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Ata i Razi; Barzu-Nama  (the story of Barzu)(11th century)
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Taken from the webside of the French National Library. (The paintings come out of an 1760 ms.)

Taken from: Faramarz, the Sistani Hero: Texts and Traditions of the <i>Farāmarznāme</i> and the ... By Marjolijn van Zutphen.

Taken from: The Interplay of Oral and Written Traditions in Persian Epics: The Case of the Barzunama in the Haft Lashkar by Kumiko Yamamoto.

Note : The authorship by Ati I Razi is strongly disputed by modern authors. See: Gabrielle van den Berg in Encyclopaedia Iranica: Borzu-Nama. https://iranicaonline.org/articles/borzu-nama-2-epic-poem. No real author is known.

The manuscript of the French national Library is a longer version of the Barzu nama among the many variants.

It starts with how Key Khosrow (1) takes Borzu (2) on a hunting expedition. The story of Borzu hunting is the first of the many adventures in the longer Borzuname that are absent from all of the shorter poems. As the Paris manuscript also has not yet been described the contents of the Borzuname that directly follow the hunting expedition are unclear. The description picks up at around the same point as where the Istanbul manuscript begins, telling of Borzu's dealings with Puladwand (3). The story tells how Borzu falls in love with Fahr-i Simin ‘Izar (15), fights off his rival, Puladwand (3), and, when his beloved is kidnapped and taken to Mazandaran (4), goes in her pursuit. This marks the beginning of a number of single combats between several Iranian or Sistani (5) warriors and different enemies, some of which are demons. Not only Rostam (6), Zal (7), Zaware (8), and Faramarz (9) appear in the story, but also Banu Goshasp (10) and Faramarz's sons Sam and Jahanbakhsh (11). In addition, Borzu fathers a son, Tamur (12), who fights on the side of the Turanians (13) until he happens to be engaged in combat against Borzu (2) and discovers that the latter is his father. In a variant version of the epic, Tamur (12) does not fight Borzu, but his great-grandfather Rostam (6).

Note: So Barzu does not go to fight in Africa; but he and his warriors have to fight many African champions in the army of his enemies.

For the Barzunama we used the Paris manuscript (text above as given by Marjolijn van Zutphen) and the Haft lashkar version (compiled in 1875) for the text under; which is a prose narrative composed by naqqals (professional storytellers in Iran). For the illustrations further under the : Inventaire et description des miniatures …… par E. Blochet

Part 1: The story of Rustam (6) and Barzu (2).

Part 2: The Susan-nama. The enemies of Barzu engage a witch called Susan who is send to deal with the Iranian warriors one by one. Susan lures various warriors into her tent so that they can be captured. ….

Part 3: The story of Barzu and Fahr-i Simin-‘Izar (15) 1.

Like many heroes of romances and epics, Barzu falls in love with Fahr-i Simin ‘Izar (15) at first sight, and he marries her. His happiness, however, does not last long. He is soon separated from his beloved by three opponents. The first of these is Afrasiyab (16), who is against his marriage and who therefore constantly attempts to take away Fahr-i Simin ‘Izar from him. The second opponent is Qatran Shah (14), (or Qatran-I Zangi comes to Afrasiyab’s aid) but who also falls in love with her. Being a champion of the Zangis he takes her to the Maghrib.

Part 4: The story of Barzu and Fahr-i Simin-‘Izar (15) 2.

Part 5: The birth of Timur, son of Barzu (2).

Part 6: Timur’s fighting in Iran.

Part 7: Jahanbakhsh’s (11) haft khan (seven trials)

Jahanbakhsh goes through the Haft Khan. He defeats lions and wolves, travels through the burning desert, kills a div, and fights against the Zangis from the first khan through to the fifth. In the sixth khan he obtains a tablet that reveals the secret of the magic spell. …….

Part 8: Rustam’s fighting with Kuhkish (Faramarz in disguise)(9) and Timur.

Part 9: Khaqan of Chin arrives with his champion Hizhabr-bala to help Afrasiyab (16).

(1) Kay Husraw: Kay Khosrow is a legendary king of Iran of Kayanian dynasty and a character in the Persian epic book, Shahnameh.

(2) Barzou: Barzu: the son of Suhrab who was the son of Rustam but who Rustam killed by accident. Rustam after discovering he was his grandson makes him his heir.

(3) Puladwand: the div Fuladvand. Barzu receives orders from Rustam to kill the div.

(4) Mazandaran: Mazandaran Province and, is an Iranian province located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. Note: another translation (used in the Haft lashkar version) is Maghrib.

(5) Sistan: the border region of eastern Iran.

(6) Roustem: Rustam; Rostam and his predecessors were commanders of Sistan (present-day bordering region Iran and Afghanistan).

(7) Zal: is a legendary Iranian king from Sistan, and is recognized as one of the greatest warriors of the Shahnameh epic. He is the father of the equally legendary Iranian hero, Rostam.

(8) Zavara or Zavareh: is an Iranian hero in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. He was brother to Rostam and the son of Zal.

(9) Faramarz: The appointment of Barzu as Rustam’s heir created a conflict with Faramarz who is the eldest son of Rustam.

(10) Banu Goshasp is an important heroine in Iranian mythology. She is the daughter of Rustam and the wife of the hero Giv. She is mentioned in several Persian epics including the Banu Goshasp Nama.

(11) Djahanbahsh: Jahanbakhsh; The Simurgh announces that he has to go through the haft khan (seven trials). Jahanbakhsh is Faramarz’s son. He defeats lions and wolves, travels through the burning desert, kills a div, and fights against the Zangis from the first khan through to the fifth. He and not Barzu really goes to Africa. But I did not find the part of this story.

(12) Tamur= son of Barzu.

(13) Turan: is a historical region in Central Asia. The original Turanians were an Iranian tribe of the Avestan age.

(14) Qayravan the Zangi: Qatran-I Zangi or Qatran Shah a champion of the Zangis he will kidnap Fahr-i Simin ‘Izar; the women newlywed by Barzu to the Maghrib. Note other translations have Mazandaran (Iranian province on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea).

(15) Fahr-i Simin ‘Izar the newly wed bride of Barzu who is constantly kidnapped by opponents.

(16) Afrasiyab: According to the Shahnameh (Book of Kings), by the Persian epic poet Ferdowsi, Afrasiab was the king and hero of Turan and an archenemy of Iran.

(17) The simurgh is a benevolent, mythical bird in Persian mythology and literature.

(18) div Siyah: Fahr (Fahr-i Simin ‘Izar; the women newlywed by Barzu) is abducted once more and brought to Siyahrang Div’s castle in Mazandaran. (Other translations have Maghrib). Finally Rustam arrives to defeat Siyahrang Div.

(19) Qahriman-i Zangi: literally Hero of the Zangis.