Shahbaz (bird)
Shahbaz (Persian: شَهباز) is the name of a fabled bird in Persian mythology.[3] It is described as having a body similar to an eagle, being bigger than a hawk or falcon, and having inhabited an area within the Zagros, the Alborz, and the Caucasus within Greater Iran. In ancient Persian mythology, the Shahbaz was a god who helped the Iranian peoples and guided the Faravahar to the Iranian lands.
History
The word Shahbaz literally translates to "royal falcon".[4][5][6] It was standard practice for the Persian Shah to keep a royal falcon or another bird of prey.[7] This symbol represented both strength and aggressiveness.[6] The ancient Egyptian deity of Horus is speculated[by whom?] to have been the archetype for the standard of Cyrus the Great[citation needed], who founded the Achaemenid Empire.
British explorer Richard F. Burton considered the symbol to refer to the goshawk species Accipiter gentilis.[4] Shahbaz could have alternatively referred to another common bird over the skies of the Iranian Plateau: the eastern imperial eagle, though this observation has never been claimed by historians as merited.
See also
- Chamrosh, a Persian mythical bird that is described as having inhabited the Alborz Mountains
- Huma bird, a legendary bird in Persian mythology
- Simurgh, a mythical bird in Persian literature
- Derafsh
- Derafsh Shahdad
- Derafsh Kaviani
- Lion and Sun flag
- List of Iranian flags#Historical state flags
References
- ^ https://tarikhema.org/ancient/iran/achaemenid/148052/%D9%BE%D8%B1%DA%86%D9%85-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%87%D8%AA%D8%B1-%D8%A8%D8%B4%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%85/
- ^ https://avalfars.ir/%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%BE%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%87-%D8%8C-%D9%BE%D8%B1%DA%86%D9%85-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%B2%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4/
- ^ Mark, Joshua J. (16 January 2020). "Ancient Persian Gods, Heroes, and Creatures – The Complete List". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ a b Burton, Sir Richard Francis (1852). Falconry in the valley of the Indus.
- ^ Brill, E. J. First Encyclopaedia of Islam 1913–1936.
- ^ a b Altmann, Peter (3 December 2019). Banned Birds: The Birds of Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. Mohr Siebeck. pp. 17–18. ISBN 978-3-16-158163-2.
- ^ Khan, Hazrat Inayat (28 September 2020). The Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan: The Smiling Forehead. Library of Alexandria. p. 69. ISBN 978-1-61310-665-5.