I.B.Tauris in association with the Iran Heritage FoundationIran's rich cultural heritage has been shaped over many centuries by its rich and eventful history. This impressive book, which assembles contributions by some of the world's most eminent historians, art historians and other scholars of the Iranian world, explores the history of the country through the prism of Persian literature, art and culture. The result is a seminal work which illuminates important, yet largely neglected, aspects of Medieval and Early Modern Iran and the Middle East. Its scope, from the era of Ferdowsi, Iran's national epic poet and the author of the Shahnameh to the period of the Mongols, Timurids, Safavids, Zands and Qajars, examines the interaction between mythology, history, historiography, poetry, painting and craftwork in the long narrative of the Persianate experience. As such, Ferdowsi, the Mongols and the History of Iran is essential reading and a reference point for students and scholars of Iranian history, Persian literature and the arts of the Islamic World.About the Author: Robert Hillenbrand is Professor Emeritus of Islamic Art at the University of Edinburgh. A.C.S. Peacock is Lecturer in Middle Eastern History at the University of St Andrews, and holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge. Firuza Abdullaeva is Director of the Shahnameh Project at the University of Cambridge.