{"id":160363,"date":"2025-12-05T21:53:57","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T18:23:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/?p=160363"},"modified":"2025-12-05T21:53:57","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T18:23:57","slug":"from-leather-on-a-spear-to-a-national-emblem-the-majestic-tale-of-the-derafsh-kaviani","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/?p=160363","title":{"rendered":"From Leather on a Spear to a National Emblem: The Majestic Tale of the Derafsh Kaviani"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>The Derafsh Kaviani served as Iran\u2019s national flag during the Parthian and Sassanian eras, yet its legendary roots stretch back even further. According to Ferdowsi\u2019s Shahnameh, when Kaveh the Blacksmith* rose against the tyrant Zahhak, he hoisted a piece of leather\u2014originally draped over his knee during his work as a blacksmith\u2014on the tip of a spear as a symbol of rebellion. Crowds of people rallied around him, eventually finding Fereydun and appointing him as their leader.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Shahnameh narrates that Fereydun adopted this same banner, adorning it with gold, silk, and precious gems, and adding three striking colors: red, yellow, and purple. He named it the Derafsh Kaviani, which subsequently became the recognized national flag of Iran, carried proudly ahead of armies in times of war.<\/p>\n<p>Historical sources beyond the Shahnameh, including Tarikh-e Tabari, Tarikh-e Bal\u2019ami, Tarikh-e Ibn-e Athir, and the writings of Abu Rayhan Biruni, also reference the Derafsh Kaviani and its origins. Some accounts suggest the banner was made of lion skin or other animal hides, while others indicate it bore talismans adorned with celestial symbols. In certain passages of the Shahnameh, it is even referred to as the Derafsh of Fereydun.<\/p>\n<p>Described as square and impressively large, the Derafsh Kaviani was richly decorated and radiated grandeur. During times of peace, it was carefully stored in the royal treasury, a symbol of national pride and heritage.<\/p>\n<p>It is also recorded that during military campaigns, the Derafsh Kaviani was accompanied by five high priests and later entrusted by the king to the commander-in-chief of Iran. If the king himself marched with the army, the banner was carried at the forefront of his procession. In battles, the banner held a central position within the army and the encampment.<\/p>\n<p>During the war between Iran and the Arabs in the year 14 AH, the Derafsh Kaviani fell into Arab hands. They removed its jewels and burned the banner, effectively ending its physical legacy.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Derafsh Kaviani served as Iran\u2019s national flag during the Parthian and Sassanian eras, yet its legendary roots stretch back even further. According to Ferdowsi\u2019s Shahnameh, when Kaveh the Blacksmith* rose against the tyrant Zahhak, he hoisted a piece of leather\u2014originally draped over his knee during his work as a blacksmith\u2014on the tip of a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":160364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1362,1361],"class_list":["post-160363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-zoroastrians","tag-derafsh-kaviani","tag-national-emblem"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=160363"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160363\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/160364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=160363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=160363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.amordadnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=160363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}