Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Derafsh Kaviani
The Derafsh Kaviani (Persian: درفش کاویانی, lit. 'Standard of Kaveh') was the legendary and historical national flag of pre-Islamic Iran, notably serving as the official standard of the Sasanian Empire (224–651).
It is identified with several figures in Iranian mythology, namely Kaveh the Blacksmith, but also Jamshid and Fereydun. The symbols are rooted in legendary accounts dating back to the Achaemenid Empire. In light of the Muslim conquest of Iran, the derafsh became especially significant as a representation of Iranian nationalism, which was the driving force behind the Iranian Intermezzo. Today, it continues to feature in Iranian culture, particularly literature, and is used by the Republic of Tajikistan as official heraldry.
According to a story in Iranian mythology, the Iranian throne was once seized by the cruel Arab tyrant Zahhak, who ruled for generations, feeding the two serpents on his shoulders two men each day.
When Zahhak's servants took the youngest son of Kaveh the Blacksmith, he became enraged, as his other sons had already been fed to the serpents. He then raised a banner to mark the beginning of his uprising, which eventually led to the overthrow of Zahhak and the restoration of the legitimate heir, Fereydun.
Kaveh's banner was his own leather apron wrapped around a wooden spear, which Fereydun had decorated with gems, gold and brocade and tassels of red, yellow (or blue), and violet. The banner became the imperial standard of pre-Islamic Iran, and became known as the Derafsh Kaviani, meaning "Standard of the Kay(s)" (Kings), or "Standard of Kaveh".
The flag was said to have passed on through successive dynasties, Achaemenids, Seleucids, Parthians, and Sasanians, who ruled Iran from the 3rd to the middle of the 7th century. Throughout this period, the flag was decorated with gold and gems by the rulers of Iran. However, there is little physical proof of the Derafsh Kaviani existing before the Sasanian Empire.
The Avesta, Achaemenid, and Parthian texts do not specifically mention the Derafsh Kaviani. A number of academics have suggested that a damaged section of the Alexander Mosaic from Pompeii, which depicts the defeat of the Achaemenid ruler Darius III by Alexander the Great at the Battle of Issus, features the Derafsh Kaviani. According to Xenephon, a golden eagle was the standard of the Achaemenids. Iranian coins from the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE show depictions of the Derafsh Kaviani, including Baydad, frataraka (governor) of Persis during the Seleucid period.
According to Shapur Shahbazi, the imperial standard of the Parthian Empire seems to have been the Derafsh Kaviani. During the Sasanian era, it served as a key representation of imperial power. It had a heavily bejewelled purple background, a star (akthar) as the emblem, and tassels in red, golden, and purple. It was also commonly referred to as the Akhtar-e Kāvīān due to the star.
Hub AI
Derafsh Kaviani AI simulator
(@Derafsh Kaviani_simulator)
Derafsh Kaviani
The Derafsh Kaviani (Persian: درفش کاویانی, lit. 'Standard of Kaveh') was the legendary and historical national flag of pre-Islamic Iran, notably serving as the official standard of the Sasanian Empire (224–651).
It is identified with several figures in Iranian mythology, namely Kaveh the Blacksmith, but also Jamshid and Fereydun. The symbols are rooted in legendary accounts dating back to the Achaemenid Empire. In light of the Muslim conquest of Iran, the derafsh became especially significant as a representation of Iranian nationalism, which was the driving force behind the Iranian Intermezzo. Today, it continues to feature in Iranian culture, particularly literature, and is used by the Republic of Tajikistan as official heraldry.
According to a story in Iranian mythology, the Iranian throne was once seized by the cruel Arab tyrant Zahhak, who ruled for generations, feeding the two serpents on his shoulders two men each day.
When Zahhak's servants took the youngest son of Kaveh the Blacksmith, he became enraged, as his other sons had already been fed to the serpents. He then raised a banner to mark the beginning of his uprising, which eventually led to the overthrow of Zahhak and the restoration of the legitimate heir, Fereydun.
Kaveh's banner was his own leather apron wrapped around a wooden spear, which Fereydun had decorated with gems, gold and brocade and tassels of red, yellow (or blue), and violet. The banner became the imperial standard of pre-Islamic Iran, and became known as the Derafsh Kaviani, meaning "Standard of the Kay(s)" (Kings), or "Standard of Kaveh".
The flag was said to have passed on through successive dynasties, Achaemenids, Seleucids, Parthians, and Sasanians, who ruled Iran from the 3rd to the middle of the 7th century. Throughout this period, the flag was decorated with gold and gems by the rulers of Iran. However, there is little physical proof of the Derafsh Kaviani existing before the Sasanian Empire.
The Avesta, Achaemenid, and Parthian texts do not specifically mention the Derafsh Kaviani. A number of academics have suggested that a damaged section of the Alexander Mosaic from Pompeii, which depicts the defeat of the Achaemenid ruler Darius III by Alexander the Great at the Battle of Issus, features the Derafsh Kaviani. According to Xenephon, a golden eagle was the standard of the Achaemenids. Iranian coins from the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE show depictions of the Derafsh Kaviani, including Baydad, frataraka (governor) of Persis during the Seleucid period.
According to Shapur Shahbazi, the imperial standard of the Parthian Empire seems to have been the Derafsh Kaviani. During the Sasanian era, it served as a key representation of imperial power. It had a heavily bejewelled purple background, a star (akthar) as the emblem, and tassels in red, golden, and purple. It was also commonly referred to as the Akhtar-e Kāvīān due to the star.