A Comparative Study of Żaḥḥāk’s Story and Image in Šāhnāmah Manuscript 1722 A.D., Pakistan

As one of the most prominent symbols of evil, Żaḥḥāk has a significant presence in Iranian literature, culture and mythology, and Ferdowsi has written his story in detail. Due to this importance in most illustrated manuscripts of Šāhnāmah, one or more pictures are dedicated to his story. It is expected that the image which is represented the story is accorded with narrative text but it seems in some cases this doesn’t happen and painters are freer to create images. These differences could be influenced by the cultural, social and political situations and also personal beliefs and interpretations. This article compares Żaḥḥāk images in one Šāhnāmah manuscript which is produced in Pakistan in 1722 A.D. In total, in this manuscript, six images are related to Żaḥḥāk’s story. This study tries to conclude by comparing the figures and the story which is narrated by Ferdowsi to what extent painters have paid attention to the text for creating images, and if there are differences between the images and text what it is. It seems that in some cases painters have created images which are understandable for the reader of the manuscript.This study is done by using analytical-comparative approach and data collection is based on library sources and observation.