The Persian ‘Mar Nameh’: ‘Book of the Snake’ Omens By Payam Nabarz.
The ‘Shah Nameh’ (book of Kings) is one of the most famous and greatest Persian books of poetry ever. It’s stories recognised by many in Iran and across the world. However, there are other ‘Nameh’ from Iran around the same and later time period which seem to have escaped the attention of some Iranians. These other poems are also capture Persian history and allow an insight into the Persian culture both modern and ancient. The two Namehs which have captured my attention in the last four years are the ‘Mar Nameh’ (book of the snake) and the ‘Burj Nameh’ (book of the constellations/months). I have translated these two poems from Persian into English and have carried out an study of them. Both poems, their translations are published. The Mar Nameh is published as:The Persian ‘Mar Nameh’: The Zoroastrian ‘Book of the Snake’ Omens and Calendar by Payam Nabarz & The Old Persian Calendar by S H Taqizadeh. (Twin Serpents, 2006), ISBN: 1905524250.
