The Shahnameh Playing Cards are inspired by one of the world’s greatest epics: the Shahnameh (The Book of Kings), written over 1,000 years ago by Ferdowsi. This masterpiece is filled with ancient heroes, mythical beasts, epic battles, timeless stories of love, loss, destiny, and the eternal struggle between good and evil in the Persian kingdom around 500 BCE. It is often considered the Eastern counterpart to Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey.

The idea came to me especially because the epic’s tales reflect many elements found in playing cards: encounters among kings, noble women, and heroic warriors. much like the kings, queens, and jacks in a deck. This similarity inspired me to create a card deck that brings Shahnameh’s characters and stories to life. I based my illustrations directly on the Shahnameh, carefully following its descriptions of each character’s appearance and personality. I also drew inspiration from the stunning 15th- and 16th-century Persian illustrated manuscripts.

The character designs and stories are not only based on the tales of Shahnameh, but also they’re faithful to the characteristics of the classical suits of a deck of cards.

Standard Edition features the playing cards with illustrations adorned with gold foil for the details of the back and front of the cards. The deck may be obtained individually or with a set that comes with a guidebook.