The love story of Kasra Shah and Shirin

Kasra (Khosrow-Parviz) the emperor/Padshah of Sassanid Dynasty was living in 590 CE. The story of his love life was always the topic for Persian literature, music and art.

As a teen-ager he was taller and smarter than other kids. On 14 he was student of Bozorgmehr the great philosopher and in sports he could hunt a lion with shooting only one arrow.

One night he dreams a wise man telling soon he will have coronation as the King of Persia and will have an adventurous love life. The other day he hears from his friend Shahpour about a royal family in Armenia continent of Persia, Mihan-Banou and her beautiful daughter Shirin. Prince Kasra asks Shahpour to paint his portrait and sends him to Armenia. Shirin falls in love and receives a ring from Kasra courting her to come to him in Tispoun the Capital of Sassanid. Mihan-Banou doesn’t permit her daughter goes to prince Kasra so Shirin claims she is going to hunt with her fast horse Shabdiz and maids but she moves to Tispoun the capital city of Persia. In the way she gets tired and goes naked for a swim. Kasra those days were facing a problem with a famous army commander called Bahram choobin so he was away from palace. In the way outside of town he reaches in the same beautiful lake that Shirin and her maids were resting. They accidently meet each other from a far distance but Shirin couldn’t guess this young man is the prince of Persia. Kasra had to leave and Shirin reaches to palace while Kasra was not there. All the people were amazed of her beauty and explaining her why the prince is not there. She hears there is a political problem and gets the young guy she met in the Tispoun way while swimming was her love, Kasra. She leaves Tispoun and comes back to Armenia.

Kasra contracts Byzantine Empire to arrest Bahram Choobin the rebel commander who was hiding in western borders of Persia and successfully defeat him but in return of this help he marries

Mary the daughter of eastern Roman emperor. In between Hormoz, Kasra’s father dies and he becomes the King of Persia. After coronation he moves to Armenia and meets Shirin. Mihan-Banou, Shirin’s mother warns her daughter about this relation with King Kasra and tells she loves the greatest man of Persia who has a wife and

Shirin will be hurt but she didn’t care and was in a deep love with King.

After a while Mihan-Banou dies and Shirin becomes the local king of Armenia.

Persia which contained a big part of Asia and silk-road were a main place for cultural exchanges between east and west. One of the central Asian artists from Uighur lands called Farhad the sculptor who were settling in Armenia meets Shirin accidently and falls in a mad love with her. He was a great master and

could make any shape with carving and cutting stones. He tries to get close to Shirin in any way and does anything to takes her attention. His love makes Shirin amused but the news spread everywhere and Kasra hears the rumors. He sends a messenger to Farhad and suggests him gold coins to make him leave Armenia and goes back to his land but Farhad takes back all the gold. Then Kasra asks Farhad in a case he can make a big hole in Bistoun mountain -located in west Iran- and carving

the whole mountain walls he will let he takes Shirin and will not hurt him. Farhad accepts and starts digging the stone. Shirin who was amused of making King Kasra jealous were showing more interest to Farhad to motivate Kasra to marry her. She went to Bistoun mountain everyday and met Farhad and one day when Shirin’s horse couldn’t pass from a river, Farhad puts her on his shoulder and passes her to other side. News makes king Kasra so mad and worried because Farhad was progressing carving the mountain day after day. He plans to kill Farhad so he makes someone from Shirin’s palace to go to Farhad and claiming Shirin was suddenly dead. Farhad who was not able to live without Shirin fell himself from Bistoun and died in the valley. The reliefs and carving works on parts of Bistoun rock nowadays are refered to Farhad the sculptor. Shirin who hears it, suddenly feels so pity and repent about playing with Farhad and stops her relation with Kasra.

Years pass and Mary the Roman queen of Persia dies and Kasra marries a young girl from Isfahan

called Shekar while he was constantly thinking about Shirin. He starts writing love letters to Shirin and makes her coming back to Tispoun again. After a while they become the same old lovers and eventually they take a great feast and marry.

Few years later, Shirouyeh Mary’s son kills his father Kasra and takes the power. He asks his step

mother Shirin who was still the most beautiful woman to marry him. Shirin asks him to let her go to Kasra’s tomb for the last time and farewells him. She goes inside of tomb and drinks a poison and kills herself right there above Kasra’s grave.