Miniature from a copy of Firdawsi’s Shahnama. ‘The Iranians Seek Refuge on Mount Hamavan, While the Turanians Inspect Their Deserted Camp’

When Kay Khusraw, son of the murdered Prince Siyawush, had been brought back to Iran and succeeded his grandfather Kay Kaus as king of Iran, he carried out constant campaigns against the Turanians to avenge his father.

On this miniature, the Turanians, under the good and able general Piran, have just vanquished part of the Iranian army, forcing the rest to flee into the mountains.

The beautifully decorated tents in the deserted camp form a sharp contrast to the slain Iranians, whose bloodstained bodies are depicted with a grim realism that is not commonly found in Persian miniatures.