Rustam Kills the White Div — Shah-nama

This miniature illustrates a climactic moment where the legendary hero Rustam grapples with the White Div within a cavernous, rocky landscape. The composition is split between the painted action and columns of elegant Persian calligraphy that recount the heroic epic. The scene is defined by vivid, jewel-toned foliage and the intense struggle between the armored knight and the mythological adversary.

As a central epic of Persian literature, the Shahnameh reflects deep-seated archetypal struggles between order and chaos, representing the triumph of the heroic spirit over primordial, demonic forces. It is essential for understanding the Islamic cultural synthesis of pre-Islamic Persian mythology and heroic ethics.