Iraj Afshar may not be counted as a “shahnamehologist” in its true meaning, but, his ever-lasting works in bibliology and transcription of shahnameh manuscripts, and various researches he did in this regard have been helpful for Shahnameh researchers and considered as essential steps in the field of shahnameh studies. Therefore, adding his name to the Shahnameh scholars is justified. When he was publishing the magazine “Rahnemaye Ketab (1330s to 1350s) and also when he was publishing “Ayandeh” in the field of Iranian research (1350s to 1370s), Afshar printed writings of many Shahnameh scholars, in them, and constantly followed-up new achievements in the research of the Shahnameh.
The first of Iraj Afshar’s writings about Shahnameh dates back to the 40s. In 1354, he devoted two parts of his book “Kamineh Collection”, to the Shahnameh. In one part he mentioned about the historic love of Sharaf-eddin Ali Yazdi towards the Shahnameh (historian of the 9th century AH); in another part he discussed the various translation of the Shahnameh.” This part was the text of his speech at the ceremony of Ancient Iran Week (Khordad 1348) published in the “Kamineh” collection.
A year later, Afshar published a booklet full of reading tips called “Shahnameh from handwritten to printed” with the help of “Honar va Mardom” magazine. In this book (63 pages), he refers to the oldest Shahnameh manuscripts, illustrated Shahnameh manuscripts, Baisangari’s artistic Shahnameh, Shahnameh in the Safavid and Qajar eras, the first edition of the Shahnameh, Makan, Mohel, Fulers editions of the Shahnameh, editions of the Shahnameh in Iran and India. The Moscow edition of the Shahnameh and the Shahnameh’s transliteration is illuminating and brief.
But an essential work of Iraj Afshar in Shahnameh studies is the publication of “Bibliography of Ferdowsi and Shahnameh.” This book contains the names of research articles in the field of Shahnameh, from the beginning to 1385 (2006), which were published in Eastern and Western languages; also a list of important Shahnameh manuscripts around the world; A list of edited editions of Shahnameh, along with 12 attachments on various topics; For example some printed pages about the Shahnameh, the names of foreign Ferdowsi scholars. His bibliography has nearly 6,000 headings, with indexes used in 564 procedures. Iraj Afshar started such time-consuming work in the 1340s. He published the first edition of “Bibliography of Ferdowsi and Shahnameh” in 1347 (1968). The second edition was made available to researchers in 1355 (1976); in 1382 (2003), he found another edition published without consulting Afshar which caused his displeasure. Finally, in 1385 (2006), he published the written heritage of this very valuable bibliography, to which Afshar added many headers in an attractive and noticeable way.
Another work of Shahnameh research by Iraj Afshar is the printing of the oldest manuscript of the Shahnameh, known as “Saint Joseph’s copy.” This manuscript, which contains only half of the Shahnameh (until the end of Keykhosrow’s reign), has a unique value from the point of view of hermeneutics. In 1389 (2010), Afshar published a photographic print of this manuscript (with the cooperation of Nader Talebi Kashani) and added two writings to its beginning. One of his writings is titled “Establishment Report,” and the other is by Dr. Jalal Khaleghimotlaq titled “Review and Evaluation of Prescription.”
In 1390 (2011), Iraj Afshar published all the writings of Hassan Taghizadeh, a renowned politician and researcher, in an eighteen-volume collection (with the help of Toos Publishing House). One volume of that collection is Taghizadeh’s Quests about the Shahnameh, which Afshar published under Ferdowsi and Shahnameh, and the sixth volume is the collection of Taghizadeh’s writings. This was another honorable service of Afshar.
Iraj Afshar has also published several Shahnameh studies. The names of some of those quests that were published in research and literary magazines are as follows: “Two Shahnameh illustrated manuscripts,”; “Reverse copy of Saadlou’s Shahnameh,”; “Isn’t Shahnameh 614 a royal copy?” [About the manuscript of the Shahnameh of Florence]; “The servants of Shahnameh of the past and the Shahnameh published by Farzan” [about the Shahnameh edited by Parviz Atabaki, Farzan Publishing]; “Five writings about Ferdowsi’s tomb in the Qajar period”; “May this good fortune be blessed; Some words about the Shahnameh, published by Khaleghimotlaq” and several quests that everyone should read and stay.
Iraj Afshar passed away on Esfand 18, 1389 (2010). The book he remembered (many bibliographies, printing old manuscripts, journaling, writing articles, reading inscriptions, and many other books) was in Iran’s history, culture, and ancient heritage. A part of it was his impressive record, especially for Shahnameh and Shahnameh’s studies, and another chart of his scholarly endeavors. May his soul rest in peace.
