Page 70-74

(Darab gets in problems on an island after he has killed the two sons of the ruler.)

………….. Everyone was watching. There was a hero from that center named Samandun Zangi. There was not a man like him in the whole of Zanzibar. He fought with a stick of 600 pounds with both ends in iron. And Darab was wearing his armour that day ………..   …… and his face was like the face of a man, and the stick was made of teak, and both heads in iron. He came to Darab and shouted at Darab and insulted him in Zangi and said: You know what you have done and where you have come from so that the men of the world will not come to this place ……… Now you have come to pity us and have killed our two kings, who were the light of our eyes, …………... Darab looked, saw that the Zanj was angry and he had a weapon that Darab had never seen. Darab waited for him to finish speaking. Then he asked what name did you give yourself. Zangi said: I am called Samandun, and we are seven brothers, and each of us has one district, and our father is three hundred years old ………….  Samandun raised his head, his face was made of black bitumen, and his two eyes were like two bloody bald spots and his eyelashes were white, and his face was full of ashes, and his face was sunken like two turnips, and his nose was like a blacksmith's furnace, and every lip was like a round one; Ashtray and white beard. But when Darab saw him, and was not afraid. Because he was in old age and the sun of life has reached the wall, and fighting is not the work of young people, and not the work of old men. Samandun laughed and said that he was born to a white-haired mother and I am eighty years old ………….. both of them started getting closer. The Zanj and Darab with the sword. They turned around each other. Samandun came and drove a stick towards Darab. Darab went out from under his stick and dove away. …………. Darab turned and turned him to his left and said: Oh, my sword does not work for him, if he strikes me with this stick, he will destroy me. My plan is to separate the wood from him. Darab took the bow and placed a nine-pointed arrow on the bow. Darab put an arrow on the bow that anyone who saw it thought it was a spear. Because Darab shot an arrow and attacked Samandun ………….. and shot a stick at his chest. The arrow bounced off his chest [as if he was trying to open his anvil]. Darab was helpless because the arrow did not work. Samandun said: Darab, in this struggle, you need to shoot a good arrow! So Samandun came and raised his arm. The armpit of Samandun was visible. Darab put an arrow on the bow as Samandun closed in. Darab shot Samandun in the armpit. And the head of the arrow came out at the neck ………………… . When they saw this, the young men around trembled with fear because of the horror of that wound and were saddened by the brave Samandun, who was the hero of the army…………… .

Darab and Tahrusiyya watch a very long battle between the Zangi army and bears on the Island of Angaliyun.

Pages 108-114

And everything of the island are trees filled with fruit. So they sailed to get there. They got out of the ship and locked the ship there and went to the island and found something to eat and ate and pitched a tent and sat there and slept. When they had a good night's sleep, Tamrousieh woke up and woke up Darab. Darab stood up and said what happened? Tamrousieh said that at this time I saw in a dream that everyone on the sea was a black owl and fire came out of their mouths. Darab said that the interpretation is that the Zanj come after us. We should plan for war sooner …………..  ships and boats appeared on the sea. Darab was told by Tamrousieh that these nieces and nephews of our mother-in-law come, Rang and Sahmanak, who were sitting in the ship and came like smoke. Darab told Tamrousieh to get up and look for a place on this side of the island and sit there so that I could open up to this people and plunder so that they would know that they should not be easy on me. Tamrusiyeh cried and said goodbye to Darab and entered the island and hid in a tree.

But when the army of the Zangians reached the sea and drove them away, they saw Darab from afar, [laughing] they laughed, they straightened their weapons, and they bared their teeth, and they kicked the foot of the bench, and they got out of the way. They found the poor jailer and killed Bazari Za Rash. When Darab saw it, he put armour around his neck and took the shield. Whoever happened to appear would be wounded or die. The roar rose from the Zanj and Darab shouted in the air. In one hour, he knocked down eighty people and did not suffer any damage to his body and soul, and continued to fight hard until nightfall and the world became dark. Darab came out of them in the darkness of the night and the Zanj came back and sat down and remembered Darab's hard war and courage.

And when Darab went into the island, he remembered Tamrousieh and sought where to find her. So he said: I have to climb a tree to be safe from this people. Say this and climbed a huge tree. Ironically, Tamrousieh was on the same tree. ………….     ………….. When it was day, they saw each other and asked about the sufferings. Tamrousieh cried and begged and did not let him go. So both of them were cold clothes on it. After that, they thought about the ship on the other side of the island and said: How can we get these?

It was a pity and that these people survived Sahmanak said, your brother, be here so that I can give it to your thousand men. He said this and entered the island and asked for Darab and Tamrousieh so Sahmanak reached the tree where was Darab and Tamrousieh and they were hiding among the leaves of the tree. Sahmanak Zangi said, Come on, you gentlemen, because we did not find them, so that we can rest in the shade of this tree for an hour. They sat there and then sent everyone to look for him. They returned in the evening when no one had found him and came back to him and said that he was nowhere to be found. It was in this conversation that Darab suddenly sneezed by the judgment of God. Sahmanak and Rang looked at each other. Laugh out loud and said that we are looking for Darab and Tamrousieh all over the world and they have been on our heads! Because Tamrousieh cried when she heard that sentence and gave up his life and said: Woe to us, one day we will grow up! Darab said it was possible, now it is useless to be careful.

So the archers put arrows on the bows to shoot them. Suddenly, they heard a loud scream from behind them, as if thunder roared in time! As the hands and feet of each one fell off, and it was as if there was a bear on that island ……………….

…………… When the bear saw this, he attacked them and used a stick and started beating them and killing two or three people with a wound and throwing people in each other as those Zanj were defeated by him and ran away. Rang saw that the army was all miserable , He shouted and rebuked everyone and took the sword and shield, and before that the bear stood up and fought with him. Darab and Tamrousieh, when they saw that, thanked God Almighty and said: This bear had been put to the test!

They wanted the bear to win; And the bear and Sahmanak both tried to get the sword to cut the others head. The bear jumped in front of him and came out from the other side and hit a stick on the floor of his head, which knocked half of his head upside down. Samanak falls and dies.

When Darab and Tamrousieh saw that three of them were destroyed and the others were occupied, they rejoiced greatly and thanked God Almighty. Those Zanzibari ran away and they told Rang what had happened to his brother and the bear and they also narrated the story of Tamrousieh and Darab that they found them on that tree. Because Rang heard this the Zanj got angry he got up and he said, Come, let us go …………….

………… let us come in and destroy him. He said this and they went to him; And the bear sat down under the tree and cut branches from it, and he looked up, and the two were sitting there, and he looked at them and they stared at each other, then more of those people emerged. Because the bear saw them he got up and picked up the stick and went back to them and wounded them with the stick. The cries of Dahl, Nay, Tabireh and the screams of the Zanj rose in the air, and everybody turned around and all the bears came in ……………….  and he grabbed that stick, and with the right hand a stone, and attacked and struck on the Zanj who did not beat him in the defeat and asked about the wisdom of getting rid of them and get tired. He said to those Zanj: Look, gentlemen, come in this accursed one and keep him busy for an hour so that I can heal my wound and go back to him. Those Zanj ran near him and also attacked them and hit them hard, throwing stones at each other, and brought the people to victory and the people brought him to the barracks, and the bear went in the camp where the Zanj were. He hit them with a stick on the head like that, and the others they  fled from him. There were those people, said the nobles, two kings their offspring was destroyed by this animal, because that this bear only fights. …………… They brought fire and oil, and that fire fell into the bear and burned it, ………….. until it perished. Those Zanj they went and said: Now we know what to do with Darab, which has been the cause of the destruction of our children and our God-born children. They said this and pulled the arrows out of the box and put them on the bow. Tamrousieh and Darab, because they saw this, were both ready to die and prayed to God. But  because that bear was burnt by the judgment of God Almighty so It happened that a bear was in that meadow, and suddenly he arrived, with a few branches of wood, and that bear was two times or more the former bear. When he came and saw the people in his place, he was angry, he became angry and attacked them and threw a stick at them. The Zangians said what a ploy it was to have so many such animals in this grove. Among them was a Shariff whom you called Mahnabal. Said the noble: First we have to get rid of the work of these animals, then we go to Darab and Tamrousieh. He said this and then the arrows were put on the bow and they shot the bear. Then the bear got tired of it from the pain of his injuries, he attacked and threw everything he could find. The Zanj ran away in defeat. In the midst of the escape, two men shot the bear and killed him. Then night came and the world was like the face of a Zanj. Those people were on the edge of the sea and said that when morning came, we should finish Darab and Tamrousieh and burn this forest to get rid of the persecution of animals. So they slept with good intentions because of the sunlight that dark night disappeared, and the world became ……………  ………. Because that night passed like that and the world was adorned and the world laughed, Darab and Tamrousieh did not see any of those Zangians . Tamrousieh said she did not know what had happened to them that they are nowhere to be found. Darab said it was the power of God Almighty,………….. The clouds and the rain of the sea have caused a wave and drowned them and they have perished at the bottom of the sea. He did not know what to do with its happiness. He thanked God for a share in the heart and returned happily ……………..

(Then they spend another ten days at sea).

Page 118

(Darab and Tamrousieh have once more arrived at an island)

………… The old man said this (island) is called Synchronous Island. When Tamrousieh heard about that, she turned sour and said, "Woe is me!" Darab asked Tamrousieh why the temper? Tamrousieh said that this island belongs to the father of Zangians whom you killed and its name (and the name of the ruler) is Synchronous. And from Oman to this position is six thousand miles, and here are many islands and all under his command. We have to make an effort to get out of here as soon as possible, ………... Darab said to the old man ………… O eunuch, did you forget what I did to punch those Zanj? The old man said: Yes, son, but these are very difficult. Darab said: Get up and enter this island and buy a strong bow from me and fifty arrows and then be afraid of no one, even if all the Zanjs come to you. The old man was happy and said, suffer with me and come to this island, so that whichever you like, I can try. Darab got up and went with the old man ………. Darab looked, saw a crowded city of Abadan, and a few archery shops, and built [in] the bazaar…………. The broker came to him and said: What do you need? The old man said: Know that this is my son, and I will buy a bow for him. Bring a hard bow close to us, let us mediate. The broker took his hand and took the expensive bow closer ……………. He had put fifty bows in front of Darab, and Darab did not like them.

(Darab winds up getting a mighty bow so strong that only he can draw)

Folio 25v Darab drawing the mighty bow of Isfandiyar before Sangarun. The severed head of the son of the ruler of the Island of Katrun is fixed to the wall above. He was beheaded because he failed to draw the bow.

Page 122

(Some of Darab’s enemies find out about his presence on the island just after his departure from it)

…………….  Synchron ( also called Sangarun = the ruler) said you were right that no one but Darab could draw this bow. ………….. Mahnabal came was nominated and told to go and bring Darab with five hundred men, for he had killed his concubine and children. Mahnabal said we are obedient and he came out of the property and went to the sea with five hundred men. ……. They boarded the ships and went after Darab. When day passed and night came, Darab and the man also sailed the ship,

 The merchant was in a hurry to get away so that these Zanj would not act suddenly. Then suddenly a drum called for them and the trumpet was blown. They cried, five hundred men. They looked, saw five hundred men, all sitting on the ships coming out of the fog. Everyone was to die. Darab said: You gentlemen, do not be afraid, I will draw this bow. It was then that the Zanj attacked. Darab picked up a bow and rolled his eyes. Mahnabal Zangi stands on the corner of the ship and holds a shield in his hand. Then the arrow comes in and Mahnabal pulled the shield in front of his face, the arrow came to the shield, passed through the shield and reached Mahnabal's chest and passed behind him and hit the wall of the ship and throws out half of the ship's board. Mahnabal fell into the sea and the water came in the ship and some of them threw themselves on the pieces of wood and some of them perished and some of the other ships fled away …………

Page 123

 When the Zangians came to Synchron with defeat, they said: Oh God, although we went, we did not find Darab anywhere. We slept at night, in the morning he missed the ship. Synchron, though hesitant, saw there was no further benefit. And Darab saw that the Zangians were defeated, ……………

P124

(The ship anchors at one more island)

The shipwright said: At this hour we reached an island which is called Mahkoui Island and on this island are thirty thousand men who eat people. If we get there, they will ask why he brought you here? Do not say that the opposite wind has brought you here, if you say that, they do not leave one alive and eat all. It was with this story that an island appeared from afar and was very long and continuous on the side of the island. There was a man sitting on it and he put his eyes on the sea and when his eyes fell on the ship, he was shocked. At that hour, the Zanj came to the seashore and the news came on the island that the ship had been brought by the opposite wind. People of the island set out to plunder. When the ship of Darab reached the shore, you saw that those Zanj came out like locusts. Tamrousieh and her slaves and maids fell in the hands of those people. Darab wanted to fight. The shipwright said: Do not let all our souls die, and be silent, so that I may answer whoever speaks. ……… And among those Zangians, there was one who brought Darab, and the merchants before the king. And on that island the king’s name was Khavariq. When Darab looked, he saw Khavariq sitting on four pillows, wearing black canvas robes and a felt hat with four horns on his head, an iron ring on his nose, an iron ring on his finger, and he sat on a golden bed and forty Zanj in front of him, each holding a bone. When Darab stood tall, he said: This is a demon! Tamrousieh and her slaves fell on their hands and feet.. …... Khavariq turned to the merchant and said: What is your name? He said my name is Estabter Nabush. Khavariq said did the opposite wind bring you here? The merchant said: We have come here as messengers. We are very relieved before and we have sold slaves and maids. We came here this time as well. Khavariq said: Do these people have arts? The merchant said that these eighteen maids were singers and dancers, and that these slaves were sword and arrows (fighters). So then Khavariq said that the assembly should come to the right and bring the wines and the maids started singing  and drums …………..

Darab and the Greek princess Ṭamrusya on the island of the cannibals, whose prince Kavariq sits on the throne at the meal.

Khavariq and Tahrusiyya are brought before the Zangi king and his wife while pages and slaves are siezed by the Zangis who later ate them.

Page 125

and mountain tambourines …….. Khavariq pointed to a Zanj and one of the slaves was abducted and taken away ….. come and roast the slave and put the meat on a cart. Did those Zanj snatch it from each other and eat it. Darab, the merchants, and Tamrusiyeh, when they saw it, trembled on their limbs and thought of dead. And after that, they took every one of those slaves to be abducted, so that none of those slaves remained. Khavariq’s wife was informed that an opposite wind had brought the ship here and that the house was full of white meat. She got up and entered the house ………... Darab saw two servants come in, and behind them was a woman blacker than raven’s feathers, her figure like a half burnt tree – all sticks and bones – her mouth like a trough, her teeth like a sheep’s ribs and yellower than saffron, their tips sticking out of her mouth, and she wore a black bandage on her head and rubbed Khavariq on his forehead then rubbed a piece of sandalwood on his forehead, and two children like the offspring of a demon (afreet), were hanging from her neck, she stood in front of Khavariq; And the elders who were in the forefront all stood up. (The white slave girls) In their gorgeous gowns and bejeweled headgear, they line up to receive the black queen (and attendants), who, upon removing their veils, are discovered to be black with a cow’s eyes, noses flared like a buffalo’s nose, and with hanging lower lips …….  Khavariq put them in front of him and told him to eat this meat. The woman of Khavariq touches and takes ten and a half garlic cloves from those meats and puts them in salt and eats. …….. He said that they made wine and drank wine until the next prayer. Of the twenty slaves, there were none left all roasted and aten. And they drank wine; and they ate and drank; ………………

Page 126

There were evening prayers. Khavariq, in the language of Zangian, said: Take this man to the sea and make him sleep there. They went and took Darab to the sea, he was left drunk alone. Tamrousieh was anesthetized so that Khavariq would get drunk and go near her? As the day passed and the night came, the Zanj were scattered and everyone fell on their side. Khavariq was drunk asleep, got up and entered the room where was Tamrousieh, and drunk sleep drowned him and he stayed asleep there. Hamangu, the woman-eater, put the children to sleep and climbed over the wall ……………………………

Darab was asleep, Hamangu bit Darab and he moved and Darab did not wake up because he was drunk. Hamangu, helpless, took Darab by the side and fell asleep so that they would both fall asleep. Darab woke up, looked at the moonlight and thought that it was only Tamrousieh who came. He put his hand on Hamangu's shoulder and lowered it. He opened his eyes and looked better……. Darab got up and sat down and rubbed his eyes. He saw one and thought that she was a demon who had mistakenly thrown himself into his sleep. He reached out and grabbed her belt and snatched it from its place and threw her into the sea and fell asleep again. Hamangu landed on a fish in the sea and was swallowed. When the day dawned, Khavariq Zangi got up and said goodbye to the elders.

Darab attacking Khavariq after he found out what happened.

Page 129

(Khavariq has Darab and Tamrousieh locked into an empty well because of their drunkness. Besides the well stand Khavariq and a pilgrim who suggested to Khavariq to imprison them for being drunk.

Page 132

(Darab and Tamrousieh escaped from the well and set sail again)

……………….., and sailed unto the sea, and went on twelve days, and on the thirteenth day they found an island, which was very good and fair; and they came to the island, and shut down the ship, and brought what they had, and ate. Darab said: Do you have any knowledge of island Tamrousieh? How is it called? Tamrousieh got up, and looked to the left and to the right, and sat down, and saw the water, and said, Make an effort to leave the island sooner. Darab said: what is the situation? Tamrousieh said that this is called the island of Tanbalus, and that Tanbalus is Qantar’s brother and son-in-law, where you asked for a bow. The five brothers of Tanbalus and his relatives have all been killed by you. Effort needed to leave this island sooner. They were talking when suddenly Tanbalus [who] was coming from hunting to reach Darab, looked at a tall and big-sighted person. Darab asked who are you? Darab thought that he was persecuting and insulting him. He got up and grabbed Tanbalus by the waist and threw him into the sea. Tamrousieh said you did something strong! Tanbalus came up and down two or three times and his people came after their lord, they asked Darab where Tanbalus went? Darab grabbed both of them by the back and threw them into the sea. Tamrousieh said what a ploy the enemies are arriving and you are alone! How do you deal with them? Darab said: Get up and in the tree so that they do not see you, so that I may reach out to them with joy and fight with them. Tamrousieh went over to that tree and Darab went back to the Zangian. Darab was asked where did these gods come from? Darab knew what he was saying. When the Zangians saw their companions dead on the water, they took him by the hand and tried to kill him. Darab was alone and they were innumerable, every hour a lot of people arrived until about two thousand arrived and they wanted to go to for Darab.

Tanbalus is thrown into the sea by Darab.

Page 133

(Under: Tamrousieh meets her brother Mehrasb on the island and they watch as Darab fights the Zanj. She is hiding in the tree.)

Page 134

(Darab wants to go and see Shahu Zangi; the son of Tanbalus)

… That among all the Zanj there is no such thing as a high-ranking and tall man. Mehrasb said: What do you want to see him for? Darab said that he should not go without seeing his wealth …………….  Mehrasb said: Get up so that I can go near you to Shahu. There are some merchant men who have come, you also wear the clothes of merchants and stand among them until it rains, then you can see Shahu's door. Darab said goodbye and they both came to the pavilion. Darab came in with those merchants. See that adorned chest and court, and give it to Shahu. [When] the day came, Shahu got up from the court, ……, and Darab also came out and went ……., so that he could speak for a few days …………….. 

Darab (disguised as a merchant) and Mihrasb brought before Shahu, son of Tanbalus.

Page 138

(The Zangians are once again preparing to attack Darab)

They came to Darab with all their weapons, with their shoulders stretched out and the armour on their shoulders. Darab was very well known and the army was full of the noise of the Zanj, and among them [the people] said that the elephant was drunk. They also sang in the language of the Zangians from around the road: Hickeys are one!" That is, come in and take it. Those Zangians intended to fight Darab, …………….. Then came to Mohaghegh Zangi and said that we should cry out for this Iranian man. Mohaghegh said: You should stay away from breaking stone and making iron. Until I save you from his calamity. He said this and got off. He raised his hand to the sword and aimed at Darab. Darab, because he saw the sword, like a plane tree, and like a flame of fire, said to himself: Darab, if you survive the attack of this Zanj, you will not die in this hundred years. He said this and stood up. The guard came and landed his hand and sword. Darab dejected his sword and struck him with the sword, because when he started playing his game, he attacked the others when he killed him, and the war lasted until the evening prayer. Tamrousia on a horse and told Mehrasb to go and find Darab. When Mehrasb got up and tried to ask for Darab, he saw a man who came to him. Mehrasb asked where were you? He said that he was fighting Darab, and in the end he was captured and killed, and his head was turned on all fours. The man said so because he was Darab's enemy.

Page 139

When he heard what had happened, he became sad and tried to get back.

Tamrousieh was sitting on the seashore to come to trade with twenty maids and many slaves and marvellous things from the merchant Shapur who arrived and sat on the ship and asked Tamrousieh who are you. She said: I am a slave girl. …… Now I am sitting until my owner comes. Shapur, because he did not look further but saw Tamrousieh, and a hundred thousand seal trees appeared in his heart. He told Tamrousieh that her owner was killed at the hands of the Zangians. Tamrousieh started crying, …………… Tamrousieh said goodbye. She entered the ship with him………. And they left.

When the day passed and the night came, the Zangians were defeated. Darab rode on a ringing horse and left the city. He did not see Tamrousieh, sat down and cried. Sleep prevailed, he came on the seashore, and he himself boarded a ship and fell asleep. When Darab fell asleep,

(This is the story how Darab and Tamrousieh got separated)

Page 142

(Darab witnesses the battle between the armies of Dilkunad and Kandarun which was waged with hooks on ropes.)

Page 143

(Darab has now reached an island and is sitting in a cave on a mountain)

Liknad and Charentinus on the mountain discuss a dream: that the dream that came down from this mountain was a flood, that it was a royal flood, the illusion of the king and the mountain on the force that he may have had a dream that the fire of the mountain would rise. Darab looked, he saw two people who had climbed up the mountain and were returning. Darab was sitting in a cave. When he saw them, he got up and came out of the cave and ran over the mountain. Darab greeted Liknad who embraced and cherished him. After that, they came down from the mountain and Liknad told Darab his story. Darab said to Liknad: Give me a horse and a weapon to save you from the scourge of these Zanj. Liknad ordered them to bring a horse, armor, a sledgehammer, and a weapon, and Darab straightened up. Darab was thirty years old and had reached full strength. So he said: Bring a cup that suits me. 

Page 144

Darab put the armour on his neck and came out in front of the enemy and shouted that I am Darab Ibn Ardeshir Ibn Esfandiara Ibn Goshtasp Ibn Lohrasp, who among you is worthless without heads to come out to me to try and look to help luck. When (the commander) heard this, he proposed to his brother to come out to Darab. So Qatal Zangi came to the field soon and attacked. Darab hit him on the head with a machete and put the horse on the ground. (The commander) when he saw that his brother had been killed by Darab, he became upset and went out to Darab, and attacked him with the fish's teeth. Darab grabbed his waist and hit him hard on the ground so that no bones were left in his person, and he attacked those Zanj. The Zangians were defeated once before Darab. Liknad told Darab that the attack should be carried out. Darab attacked and every he found on his way would be killed. The mace was finishing his work - the rattlesnakes threw themselves into the water for fear of Darab's sword, as if everyone had caught their hats on the water, and the rattlesnakes became prey for fish. When Darab returned from the battle of Zangian, Liknad took him by the hand and took him to his palace and put him on the throne. He crowned him the king and tied the king's waist between him [and seated him on the throne]. Liknad should serve in front of Darab with twelve corps commanders, twenty princes and thirty thousand men. Darab sat on the throne, and marries Zangdilisa the former king’s daughter. (Darab is now king of the Zangis and married to a Zangi and Liknad is also a Zangi)

Meanwhile Mehrasb is also separated from Tamrusiya. Four year later, Tamrusiya returns to the sea. Mehrasb also sets sail, reaching an island of one-eyed people. Mehrasb becomes their king and marries Gowharasa, whose sister Zangdilisa =Zankalisa has married Darab. Gowharasa dies, and Mehrasb kills all her family. When Darab learns of the massacre of the family of Gowharasa, he conquers the island and takes Mehrasb as prisoner. Tamrusia reaches Darab's island, and they get married. 

Darab ordering Liknad to release Mihrasb.

Tahrusiyya is brought before Zangdilisa, the queen of the Zangis.  

A merchant killed by his companions on the seashore

Tahrusiyya and Zangdilisa take off in a boat. Zangdilisa is offering wine to Tahrusiyya in the boat.

Then Tahrusiyya is thrown into the sea by Zangdilisa's maidens. She is saved and later Tahrusiyya recognised Zangdilisa in the house of her brother.

After her reunion with her mother Zangdilisa and the Zangis arrive by boat.

During the quarrel between the crews of the boats Tahrusiyya is killed by Zangdilisa but a new born son of Tahrusyya survives.  Darab names this son by his own name Darab.

The weeping Darab being rowed home whilst Ṭahrusiyah's coffin and a woman holding her baby are in another boat with Zangdilisa

Darab, watched by Haranqalis, having consulted the idol oracle to find out the cause of Ṭahrusiyah's death tying Liknad's arms.

Zangdilisa and Liknad dying as the result of snakebite on 'Arus Island watched by the countryman who was the only witness of their death.

Folio 90v Darab and his son watching one of the boats accompanying them being wrecked off the Arabian coast near Mt. Uman on the way back to Persia.

Darab is now on the adventurous way back to Iran, on the way meets the launderer who once found him in the water.

While passing through Oman Darab learns that Homay has been defeated in a battle with the Caesar of Rum, who is descended from Salm the son of Feridun and thus distantly related to Darab. Darab hastens to her aid, but before he can reach her Homay is captured in battle at Ray. Darab rescues her, and she turns the throne over to him. The Caesar is eventually captured and held prisoner at Estakr. Then Humay gets murdered.

Folio 118v: Humay's groom, who had a secret passion for her, murdering her at night when she would not submit to him.

More fighting results in the defeat and capture of the Caesar’s brother Filqus, whose daughter Nahid is demanded by Darab as tribute. They are married, but Darab sends her back to her father, pregnant, because of her bad breath. She gives birth to Alexander in secret, and to avoid a scandal she leaves him on the mountain where Aristotle lives in a retreat. The infant is eventually found by an old woman who takes care of him first, and who brings him to Aristotle at the age of four . This instructs him in various sciences such as philosophy, medicine and geometry, but above all in astrology and dream interpretation. At the age of ten, Iskandar came to the royal court of Rum and a few years later was declared his successor by Faylaqus, his grandfather. After all sorts of battles for the throne, Iskandar finally becomes king, In the meantime, Darab dies, and Darab fils becomes ruler of Iran.

Iskandar received the best training from Aristotle, but in a dispute with his teacher, Iskandar gets angry, has Aristotle chained and imprisoned. Aristotle prays to God that he will deprive Iskandar of all knowledge that he has taught him. And all the knowledge that he possessed , ran out of him, and that Iskandar could no longer read a letter from the sheet.

Iskandar first goes on a campaign in Iran to take possession of his inheritance as the son of Darab I, which Darab II does not want to give him voluntarily. After a first day of fighting, Iskandar receives an offer from two officers of the opposing army to kill the Persian king. Iskandar agrees, but when the two actually carry out the assassination the next day and then flee to him, he is seized with remorse and has both of them taken prisoner. He rushes to the dying Darab, to whom he promises to grant three last wishes, namely to execute his murderer, to marry his daughter Buran-wick also called Rowsanak or Buran-dokt, and to be kind to the creatures of God. Soon after Darab's death, Iskandar is crowned King of Iran. Buran-dokt does not agree to this marriage, and, is a spirited and warlike woman. She is 18 years old and is described as beautiful, but looks very masculine because of her light down on her upper lip. She was raised like a prince by her father, so she is trained in the use of weapons and knows how to command an army. It also has the luster of royalty ( farr ), which enables its bearer to rule. Buran-Wick knows about Iskandar's involvement in the murder of her father and swears vengeance on him. After the death of her father, killed with the complicity of Alexander, Buranduht goes to war. She inflicts severe setbacks on him and plays tricks on him even in his presence, appearing under various disguises and borrowed identities. She raises an army and battles with Alexander. The fighting ranges from Aleppo to Estakr in Fars, where Alexander finally captures Buran-dokt. Again she refuses to marry him and escapes, soon proclaiming herself queen of Persia.

The importance of this story about Darab and the War with the Zangis.

First: This story is important for the history of East Africa because of an important presence of merchants in it from the Persian Gulf (and Uman) that give proof of the flourishing trade at the time between Iran, Uman and East Africa.

In the small part of the Darabnama here analysed we have a mayor input in the story by Gulf Merchants when Darab is getting a bow that only he can pull (p118-123). He contacts them when arriving on the island, they help him, they escort him to the black ruler of the island and help him get on a merchant ship to a next island.

The most classical story of Persian Gulf Traders in East Africa we have on p124. Because of the wind the merchant-ship is driven off course and arrives on an island of cannibals. With the merchants being brought before the king, where they announce they have traded in slaves formerly in that place and then promote the slaves they brought this time: singing girls and trained fighters.

This traditional plot you can also find on the following webpages of mine:

- Buzurg ibn Shahriyar (955)

- An extreme weird and horrible version is found in Mudjmal al -Tawarikh wa-l-qisas (1126).

- Al Garnati (1169)

- Bahktyar Nama, end 14th century

- Athanasius Nikitin 1475

- Al-Sakhawi 1497

On p134 Darab wants to go and see Shahu Zangi the son of the ruler and has to do that in the disguise of a merchant and accompanied by other merchants.

On p139 we have merchants trading on the coast and Tamrousieh buying slaves and marvellous things.

On p145-147 the selling of her (Tamrousieh’s) slaves is discussed.

Way later with Darab returning to Iran we have a merchant ship accompanying them being wrecked near the Arabian coast.

Second: It gives prove of the ability of the Zanj to move troops fast from one island to another by ship. The existence of a Zanj fleet was denied by al-Idris (1150) who stated: The Zanj have no ships in which they can voyage, but boats land in their country from Oman, as do others that are going to Zabaj (or Djawaga) (Endonezya). These foreigners sell their goods there, and buy the produce of the country. The inhabitants of Zabaj (or Djawaga) call at Zanj in both large and small ships (zawariq wa marakib kubar) and trade their merchandise with them, as they understand each other's language.

See my webpage on Al Idrisi (1150) (Kitab Ruyar) (Book of Roger).

Ibn Majid however proves the Zanj do have ships: 0 your ship will exceed by two or three days the machiias (small boats of Eastern Africa), that you will leave behind. See my webpage: Ibn Madjid: As-Sufaliyya (First navigational poem.) (the poem of Sofala)(1470)

Proof is also found in the Journal of Vasco da Gama: (On the Island of Mozambique): The vessels of this country are of good size and decked. There are no nails, and the planks are held together by cords; as are also those of their boats ….

Here in the text of Tarsusi:

P108-114: ships and boats appeared on the sea. They brought the Zanj that were hunting down Darab and Tamrousieh.

P122: (five hundred man) They boarded the ships and went after Darab.

Third: a rather complicated image of Darab’s attitude towards the Zanj is given.

P125: A very negative description of an African Queen is given:  Darab saw two servants come in, and behind them was a woman blacker than raven’s feathers, her figure like a half burnt tree – all sticks and bones – her mouth like a trough, her teeth like a sheep’s ribs and yellower than saffron, their tips sticking out of her mouth, ………., and two children like the offspring of a demon (afreet), were hanging from her neck, ………….. (The white slave girls) In their gorgeous gowns and bejeweled headgear, they line up to receive the black queen (and attendants), who, upon removing their veils, are discovered to be black with a cow’s eyes, noses flared like a buffalo’s nose, and with hanging lower lips ……. 

P144: Darab sat on the throne, and marries Zangdilisa the former king’s daughter. Darab has now married himself an African queen (of which no description is given) and is ruler of the Zanj.

Volume II (Chapters 20-36)

Eventually Buran-dokt gives up her resistance after he surprises her while taking a bath in the river. Since he saw her undressed, she no longer wanted to fight him. She agrees to a marriage and both now rule over Iran. He then cedes the throne of Iran and Rum to Buran-Wick and sets off with an army of 100,000 soldiers to the east. In fact, it is more of a conquest, and as he writes Kaydawar, King of India, it is not about the accumulation of treasures, but about the spread of Islam. He loses his way, his army is annihilated and he has to ask for new troops to be sent. Then the king of Hindustan, Kaydavar, refuses to convert to Islam and asks for the help of the king of Hind, Fur. Alexander is put to flight and takes refuge in Kabul and awaits Buranduht.

Buranduht appears with a Persian army. She captures King Kaydavar, his daughter and King Fur himself. She releases Alexander, who was taken prisoner, and with Aristotle's help she rescues his army from a surprise attack. While Alexander is surrounded by Fur’s troops, he owes his escape from the enemy to the Indian sage Hamarpal. The sage asks God to cause a lunar eclipse in order to throw the Indian ranks into a panic. Hamarpal explains how to build the dummy riders that will have to be filled with sulphur and made white-hot. On the day of the battle, the king’s elephants burn their trunk on them and make an about-turn, enabling Alexander to kill king Fur.

On the road co Ceylon, they find a city built on water by one of Adam's daughters, The door to the city is situated underwater and only the ones who possess the divine glory can reach it. Buranduht, utters the Greatest Name of God, goes into the water, kills the sorcerer who has been casting spells on Alexander’s army. Alexander, has to wait until  he learns in a dream, how to drain away the water before entering the city.

Travelling further, they reach a country where enormous birds, able to hunt elephants, are defeated by ordinary ants. Alexander’s first runs away.

At the unknown sea, thousands of men are drown, in the mudflat. Alexander is taken prisoner by cannibals. Buranduht, is able to kill the cannibal chief, and an Indian sage helps them to seize the citadel.

Then they reach two cities, ruled by two brothers, whose inhabitants worship thunder and live only on fish. Disguised as a woman, one of the two brothers visits Alexander who sends him away. Hippocrates enables Alexander to flood the two cities.

In the country of the hermaphrodites, Buranduht, visits the queen Jamhara  on her island. She turns out to be a daughter of Darab the Elder and therefore a relative. She is then kidnapped by the dog-headed men (Sagsaran), but Plato (Aflatun) causes the death of their emir, then builds a burning mirror: The city is consumed by fire and the population surrenders.

In a country of Sabat inhabited only by women, Alexander worries about seeing thousands of women invading his camp in search of men, and asks Plato to organise a collective marriage (like the marriage in Susa in 324 B.C. between Iranian and Macedonian aristocracies) 

They come at the land of Sabat, inhabited only by women, and their queen is called Sabaterah. All are originally from Greece and believers….. Young men from Zanzibar from then on have been giving babies to these women, but the male ones always died.

(also in the land of Sabat) What lovely things in this world; says Alexander. If you are already surprised by this, answers Plato; wait till you arrive in Zanzibar. I will show you other more prodigious things, and you will know that the power of God is immense…. When are we going into that country, so that I can see its marvels? Asks Alexander.

The war with the Zanj

Three days later the army is attacked by birds the size of cows and camels, who grab people to eat them. They are chased by throwing them burning torches. After a month the fog lifts and they arrive in the neighborhood of Zanzibar. Alexander notices that 15000 men have disappeared. Djamharah, hit by a bird on the head, has died.    

The army stops on the island of Makarbes. Alexander answers to a peaceful invitation, but his escort of 5000 people is encircled by the army of the king of Zanzibar. Hearing of this, Burandukht brings the rest of the army to the gates of the town. The king of Zanzibar is impressed and offers his daughter in marriage to Alexander and asks to make peace. Plato has made him believe that the man they are holding is not Alexander but his brother, and so the king lets them leave to go and negotiate peace. Plato then has a robot made and the king thinks it is Alexander. In exchange for the hostage (robot) the 5000 are liberated. Then Plato pretends to make Burandukht come to sign the peace.

The king has him look for her and so Plato gets back to the camp and all escaped the trap. The king who is a moon worshipper pretends to accept Islam and gains time to assemble his troops from the islands of his kingdom. Plato meets by chance Loqman (1)(mythical black philosopher from Nubia or Ethiopia) on his way to Mecca who informs them of the nightly attack that is planned on their forces. Fearing for his live Loqman agrees to join the expedition of Alexander on the condition that his identity is kept secret. Alexander’s army destroys the enemy. Just before that as a measure of security Plato putted the city gate under his authority. God then blows the wind into the torches on the fortress and the fire destroys the town. 200000 people die in the inferno. Suffering this way for their fake conversion. The army retakes the road. Plato had suggested taking the road to Mecca so as to avoid meeting the reinforcements sent for by the king of Zanzibar; but Alexander continues as he finds immense marvelous things in the islands of the Zanj. Loqman (1) follows on food walking on the water. The next morning they meet the troops of a neighboring island of which part of the army came to help the king of Zanzibar. With an arrow, Burandukht kills the chief who is having a sterile religious debate with Plato……

Puranduht = Buranduht is wounded by a Zangi with a lance from a Berlin ms Tarsusi 

(Near the end of the war with the Zanj. From the Chapter: Alexander in the Country of Egypt and the Land of Maghrib Vol II p 565-568) The Zanj complain to their king: We saw a short stick with an iron point, which they would suddenly throw at us and it would without leave, enter our bodies and at once kill us. The king examines one of the arrows and falling to throw it more than a few yards concludes that the invaders work the arrows through sorcery. The king is taken captive and brought before Alexander. Alexander looked and saw a man large-limbed and black, wearing red breeches, iron bracelets, a golden torque around his neck, and ankle-rings like a camel’s… He resembles anything but a king, Alexander says contemptuously, concluding that the man is destitute – why else would he go about naked? Learning that the king is very rich, Alexander demands a huge war tribute. The black king removes his ankle rings and places them before Alexander, as guarantee that he will return with the booty. That is some guarantee, Alexander laughs. Unless I wear these ankle rings no one will call me king or will obey me, the king explains.

Later the king reappears and jumps up and down before Alexander as children jump. Alexander not recognizing him takes him for a mad man or a clown, until he is told; this man is the king, and he has never honored anyone to the degree that he has been honoring you.

Alexander demands the size of the area’s population: Our population is beyond measure, for each man has 30 wives and each wife 4 or 5 sons. The strong eat the weak; otherwise the world would overflow with our people. Alexander asks: Who is the most learned among you? Ka’b the king replies. What branches of knowledge does he know? He knows the name of each and every one of these thousands of people and gives all our children their names; and every night he has sexual intercourse 21 times, says the king. That is some learning he has; the king sneers.  

Buranduht goes to war against the divs. Alexander, ends the war blinding the divs using a handful of earth coming from Muhammad’s future birthplace that was given to him by the prophets Chidr and Ilyas.

In the sorcerers’ country, Alexander’s camp is rescued by the sage Kavilhun who sacrifice himself. Once more, Alexander lets the sorcerers’ emir escape. But Chidr and Ilyas bring the peace.

In Mecca, Buranduht while crossing the camp, notices Isma‘il, the son of Ibrahim, the founder of the Kaaba and forces Alexander to grant them an audience. As a result Alexander destroys the idols of the Kaaba and restores Isma‘il's descendant to the office of emir.

Buranduht now returns to Iran with most of the troops, while he himself travels to Egypt with Chidr, Ilyas and the sage Luqman (1) . Chidr (= Hidr) remains beside Alexander to advise him. And Plato takes care of building the bridge over the Nile and the lighthouse. There he subjugates the king and converts him to Islam, like most other rulers and peoples he has met. Then the journey continues to the Green Sea, where Iskandar undertakes a multi-day dive into the underwater world in a large glass chest. Tarsusi also mentions Iskandar's construction of a wall of iron, copper and zinc to prevent the incursion of the savage peoples of Gog and Magog. The conqueror is explicitly identified with the Qur'anic Dhu l-Qarnain , the two-horned one mentioned in Sura 18.

With a small army of 6,000 men, Iskandar is now going to the land of darkness in the far north. Chidr, who has a shining stone, is to guide them so that they can find the water of life. In the immediate vicinity of the source, however, Iskandar is separated from Chidr. He falls asleep while riding and his horse carries him again to Mount Qaf, where he is allowed to visit various angels in ten heavenly spheres. When he returns, Chidr and Ilyas have already drunk from the source of life. The place remains hidden to him even after further searches. An angel explains to him that the water of life cannot be reached through your own efforts. God alone grant this grace, and for him, Iskandar, the water of life is not intended. As if to comfort him Iskandar gets by God dominion over the elements of water, fire, air and over the beasts of the wilderness that he thus "may entrust to kill all those who do not obey." So Iskandar rises to be a second king Suleiman. A little later, when the army was already moving towards Jerusalem, Iskandar fell ill. He orders the construction of a coffin with two recesses on the sides for the hands. In this way everyone should see that even the greatest ruler leaves everything behind with his death and leaves the world empty-handed. Iskandar is buried in Jerusalem. Buran-wick dies a year later in Persia.

With not much more information on the war of Alexander with the Zanj available we can only copy part of the general conclusions Marina Gaillard made: The real hero in the second part is Burandukht = Rowshanak = Buran-Dokht = Buran-wick while the rather negative image given of Alexander has to be sought in the old Zoroastrian religious writings, the religion destroyed by the arrival of Islam. 

(1) Lokman: Luqman the Wise: Loqman (mythical black philosopher from Nubia or Ethiopia). On Luqman the wise see my webpage of: Annon: Hamzanama (The Story of Hamza)(15th); Abd al Halim 1312; al-Tarsusi 12th; Al-Jahiz (776-869) Al-Fakhar al-Sudan. Luqman is presented as the model of the wise person in the Quran: XXXI 11/12-18/19.

From a different manuscript

Taken from: A Prince’s Eye: Imperial Mughal Paintings from a Princely Collection; Art from the Indian Courts, Francesca Galloway sale catalogue, London, 2013 By Jeremiah Losty.

The prince dressed in Mughal costume of orange jama and a turban is kneeling on a floral carpet outside relatively humble within what appears to be a fort on account of its walls with long narrow vertical arrow holes and cross-shaped eye-holes. It seems to be within the women’s quarters of the fort, since the prince is being entertained by an older woman seated on the carpet beside him with food between them. Other women stand around talking and gesticulating, while a servant kneels by a further supply of food waving a hand-fan to keep flies off. The women are mostly dressed in three- quarter length gowns with shawls over their heads. All are conspicuously dark-skinned. The men congregated outside the walls of the fort are seated on a striped durrie feasting on soup and kebabs while other men wait on them and bring more food. These men are dressed mostly in short front-opening gowns over pyjama and wear tall hats of fur or else caps with broad bands tied round them. They too are all conspicuously dark, suggesting that the prince has landed up in the country of the Abyssinians or Habshis. The modest buildings and the beehive hut indicate a similar location, while the fort wall is definitely un-Indian. An alternative would be the land of the Zangis or cannibals where Darab lands up in the Darabnama and in Akbar’s manuscript of 1580–85 (Titley 1977, no. 18) in which the Zangis are depicted as here, although there is no corresponding painting. In the Darabnama, Darab’s beloved Tamrusiya has slaves and pages who are taken away by the Zangis and later eaten, which might explain our prince’s apparent reluctance to eat the food in front of him despite the admonishing figure of the chief lady.