Shah of Isfahan

by Michael Yashar

Shah of Isfahan is a culmination of a fascination with a magical period in the history of Persia, referred to by the author as “The Persian Camelot,” when one individual, a young king, was able to unite a wounded and fragmented nation and raise it to the rank of a super power. He promoted arts and architecture, built one of the most enchanting capitals of the period and established friendly relations and commerce with popes and kings of Europe, as well as other civilized nations. And yet it all crumbled downed when he died and, once again, evil forces of isolationism, intolerance and ignorance gained control.

144 pages, Paperback

First published May 5, 2008

Reviews

[Mark Yashar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a historical novel written by my dad in 2007-2008 and published in 2008. It tells the story of the rise and fall of Shah Abbas I (January 1571 – 19 January 1629) of Persia/Iran, commonly known as Abbas the Great. He is generally considered one of the greatest rulers of Iranian history and the Safavid dynasty who took control of the country during a troubled time (following the ineffective rule of his father), in which Iran's enemies, including the the Ottoman Empire and the Uzbeks, exploited the country's political chaos to seize territory for themselves. In this novel my dad tells the story of how this young king "was able to unite a wounded and fragmented nation and raise it to the ranks of a superpower. He promoted arts and architecture, built one of the most enchanting capitals of the period, and established friendly relations and commerce with popes and kings of Europe, as well as other civilized nations. And yet it all crumbled down when he died, and once again, the evil forces of isolationism, intolerance, and ignorance gained control...."

The book also includes my dad's own drawings and illustrations. I'm hoping that we can have the book re-edited and re-published and released in a second printing some day ....

In my dad's own words some years after the publication of this novel and during his attempt to publish some autobiographical and other historical material: "I have published a historical novel, “Shah of Isfahan”, and a children book, “The Chickadee Story” published by Publish America in 2008, when I was too naïve about the publishing industry. Now, sadder but wiser, I am hoping to be accepted by a real publisher...."