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The battle of Rustam and Afrasiab. Firdawsi. “Shakh-nama”. MS C-822 IOS AS USSR. f. 122b. Late 15th century. Samarkand.
THE BATTLE OF RUSTAM AND APRASIAB, Firdawsi. «Shah-nama»


Siyavush is a brave knight and a founder of a beautiful city Siyavushgird. His life was full of severities. Siavush was killed by a man hired by hostile Turan tsar Afrasiab. Shah Kei-Khosrov, son of Siyavush, is ready for revenge. In his army there was a Khorasan hero Rustam. On the miniature we see the battle of Rustam and Afrasiab.
A fight is one of traditional scene in medieval Oriental miniature painting. It decorates a lot of literary works and causes many graphic replies – nazira. Rustam and Afrasiab run into each other with their spears. We see only the men and horses heads. It doesn’t cut the picture frame, it even makes it wider.
The artist renders high spirit of the battle that is traditional for early painting of Sogda and Usrushany. Rustam’s dressed in tiger skin, Afrasiab is in bright red jacket, both are in the helmets. The knights are against the background of the hill landscape. The artist applies depth colour in depicting the heroes, the hill is, on the contrary, in soft and transparent strokes. This doesn’t spoil flatness of the picture and renders even air tremor but not volume of the painting.