Shahbaz (bird)

Fabled bird in Iranian mythology

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Standard of Cyrus the Great (Derafsh Shahbaz), founder of the Achaemenid Empire, featuring the Shahbaz (see List of Iranian flags)

Shahbaz (Persian: شَهباز) is the name of a fabled bird in Persian mythology.[1] 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

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The word Shahbaz literally translates to "royal falcon".[2][3][4] It was standard practice for the Persian Shah to keep a royal falcon or another bird of prey.[5] This symbol represented both strength and aggressiveness.[4] 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.[2] 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

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* 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

## References

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1. ^ Mark, Joshua J. (16 January 2020). "Ancient Persian Gods, Heroes, and Creatures – The Complete List". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
2. ^ a b Burton, Sir Richard Francis (1852). Falconry in the valley of the Indus.
3. ^ Brill, E. J. First Encyclopaedia of Islam 1913–1936.
4. ^ 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.
5. ^ 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.

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