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