Amir Arsalan-e Namdar

Amir Arsalan-e Namdar is one of the most famous Persian folk tales.

There is ambiguity regarding the storyteller of this tale; its narration is attributed to both Ahmad Naqib al-Mamalek and Mohammad Ali Naqib al-Mamalek. The story was narrated by Naqib al-Mamalek, the storyteller of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, who recounted it to him. During this time, Fakhr al-Dowleh, the daughter of Naser al-Din Shah, would sit behind the half-open door of the eunuchs’ room, meticulously writing down the events and drawing illustrations for them.[1] This is how the tale of Amir Arsalan was preserved. Two other stories by Naqib al-Mamalek are “The Tales of Malek Jamshid” and “Zarrin Malek.” Throughout the text of the book, various poems are included, which evoke a pleasant feeling in the reader. A film based on the book was also produced in the 1950s, which was a significant box office success and remained in cinemas for a year.