Derafsh Kaviani

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Derafsh Kaviani

The historical and ancient standard of Iran is said to be the Drafsh-e Kawian (درفش كاويان). It was made of a blacksmith's leather apron as used by national hero Kaveh (also recorded as "Kawe" or "Kave") the ironsmith during the reign of King Fereydun. Ferdowsi, the Persian epic poet, pictures this leather apron as the symbol of Iranian independence, resistance, resilience, and popular revolt against evil invaders. This Flag was decorated with yellow, magenta and scarlet silk string tassels. Kaveh was later pronounced Kavak in Pahlavi (middle Persian) language meaning glorious, and so the Derafshe Kaviani was also called, the Glorious Banner of Iran.

[edit] Achaemenid Empire (559-323 BCE)

During the Achaemenid, especially at the time of Cyrus the Great, the Persian Imperial Banner was made of up of a kinglike image, rectangular in shape, split into four equivalent triangles^{[citation needed]}. Each two of these four train triangles had the same colour. ^{[citation needed]}The national Iranian Flag was, however, the same as the Derafshe Kaviani as cited earlier^{[citation needed]}. Xenophon reports that the Achaemenid Imperial standard was an eagle with its wings spread, made of gold, and carried on a pole in front of the King. According to the records from Persepolis excavations, archaeologist have found a standard, depicting an eagle. The current belief is that the eagle standard was the Imperial banner of the Persian empire under Darius the Great and his heirs.

[edit] Sassanids Dynasty (224-642 CE)

The Banner during this period was again made of rectangular leather, covered with thin layer of silk ornamented with jewels, in the center of which there was a four cornered star, pointing to the four corners of the world. This is the same star referred to as Akhtare Kaviani (the Kaviani star) by Ferdowsi in the epic of Shahnameh (the Book of Kings). This banner was larger than the original Derafshe Kaviani and installed on a long spear, the tip of which was shown above the flag. At the bottom of this flag, silk tassles of yellow, magenta and scarlet were hung and beset by large jewels. The standard was torn apart by the Arab muslims after the decisive Sassanid defeat at the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah. See the Islamic conquest of Iran.