This illustrated page from a manuscript comes from the “Great Mongol Shahnama,” a copy of the Persian epic that was made between about 1330 and 1340. The Shahnama (‘The Book of Kings") is an epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi that tells the stories of Iranian heroes and kings, blending mythical and historical figures.
In the illustration on this page, Alexander the Great, who conquered the Persian Empire in 332 BCE, is shown fighting the monster of Habash. The monster appears to be a composite of a dragon, rhinoceros, wolf, lion, and eagle. Iskandar, the name by which Alexander the Great is known in the Shahnama, assumed heroic status in Persian legend, traveling the world and encountering such marvels as the Ethiopian monster shown here.
This copy of the Shahnama was produced for the Ilkhanid ruler Abu Saʿid (r. 1316 – 35). As foreign rulers of Iran, the Ilkhanid sultans sought to legitimize their authority through patronage of Iranian literature, art and architecture. This ambitious manuscript project exemplifies this behavior and at the same time it represents a remarkable moment in the Persian painting tradition, when Chinese and local motifs and techniques were being integrated with great creativity.
In the early twentieth century this manuscript was disassembled by an art dealer motivated by the higher market value of pages with paintings. The illustrated side of this page is intact. The reverse of the page, however, was split from the front and an irrelevant text was glued in its place.

---