Rooting the Ancient Tree

Rooting the Ancient Tree is a research work by Bahram Beyzai, a well-known Iranian director and scholar, that examines Iranian myths from the perspective of comparing two major and popular mythical stories in Iran. In “Rooting the Ancient Tree,” Beyzai attempts to show the similarities between the story of Zahhak from Shahnameh and One Thousand and One Nights. He endeavors to present the common roots of this ancient tree to the audience by juxtaposing the events and main characters of these two stories. “Rooting the Ancient Tree” offers a specialized and research-based view of mythology, providing readers with information that would otherwise require a significant amount of time and energy to access in bulky and complex sources, whether for specialists or general readers. Therefore, studying “Rooting the Ancient Tree” not only saves the reader’s time and patience but also serves as a unique tool for becoming familiar with the myths of this land. With Beyzai’s admirable writing style and refined Persian, the pleasure of reading this book is greatly enhanced. The book dissects ambiguous and complex points that can deepen the reader’s understanding of the two mythical stories of Zahhak and One Thousand and One Nights. These stories, which may have been studied many times by Iranian readers, are now presented with better quality and in a more appealing manner. Despite its strong informational scope, the book is very concise, ensuring that readers will not feel fatigued while reading it.