Shahnameh of Ferdowsi — Volume 1: Ganjoor & Khaleghi-Motlagh Comparison with English Translation (EPUB + PDF)

Two Persian texts. One shared reading journey.

Discover the opening volume of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, the Book of Kings, in a comparison edition prepared by Yahya Nazer, PhD.

This edition places the Ganjoor Persian text on the left and a reading transcription from Jalal Khaleghi-Motlagh’s edition on the right. An English translation accompanies the Ganjoor text, giving readers a way to follow the stories while exploring the Persian.

Soft red highlights mark differing words in Ganjoor; soft green highlights mark differing words in Khaleghi-Motlagh. Whole-word highlighting preserves the connected forms of Persian letters. Differences in spacing, punctuation and vowel marks are ignored by the comparison.

Inside Volume 1

The volume begins with the poem’s opening passages and follows the early kings and heroes of Iran through the reign of Kayqobad. Its stories include Zahhak and Fereydun, Zal and Rudabeh, the birth of Rostam, and the conflicts that shape this legendary world.

• 49 complete sections
• 4,619 Persian couplets in the Khaleghi-Motlagh transcription
• 4,591 Persian couplets from the supplied Ganjoor text
• English translation accompanying the Ganjoor verses
• Side-by-side comparison with red and green word highlighting
• Section navigation in both formats
• 1,263 PDF pages, formatted at 8.5 × 11 inches

Your purchase includes

PDF: A fixed-page edition with selectable text, embedded fonts, color highlighting and bookmarks for all 49 sections. Suitable for reading on a computer or tablet and for printing.

EPUB: A fixed-layout ebook that preserves the two-column comparison, with embedded fonts, color highlighting and a contents menu. Use an EPUB reader that supports fixed-layout EPUB 3. A tablet or larger screen is recommended for the side-by-side layout; the PDF offers a consistent alternative if your reader handles fixed-layout ebooks differently.

These are digital downloads. No printed book is included.

A note on the edition

This is a reading and comparison edition, not a new critical edition. The English translation accompanies the Ganjoor text and has not been rewritten to match the Khaleghi-Motlagh readings.

Rows follow the Khaleghi-Motlagh text. An empty cell means that no complete corresponding couplet is aligned at that position; it is not a judgment about the historical origin of a verse. The Khaleghi-Motlagh transcription omits footnotes, reference numbers, optional vowel marks and printed justification. Detailed source locations and alignment notes can be explored on the accompanying website.

A personal dedication

This project began with the hope that my grandchildren, Nova and Linden, will one day read and enjoy these stories—and that other readers will discover the richness of Persian poetry alongside them.

English translation and comparison prepared by Yahya Nazer, PhD.

Read the online comparison: https://farsi-poems.com/shahnameh/

Questions: yahya nazer info@farsi-poems.com