material in the Building of Khavarnaq Palace

The essay is based on a new reading of Kamal-ed-Din Behzad’s painting regarding the construction of Khavarnaq Palace. Behzad painted the picture to be used in a manuscript copy of Nezami’s Khamse. The writer believes that Behzad has not merely illustrated Nezami’s story, but referring to his thought and understanding has manipulated it. Behzad’s Khavarnaq palace despite Nezami’s is not a decorated and luxurious one; rather it is a simple building made of soil. Behzad’s reading is the narration of labour, hand, and manipulation of soil and material. It is the narration of those who manipulate the material to make it appropriate for their living, but unaware of the fact that they are raising their own death construction.