The Amu Darya is a major river in Central Asia and Afghanistan. Rising in the Pamir Mountains, north of the Hindu Kush, the Amu Darya is formed by the confluence of the Vakhsh and Panj rivers, in the Tigrovaya Balka Nature Reserve on the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan, and flows from there north-westwards into the southern remnants of the Aral Sea. In its upper course, the river forms part of Afghanistan's northern border with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. In ancient history, the river was regarded as the boundary of Greater Iran with "Turan", which roughly corresponded to present-day Central Asia. The Amu Darya has a flow of about 70 cubic kilometres per year on average.
The 480s decade ran from January 1, 480, to December 31, 489.
Matthew Arnold was an English poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the celebrated headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, literary professor, and William Delafield Arnold, novelist and colonial administrator. Matthew Arnold has been characterised as a sage writer, a type of writer who chastises and instructs the reader on contemporary social issues. He was also an inspector of schools for thirty-five years, and supported the concept of state-regulated secondary education.
Abul-Qâsem Ferdowsi Tusi, also Firdawsi or Ferdowsi, was a Persian poet and the author of Shahnameh, which is one of the world's longest epic poems created by a single poet, and the greatest epic of Persian-speaking countries. Ferdowsi is celebrated as one of the most influential figures of Persian literature and one of the greatest in the history of literature.
The Shahnameh, also transliterated Shahnama, is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE and is the national epic of Greater Iran. Consisting of some 50,000 "distichs" or couplets, the Shahnameh is one of the world's longest epic poems. It tells mainly the mythical and to some extent the historical past of the Persian Empire from the creation of the world until the Muslim conquest in the seventh century. Iran, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and the greater region influenced by Persian culture such as Armenia, Dagestan, Georgia, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan celebrate this national epic.
"Dover Beach" is a lyric poem by the English poet Matthew Arnold. It was first published in 1867 in the collection New Poems; however, surviving notes indicate its composition may have begun as early as 1849. The most likely date is 1851.
Rostam or Rustam is a legendary hero in Persian mythology, the son of Zāl and Rudaba, whose life and work was immortalized by the 10th-century Persian poet Ferdowsi in the Shahnameh, or Epic of Kings, which contains pre-Islamic Iranian folklore and history. However, the roots of the narrative date much earlier.
Sohrāb or Suhrāb is a legendary warrior from the Shahnameh, or the Tales of Kings by Ferdowsi in the tragedy of Rostam and Sohrab. He was the son of Rostam, who was an Iranian warrior, and Tahmineh, the daughter of the king of Kingdom of Samangan, a neighboring country. He was slain at a young age by his father Rostam. Rostam only found out he was his son after fatally wounding him in a duel. Kaykavous, the king of Iran, delayed giving Rostam the panacea to save Sohrab as he feared losing his power to the alliance of the father and the son. Rostam gave Tahmineh a bracelet as a reminder and a sign to his son.
Garshāsp was, in Persian mythology, the last Padishah of the Pishdadian dynasty of Persia according to Shahnameh. He was a descendant of Zaav, ruling over the Persian Empire for about nine years. His name is shared with a monster-slaying hero in Iranian mythology. The Avestan form of his name is Kərəsāspa and in Middle Persian his name is Kirsāsp.
Aided Óenfhir Aífe is a story from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology.
The tragedy of Rostam and Sohrab forms part of the 10th-century Persian epic Shahnameh by the Persian poet Ferdowsi. It tells the tragic story of the heroes Rostam and his son, Sohrab.
Constantine I, also known as Constantine Khan, Constantin(e) Mirza, or Konstandil / Kustandil Mirza, of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a king of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from March to October 1605.
The Far-Distant Oxus is a 1937 British children’s novel by Katharine Hull (1921–1977) and Pamela Whitlock (1920–1982), written while they were still children themselves. The title is taken from Matthew Arnold's poem Sohrab and Rustum, and the characters in the story choose names from it for the places around them in the north coast of Devon; the real Oxus is a river in Central Asia.
Hatim al-Tai, full name Ḥātim bin ʿAbd Allāh bin Saʿd aṭ-Ṭāʾiyy was an Arab chieftain of the Tayyi tribe of Arabia, ruler of Shammar, and poet who lived in the late sixth century. He is also associated with the Lakhmid court in Hira, especially under its most famous king Al-Mundhir III ibn al-Nu'man. Although he was considered a well-established poet in his time, today he is best known for his altruism. Stories about his extreme generosity have made him an icon among Arabs up until today, as evident in the proverbial phrase "more generous than Hatim". Additionally, he is known to be a model of Arab manliness. The tales of Hatim are also popular in Persia, North India, and Pakistan.
The Borzu Nama is a Persian epic poem of about 65,000 couplets recounting the exploits and adventures of the legendary hero Borzu, son of Sohrab and grandson of Rostam.
Transoxiana or Transoxania is the Latin name for a region and civilization located in lower Central Asia roughly corresponding to modern-day eastern Uzbekistan, western Tajikistan, parts of southern Kazakhstan, parts of Turkmenistan and southern Kyrgyzstan. Geographically, it is the region between the rivers Amu Darya to its south and the Syr Darya to its north.
Kaveh the Blacksmith is a 5000-year-old figure in Iranian mythology who leads an uprising against a ruthless foreign ruler, Zahāk. His story is narrated in the Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran (Persia), by the 10th-century Persian poet Ferdowsi.
Hojir is an Iranian hero in Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran. Hojir is son of Goudarz and brother of Giv and Rohham. Hojir first appears in the story of Rostam and Sohrab.
Battle of Rostam and Esfandiyār is a story in Ferdowsi's Persian epic Shahnameh. It narrates a war between two Iranian governments. The difference from the other wars is that only the warlords are engaged in duels and the division is both observers. The reason for the war is Rostam's disobedience to Esfandiyār's father, Goshtāsp, the king of Iran.
Sohrab and Rustum at Wikisource 
