An old version of Shahnameh (Book of Kings), epic poem of renowned Persian poet Ferdowsi (940-1020), has been donated by a family in Ahvaz, in Khuzestan Province, to the provincial branch of Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization.
According to the book owner Amir Mohammadi-Dehdezi, the book was passed down to him from his great grandfather and is about 160 years old. From the special features of the book is an appendix of difficult words, ISNA reported on its Persian website. “The pages had turned yellow and were fragile, so we decided to give it to the cultural heritage office so that it could be restored and preserved,” Mohammadi-Dehdezi said.
The book, created with stone lithography method, is written in nastaliq, a Persian calligraphy style, with simple margins. For miniatures the gravure printing process has been used. The process uses a metal cylinder with the image engraved or etched on to the surface in the form of a pattern with cavities.
