THE KITE RUNNER Arizona Theatre Company Play Guide 1

THE KITE RUNNER
The Shahnameh or The Epic of Kings is one of the defi nite classics of the world. It tells hero tales of ancient Persia. The
contents and the poet’s style in describing the events takes the reader back to the ancient times and makes him or her
sense and feel the events. The Shahnameh was written by the famous Iranian poet, Ferdowsi, who worked for thirty
years to fi nish this masterpiece. Ferdowsi is considered to be one the
greatest Persian poets. The Shahnameh is considered to be the Persian
national epic, to which he gave its fi nal and enduring form, although he
based his poem mainly on an earlier prose version. For nearly a thousand
years Persians have continued to read and listen to recitations from this
masterwork. It is the history of Iran’s past, preserved in a majestic verse.
The Shahnameh was written approximately 1,000 years ago, and is a
record of pre-Islamic infl uence Iran.
-from The Kite Runner: A Study Guide reprinted with permission from San Jose Repertory Theatre
The Shahnameh
GLOSSARY OF FOREIGN TERMS
GLOSSARY
Agha: Great lord; nobleman; commander; Mister.
Ahesta Boro: Walk slowly. Literally, Ahesta means “slow”
and Boro means “go.” It is a musical composition played
to welcome the bride and groom’s entrance to the wedding
hall in Persian weddings in Afghanistan, Iran and Tajikistan.
Usually, the accompanied couple is walked slowly under the
sanction of the Quran as the attending guests rise in honor
of the holy book. This anthem is a very strong tradition in
marriage ceremonies, originally written by Sarban, who had
his inspiration from Tajik folklore.
Allah-u-akbar: God(is) greatest, omnipotent; (Arabic) Akbar
means great and Allah means God.
Babalu: Boogeyman.
Bachem: Word meaning “my child” or “my baby.”
Balay: Yes.
Barzin Akhavan and Craig Piaget in
The Kite Runner. Photo by Kevin Berne.
Arizona Theatre Company Play Guide 26