SHABDIZ: The King's Horse|2017

This Five Frames illustration is designed for a storybook for 9-12 aged tweens. The story is taken from The Shahnameh(The long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE).

Shabdiz was the name of King Khosrau Parvez's horse in ancient Iran. It had a dark, shiny skin and its name meant "night-colored." The king loved his horse deeply as a faithful friend. Tragically, the horse died and nobody could console the king except for Barbad, a Persian poet-musician from the late 6th to early 7th century CE. After listening to Barbad's music, the king finally accepted that his beloved horse had passed away and ordered a statue to be made in its honor as a memorial.