For the majority of researchers, Ferdowsi's Shahnameh is a history of ancestors and a story of Iran. The review of the historical events has shown that these events are accompanied by references to geographical names, in particular to locations of the events; therefore, amidst the events of the Shahnameh, reference is made to the name and locations of the events. The study of these references can provide an accurate image of the geographical locations of the Shahnameh, help us to measure Ferdowsi’s accuracy and faithfulness in the application of these names or his changes introduced, and improve the value and importance of the Shahnameh. For this reason, in this book, after extracting the geographical names included in the Shahnameh, the names are compared with geographical texts contemporary to the Shahnameh. Finally, to show a comprehensive illustration of the geographical names, the names are classified in twelve regions, each one being discussed in a separate chapter, according to the twelve regions introduced in Ḥudūd al-Alam and based on the evidence in the Shahnameh. This study shows that the use of geographical names and their locations in Shahnameh are mostly correct although sometimes changes are observed which are caused by different factors, such as creating an atmosphere proportionate to the discourse space, keeping the metre of the poem, and sometimes the distortions introduced by amanuenses.

Dr. Khavar Ghorbani was born in 1980. She has Ph.D. in Persian Language and Literature from the University of Tehran. she is an Associate Professor in Islamic Azad University of Mahabad Branch with 12 years working experience.