Persia — Land of Emperors and Kings
By Iftikhar Salahuddin
Self-published
ISBN: 9789692331616
269pp.

There are several books that have been published about Persia. But Persia — Land of Emperors and Kings, a coffee table edition, is a work of art, a masterpiece. Iftikhar Salahuddin, or should I say ‘the good doctor’ since he is an ear, nose and throat specialist, possesses a keen eye for detail as he aims his camera lens at the history and culture of Persia, to tell a picturesque story of a country’s contributions to the civilised world.

The chapters of the book categorically deal with various phases in the history of Persia and also the people who mattered in those times. There is the impact of Zoroastrianism, the invasion of the Seljuks, the colonisation of Persia by the British, the Pahlavis.

It is also a story of imperialism, that takes you full circle from Cyrus the Great to Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. As people say, the former achieved greatness and the latter had greatness thrust upon him. Cyrus is buried in the Persia of today, Iran, while Pahlavi died in exile after losing the peacock throne.

In between, there are the various dynasties finding prominence through the pages of the book, such as the Parthian Dynasty, the Sassanid Dynasty, the Timurid Dynasty, the Afsharid Dynasty, the Safavid Dynasty and the Qajar Dynasty. There is also much mention about the personalities — seers, scholars and poets — who represent Persia and also their famous works.

A coffee-table tome full of exquisite photography educates about the richness of the history of Persia while also being a work of art

There is the Sufi saint Jalal al-Din Rumi, the physician Avicenna, mathematicians Al-Biruni and Omar Khayyam, poets Sheikh Saadi, Hafez Sherazi and Abul Qasem Firdowsi, to name a few. They brought glory to Persian literature. It is said that the emergence of the poets happened particularly during times of social unrest and insecurity.

On the one hand, the book tells you the story of the richness of Persian culture, of riches and splendour. On the other, it also tells you a story of loot and plunder. You find images of empty crypts of kings that were plundered not by grave robbers but by Alexander’s army.

Other senseless acts by Alexander, who wanted to avenge the burning of the Athenian Acropolis at the hands of Xerxes in 480 BCE, include his telling his troops to burn down Persepolis, the gate of all nations and the ceremonial capital of the glorious Achaemenid Empire, destroy Pasargadae, which is located near Persepolis and after ransacking graves at Naqsh-i-Rustam, the famed necropolis of the Achaemenid kings in Fars, take the loot to Greece. And to add insult to injury, Alexander declared himself King of Persia. The author however doesn’t like calling him ‘Alexander the Great’, as he is otherwise known to the world. He calls him ‘Alexander of Macedonia’.

The reviewer is a business consultant

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, December 17, 2022