Rustam and Sohrab (from the Shahnama)

The tragedy of "Rostam and Sohrab" forms part of the Shahnameh, the 10th-century Persian epic by the Persian poet Ferdowsi. It tells the tragic story of the heroes Rostam and his son, Sohrab.

The story of Rostam and Sohrab is just one small portion of the vast compilation of stories that make up the Iranian national epic, commonly known as the Shahnameh, or Book of Kings. The Shahnameh traces the history of the Iranian nation from the first mythological shah, Kiumars, down to the defeat and death of the last Sasanian emperor, Yazdegerd III, at the hands of the Arab armies of Islam in the middle of the seventh century AD.

The events narrated in the first two-thirds of the Shahnameh—tales both heroic and romantic—belong to a mythical or legendary time. In the last third, these events are set in historical times, and stories are introduced from the biography of Alexander the Great and from the history of the Parthian and Sasanian dynasties (247 BC – AD 651). But the style of presentation does not change: historical figures and events are presented as the stuff of myth and legend

Rostam is Iran's greatest national hero, husband to Tahmineh and father to Sohrab. Renowned for his valour and prestige, he possessed an exceedingly proud nature, valuing honour above all else. In the tale, he departed after marrying Tahmineh, never attempting to seek out his potential offspring; upon the battlefield, he refused to reveal his identity to preserve his reputation, ultimately slaying his own son with his own hands during a fierce engagement.