TEHRAN – Iranian author Mohammadreza Yusefi will soon release “The Legend of Arash”, telling the story of the Persian mythical character Arash the Archer.

The book is waiting for the front cover design to be later published by Sorush Publications, Yusefi told the Persian service of MNA.
Legend has it that Arash shot an arrow from the peak of Mount Damavand (Iran’s highest mountain) to mark the border of Iran and Turan after the long-lasting war between the two countries.
The arrow fell on the bank of the River Oxus in what is now Central Asia. Arash, who had pulled his bow with all his strength, collapsed to the ground on Mount Damavand and passed away.
“This book narrates life of Arash from his childhood to adulthood, when he shoots the arrow and dies,” Yusefi said.
“I chose the most comprehensive source on Arash in the Zoroastrian scripture of Bundahishn. The source was earlier used by author Siavash Kasraii and filmmaker Bahram Beizaii,” he said.
Bundahishn gives an account of the creation, history, and duration of the world, the origin of man, and the nature of the universe. Written in Pahlavi, it dates from the 9th century AD but is based on ancient material from a lost part of the original Avesta and preserves some pre-Zoroastrian elements.
The author added, “Of course Arash is mentioned in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh but the focus is mostly on his ancestors and his children.”
Yusefi next said that his series of books under the title “Old Literature, Modern Literature” that center on Iranian folklore will also be coming out in the near future.
He is currently working on the legends of Shahnameh. He has several other books waiting to be published soon.
Photo: The Arash the Archer statue is located in Tehran’s Sadabad Cultural Historical Complex. It was unveiled during a ceremony on February 4, 2008. (Fars/Ali Rafiei)
RM/YAW END MN