Equal of the Sun
Praise for
Equal of the Sun
“
Equal of the Sun
is a page turner, with plenty of gripping moments. Here’s hoping Amirrezvani will write many more tales illuminating the incredible history of the Iranians.”
—
The Washington Post
“Expertly woven.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
“
Equal of the Sun
is a fine political novel, full of rich detail and intrigue, but it’s also a thought-provoking study of the intersection between gender and power.”
—Historical Novel Society
“Amirrezvani’s fans will feel silk carpets under foot, taste black tea, and delight in the language of old Iran in this new tale, one every bit as intriguing as her internationally best-selling debut,
The Blood of Flowers.
”
—
San Francisco State Magazine
“Amirrezvani’s sixteenth-century Iran is a world as complex as Shakespeare’s London, that seethes with intrigue, passion, and lawlessness, a world where a brilliant young princess, who longs for power denied her as a female, and a servant, with a desire so relentless he half destroys himself, make a desperate pact to control the government and fate of the country, and in doing so discover their greatest loves and sorrows. In this astonishing novel, Amirrezvani reminds us what all human hearts suffer and dare.
Equal of the Sun
is an irresistible novel.”
—Jonis Agee, author of
The River Wife
“A dazzling historical novel of ancient Persia, a fairy tale of universal resonance,
Equal of the Sun
is a story of love and ambition, loyalty and intrigue, the eternal anguish of a heart—and a country—at war with itself.”
—Gina Nahai, author of
Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith
and
Caspian Rain
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CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter 1: A New Assignment
Chapter 2: An Animal Mood
Chapter 3: Man of Justice
Chapter 4: The Rose is Heartless
Chapter 5: Tears of Blood
Chapter 6: The Call to Battle
Chapter 7: An End to the Chase
Chapter 8: A Star Plummets
Chapter 9: Bread and Salt
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
Key Sources
Reading Group Guide
Author Q&A
About Anita Amirrezvani
FOR MY PARENTS
AND
FOR ALL THE KAVEHS
LIST OF KEY CHARACTERS
TAHMASB SHAH AND HIS FAMILY
Tahmasb Shah
, second ruler of the Safavi dynasty (reigned 1524–1576)
Sultanam
, his Mowsellu wife and mother of Mohammad Khodabandeh and Isma‘il
Daka Cherkes
, his Circassian wife and mother of Pari Khan and Suleyman; sister of Shamkhal Cherkes
Sultan-Zadeh
, his Georgian wife and mother of Haydar
Zahra Baji
, his other Georgian wife and mother of two young sons
Mohammad Khodabandeh
, his eldest son
Isma‘il
, his second eldest son
Haydar
, his third eldest son
Gowhar
, his eldest daughter
Pari
, his second eldest daughter
Mahmood
, his son by a slave
Bahram
, his brother (deceased)
Ibrahim
, Bahram’s son; married to Gowhar
Hossein
, Bahram’s son, governor of Qandahar
Badi al-Zaman
, Bahram’s son, engaged to Pari
ISMA‘IL SHAH AND HIS FAMILY
Isma‘il Shah
, third ruler of the Safavi dynasty (1576–77)
Khadijeh
, his wife; a slave from Africa
Koudenet
, his wife; daughter of Shamkhal Cherkes
Mahasti
, his wife; mother of his son Shoja al-din; a slave from the Caucasus
Mohsen
, Khadijeh’s brother
MOHAMMAD SHAH AND HIS FAMILY
Mohammad Shah
, fourth ruler of the Safavi dynasty (1578–1587)
Khayr al-Nisa Beygom
(Mahd-e-Olya), his wife and mother of his sons Hamza, Abbas, Abu Taleb, and Tahmasb
Sultan Hassan,
his eldest child by another wife
SERVANTS OF THE SAFAVI COURT
Amir Khan Mowsellu
, Sultanam’s brother
Amin Khan Halaki
, a physician
Anwar
, a eunuch from Sudan; head of the royal harem
Azar
, chief lady to Pari
Balamani
, a eunuch from Hindustan; Anwar’s chief assistant
Fereshteh
, a prostitute
Javaher
, a eunuch from Qazveen and servant to Pari; also known as Payam
Jalileh
, Javaher’s sister
Hassan Beyg Halvachi Oghli
, Isma‘il’s favorite companion
Hossein Beyg,
leader of the Ostajlu
Khakaberi Khan
, Sultan-Zadeh’s brother
Khalil Khan Afshar
, Pari’s childhood guardian
Kholafa
, a leader of the Rumlu
Looloo
, a court astrologer
Majeed
, Pari’s vizier
Maryam
, Pari’s favorite
Massoud Ali,
an errand boy in Javaher’s service
Mirza Salman Jaberi
, chief of the royal guilds
Mirza Shokhrollah
, chief of the treasury
Mohammad Amir Shirazi
, Javaher’s father (deceased)
Nasreen
, chief lady to Khadijeh
Rasheed
, head of the scribes
Saleem
, chief of protocol
Shamkhal Cherkes
, Pari’s uncle, a leader of the Circassians
Note: Agha, Beyg, Beygom, Khan, Khanoom, Khatoon, Mirza, and Sultan are titles. Titles typically appear after the first name.
I
swear to you on the holy Qur’an there has never been another woman like Pari Khan Khanoom. A princess by birth, a strategist by the age of fourteen, fierce but splendid in her bearing; a master archer, an almsgiver of great generosity, and a protector of prostitutes; a poet of uncommon grace, the most trusted advisor to a shah, and a leader of men. Do I exaggerate, like a court historian writing flowery panegyrics to a leader in the hope of being rewarded with a robe of honor? No such gift is forthcoming, I assure you: I am a man without a protector.
I wrestled over whether to attempt this work, since I am neither biographer nor historian. Despite the danger, the ignorance of the men around me compels me to set down the truth about the princess. If I refuse this task, her story will be misrepresented or distorted to become a tool of those in power. Court historians report only the best known facts about how royal women have led troops into battle, deposed shahs, killed their enemies, and thrust their sons into power. They are forbidden from observing the lives of these women directly and therefore must rely on rumors and invention.
As Pari’s closest servant, I not only observed her actions but carried out her orders. I realized that upon my death, everything I know about her would disappear if I failed to document her story. But I must proceed in the greatest of secrecy. If this book were discovered by the wrong man, I could be executed, for I have committed monstrous deeds and made mistakes that I would prefer not to reveal—although what man hasn’t? Man is flawed by his very nature.
His ears hear only what they wish; God alone knows the absolute truth.
Perhaps, now that I think of it, I exaggerate slightly in saying that Pari was the only woman of her kind. She came from a dynasty that bred valiant women, starting with her grandmother Tajlu Khanoom Mowsellu, who had helped elevate her own ten-year-old son, Tahmasb, to the throne; and her aunt Maheen Banu, who advised Tahmasb until she died. By then, Pari was fourteen and wise enough to take Maheen Banu’s place, and she reigned unchallenged as her father Tahmasb’s advisor, above and beyond his wives, until his death almost fourteen years later. But Pari’s deeds outshone those of her foremothers, and her boldness knew no bounds.
When I think of her, I remember not only her power, but her passion for verse. She was a poet in her own right and lavished silver on the poets she admired, keeping bread and salt on their tables. She had read all the classics and could recite long sections from them. Of the books of poetry she loved, a single tome stood out above others: the
Shahnameh,
or
Book of Shahs,
in which the great poet Ferdowsi recounted the passions and struggles of hundreds of Iranian rulers. During the time I served her, one story from that great book—about the usurper Zahhak and the hero Kaveh—guided our thoughts, directed our actions, and even invaded our dreams, so much so that I sometimes wondered if the story was about us. We turned to it for advice, wept over it in despair, and drew comfort from it in the end. It guides me still, as I celebrate Pari for the sake of generations to come.