Shahnameh readers are constantly faced with this question, which of the many editions of this book is reliable and is considered more suitable for them? This question is important because, in many editions of the Shahnameh (even in some edited Shahnamehs), many additinal verses are undoubtedly not Ferdowsi’s. Those verses will mislead the readers of the Shahnameh and will lead to misunderstanding the Shahnameh and its content. In this search, we will go through the edited versions of the Shahnameh in Iran and the evaluation of Shahnameh experts about correctness of its editions and/or their shortcomings, in order to find out which editions and which prints are the best.
But, before reviewing and assessing the different editions of the Shahnameh printed in Iran, or those copies that have been edited by Iranian experts, we must refer to two editions of the Shahnameh that were published outside of Iran and were among the first to be printed. The first is Macan Publishers and the second, Jules Mohl publishers. Both these prints have now lost their scientific value. They have been printed many times in Iran and even now are easily found in the Iranian book market.
In 1829, an English officer familiar with the Persian language, named Turner Macan, edited the Shahnameh and published it in 4 volumes, in India. This was the first scientific/critical edition of the whole Shahnameh. His edition now-a-days has lost its value. From 1838 to 1878, one of the French masters of the Persian language, named Jules Mohl, published the whole Shahnameh in 7 volumes. His editing of the Shahnameh was very valuable for those times and is known as the beginning of more accurate editions later on.
Finally, the time came when Iranian professors started thinking about editing the Shahnameh and giving out a scientific edition of it.
The Shahnameh of Kalaleh Khavar; The first step
In 1313 A.H., a grand celebration was held by the government of Iran under the pretext of the 1000th year of the Shahnameh. In this celebration, many prominent Iranologists and Shahnameh scholars were present, and gave speeches about various scopes of the study of Shahnameh, while engaging in scientific discussions. One of the points discussed was the need for an edited and scientific print of the Shahnameh. The significance of this work was not concealed from the eyes of Iranian publishers, but doing it required time and providing old manuscripts of the Shahnameh. Mohammad Ramezani, one of Tehran’s publishers and the founder of Kalaleh Khavar Publishing House, published an edition of the Shahnameh with lead print and in nastaliq script (in 5 volumes) in 1312 (one year before the congress). It has an introduction by Gholamreza Rashidyasini, a famous writer of the time. Several editions of the Shahnameh that were previously published outside of Iran were used in preparing the Shahnameh of Kalaleh Khavar.
The Shahnameh of Kalaleh Khavar is no more of scientific value, the number of added verses are too many. The importance of this print remains in the publisher’s pioneering in obtaining a better print than the lithographic prints of the Iranian book market at that time. Shahnameh Kalaleh Khavar is now rare and can only be found in libraries and bookstores that sell printed books from years ago.
The Shahnameh of Brokhim: an evaluation of Shahnameh editions printed at that time
In the congress of the thousandth year of the compilation of the Shahnameh (1313 AD), Jan Rypka, the famous Iranologist from Czech Republic and author of the book “History of Iranian Literature”, as well as Mojtaba Minavi, a well-known researcher, insisted that there was still no reliable edition of the Shahnameh available, which is a prerequisite for any research on this great work. In those days, the Shahnameh printed by the French Jules Mohl and the one prepared by Fulleres were the only ones available, and also the shahnameh of Kalaleh Khavar. Fulleres’ edition only included half of the shahnameh. The other copies in Iranian book markets of those days were stone printed, which were not at all reliable nor worth using for research and review.
As a result of those discussions, Brokhim bookstore decided to publish a reliable version of the Shahnameh. And bookstore was located on Ferdowsi Ave., Tehran, and was known for selling booked printed abroad.
Brokhim Bookstore’s efforts to publish the Shahnameh finally gave fruit. In 1315, they published the Shahnameh in 10 volumes. In this work, several prominent Iranian writers collaborated with Brokhim. Mojtaba Minawi edited the first volume of the Shahnameh, volumes 2 to 5 by Abbas Iqbal Ashtiani, volumes six by Solayamn Haiim, and volumes 7 to 10 by Saeed Nafisi. To print the Shahnameh, they used Julius von Mohl, Macan, and Vollers editions (all three published abroad), but their work was not “editing” the Shahnameh in any way, and they did not use any manuscripts. This point is one of the objections that can be made to the Shahnameh printed by Brokhim. Although this book was very worthy of attention and necessary in those years, it is no more used by scholars for Shahnameh studies; however, it is still being reprinted. For example, a print of Shahnameh was published in 1386 based on what Brokhim Bookstore made available. In addition, Brokhim’s Shahnameh had a hundred paintings (the work of an artist named Darvishparodeh).
Shahnameh of Dabirsiaghi: easy and pleasant to read
In 1335 AD, Dr. Mohammad Dabirsiaghi, a Persian language and literature teacher at Tehran University, published a new edition of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh. This edition was prepared in five volumes and based on Turner Macan’s editions of the Shahnameh printed in Calcutta, India. With hairsplitting precision, Dabirsiaghi corrected the mistakes and published an easy and pleasant to read Shannameh. In addition, he did not ignore Brokhim’s edition of the Shahnameh. In the following years, he compared his published Shahnameh with the Florence manuscript (one of the oldest manuscripts of the Shahnameh). He added some verses from the Florence version to his edition. Dabirsiaghi’s work is noteworthy, mainly because he published an index called verses index along with the Shahnameh to make it easy for the readers of the Shahnameh to find the verses.
In the years close to our days, he also divided his 5 volume Shahnameh into 26 small volumes with the help of Qatreh publishing house, and as footnotes he gave the meaning of the difficult words in the Shahnameh. Thus, his Shahnameh is beneficial for those who want to start reading the Shahnameh and get familiar with the correct way of reading it.
Dabirsiaghi’s 26-volume Shahnameh has been reprinted many times and is still available in the book market in Iran. A point worth knowing is that now, with the new and discerning editions have have been made of the Shahnameh (such as the one printed by Khaleqi Motlagh), the scientific validity of Dabirsiaghi’s shahnameh is not so great; because many additional verses are undoubtedly not Ferdowsi’s. For example, “The Story of Rostam and Sohrab” is 1,675 verses in Dabirsiaghi’s edition. In comparison, this story is 1,021 verses in Khaleghi-Mutlaq’s edition (much more scientific and accurate than Dabirsiaghi’s edition). The additional couplets printed by Dabirsiaghi have undoubtedly been added and are not Ferdowsi’s.
In the same way “the story of Siavash” is 2906 couplets in Dabirsiaghi’s edition, but 2522 couplets in the edition of Khaleghi Motlaq. Shahnameh researchers do not use the Shahnameh of Dabirsiaghi in their research studies and do not consider it of scientific value. Hoswever, as mentioned, the edition of Dabirsiaghi is practical and a pioneer in the sense that it makes the reader acquainted with the Shahnameh.
Shahnameh printed in Moscow, the first scientific effort to edit the Shahnameh
Between 1960 and 1971, the Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences published an edited edition of the Shahnameh in 9 volumes. This edition was known as the best edition of the Shahnameh for many years. However, in recent years, the inaccuracies and typing mistakes of the Moscow edition have come to light as the close examination and comparison of their edited text with the old manuscript of the Shahnameh.
The Shahnameh was edited by several famous Soviet (former) Iranologists and one Iranian. In the beginning, the head of the group was Yevgeni Bertels, and after his death, the continuation of the work was entrusted to Abdul Hossein Noushin. Gozlian and Smirnova edited the first volume of the Moscow Shahnameh in 1960; the second volume was edited by Bertels, Gozelian, Usmanov, Smiranova, and Tagirdjanov in 1962; the third volume was edited by Smiranova and supervised by Noshin in 1965, Usmanov edited the fourth to eighth volumes in 1965. Until 1968, and finally, the ninth volume, edited by Bertels (the eldest son of Bertels), was published in 1971. The editors used ancient manuscripts of the Shahnameh that had not been used to edit the Shahnameh until then.
Shahnameh Gharib- Behboudi
In the middle of 1373 to 1375, a Shahnameh was published in five volumes, edited by Mahdi Gharib and Mohammad Ali Behboudi, and a year later, the second print was also out (Toos Publishing House, 1374). Late Mahdi Gharib was one of the pioneers of Shahnameh studies and one of the professors of the Shahnameh Foundation. They, together with Professor Mojtaba Minawi and several other prominent Shahnameh scholars, were engaged in editing the Shahnameh in the fifties, which unfortunately was not completed.
In editing the Shahnameh Gharib and Behboudi used an old manuscript which is kept in London and compared it with the Moscow print, in order to correct the mistakes of the Moscow print. Therefore, Gharib/Behboudi edition of the Shahnameh can be considered as a corrected version of the Moscow print.
Shahnameh: Gharib edition
Mehdi Gharib was not satisfied with publishing the Shahnameh that he and Behboudi had edited, and spent another year in editing the Shahnaeh and producing a more studied and accurate text. His efforts resulted in the publication of Shahnameh in two volumes, which were published in 1387. In his edition, Gharib avoided using a substitute version and did not consider his text to be “scientifically critical”, in a humble way. As a result of his efforts in reviewing 10 old manuscripts of the Shahnameh and also the Moscow edition and Motlaq’s edition, his edition of the Shahnameh became the most important version. With his intelligence and deep knowledge of the structure and language of the Shahnameh, Gharib could find the correct form of many of the words of the Shahnameh and restore their confused state in the Shahnameh print. Therefore, Shahnameh, printed by Mahdi Gharib, is very valuable; however, as mentioned, not having a substitute version is considered as a negative point.
Shahnameh: Atabaki version
In 1375, Parviz Atabaki published an edition of Shahnameh. To make the Shahnameh easier to read, he has defined difficult words, and by moving the verses, he has given the meaning of difficult words, and by rearranging the couplets, he helps the reader to read the poems correctly.
Shahnameh: Jeyhouni edition
One of the most excellent editions of the shahnameh, which unfortunately has gone unnoticed, is the edition of Mostafa Jeyhouni. After several years of effort, he was finally able to publish the revised text of the Shahnameh in 1379. This was the first time an Iranian Shahnameh scholar edited the Shahnameh without using editions outside Iran. Jeyhouni’s hairsplitting method to create a reliable edition of the Shahnameh deserves to be commended. Some Shahnameh scholars consider his edition to be superior to the Moscow edition. But Jeyhouni’s work was more or less ignored with deliberate silence!
Shahnameh: Sobhani edition
Dr Towfiq Sobhani’s edition of the Shahnameh was published in 1386 in two volumes. This book is printed on thin and fine paper, along with some old miniatures, with the help of Rozeneh Publications. Sobhani’s edition is based on the Moscow edition, and attempts were made by Sobhani to correct the misprints and typing mistakes of the Moscow edition.
Shahnameh: an account and edition by Kazzazi
Among the other editions of the Shahnameh is an account and edition of this text under the title “Ancient book” by Dr Mirjallaleddin Kazzazi. This Shahnameh, including edition of the text and an account (description) of the verses, has been published in 9 volumes (with the help of Samt Publications). Its first volume was published in 1379, and the ninth volume was published in 1387. Recently, its tenth volume was published with the title “An index of the description of the couplets”. This volume is an index of the explanations of Kazzazi regarding the description and editing of the Shahnameh.
Shahnameh; Edited by Joneydi
Yet another edition of the Shahnameh should be mentioned here, which was met with many criticisms. This edition was printed in six volumes (one preface and five volumes of text) in the 1387 solar year. Joneydi has sidelined many verses of the Shahnameh under the pretext that they are addition to the original text. The most important criticism of Joneydi’s edition was published by Dr Sajjad Aidenloo in the Ayeneh Miras magazine, No. 49, in March 2010. In a detailed review he considered Joneydi’s edition to lack scientific validity. However, Joneydi has a different point of view in defense of his edition and consider it the best and most refined edition of the Shahnameh.
The best Shahnameh edition done by Khaleghi Motlaq
Undoubtedly, the Shahnameh, edited by Dr. Jalal Khaleghi, is the best edition of the Shahnameh that we have now. Hereunder, we will explain why his edition is considered to be better than others.
Khaleghi Motlaq published the first book of his edited Shahnameh in New York in 1366. The second book was published three years later. The third book in 1371, the fourth book in 1373, and the 5th volume in 1375 was again published in New York and became available to Shahnameh scholars. The sixth book was published in collaboration with Dr. Mahmoud Omidsalar in 1384, and the seventh book was published in partnership with Dr. Abolfazl Khatibi two years later. The last book, the eighth volume, was published in 1386, and thus the editing of all the Shahnameh was completed. In the same year, all eight books of the Shahnameh edited by Khaleghi Motlaq were published in Iran with the assistance of the Islamic Encyclopedia Center. In recent years, Sokhon Publications published all the volumes without substitute verses.
The question why Khaleghi Motlaq’s edition is considered to be superior and more trustworthy than other editions of the Shahnameh, will be answered now.
First of all, we should mention that Khaleghi Motlaq examined nearly 50 old manuscripts of the Shahnameh for his editing and selected 16 manuscripts that were more important and original for his editing. Comparing his translation with the verses of the Shahnameh helped the editor in finding the correct form of the verses.
Another point is his use of the oldest manuscript, found several years ago and known as the “Florence version.” Until then, none of the editors of the Shahnameh had used the Florentine manuscript. On the other hand, Khaleghi Motlaq methodically and far from blindly following the manuscripts, edited the Shahnameh, and used Bondari’s Arabic translation of the Shahnameh in his work. Bondari carefully translated all the Shahnameh into Arabic in the 7th century. The measurement of his translation with the verses of the Shahnameh helped the editor in getting the correct form of the verses.
Also, Khaleghi Motlaq benefited from other ancient sources that have included some verses of the Shahnameh in their text and thus found the correct way to record many words. Working on all the verses and descriptions was a tedious and time-consuming job that the editor did with unbelievable patience and put at the disposal of Shahnameh researchers, for them to study and judge for themselves the correctness of the wordings. Moving some phrases was still another asset he used in editing the Shahnameh, in order to make the text easier to read. In addition, using punctuation makes it easier to read the edited Shahnameh of Khaleghi Motlaq. All of these, and more examples that are not mentioned here, make the Shahnameh edited by Dr Jalal Khaleghi Motlaq the best and most important edition as considered by professor and Shahnameh scholars.
Anther edition: Behfar’s edition
Another critical edition of the Shahnameh, which is not yet completed, is Mehri Behfar’s critical corrections and description of the verses. Six volumes of this edition have been published so far. Its first volume was published in 1391, and its sixth volume, which contains the story of Siavash, was made available to Shahnameh scholars and readers last year (1400). Behfar’s work in producing a weighed and well-studied edition of the Shahnameh and its description and meaning of the verses is rare. Hopefully, she will publish rest of the volumes of the Shahnameh with the same accuracy and correctness, thus taking a big step in reading and understanding the Shahnameh correctly by everyone.
