Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia at War
Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia at War
Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia at War (available: OspreyPublishing or Amazon.com.) outlines Persia’s contributions to world civilization in areas such as mythology, technology, sciences, literature, militaria, the arts, music, architecture and garments. The main aim of this book is to promote the establishment of a permanent Iranian Studies department in Canadian and American universities.
The book has been cited by the University of Leicester’s School of Archaeology & Ancient History, the University of Ottawa, University of Edinburgh, Stanford University and Harvard University.
Iran at War: 1500 – 1988
Iran at War: 1500 – 1988
“…Iran at War begins where Shadows in the Desert ended, with the Arab conquest of Persia and the rise of Islam in the mid-7th century. Farrokh then describes the pivotal 16th century which saw the rise of a powerful family, the Safavids, which ruled Iran for 200 years. During the Safavid period, a strong, secular-minded central government fielded an army that was able to stare down threats from the Turks, Arabs, and Russians in the west and the Uzbeks and Afghans in the east. According to Farrokh, the push south, east, and west from Iran’s hostile neighbors during this era foreshadowed security threats it has faced down to the current day …For readers interested in geopolitics, Iran at War provides much needed insight into “the state of mind” of the Iranian people…that set the Iranians apart from their neighbors. His analysis of the Iranian revolution in 1979 and the subsequent Iran-Iraq war provides important background information…”
Sassanian Elite Cavalry AD 224 – 642
Sassanian Elite Cavalry AD 224 – 642
Farrokh has collected data and primary sources on Sassanian cavalry for 18 years resulting in travels to locations such as Naghsh-e-Rustam (Iran). The book was most recently reviewed by Shahnaz Hojati of the University of Tehran in the peer-reviewed journal below (available also on Academia.edu):
Farrokh’s first book, which is the first to specifically discuss the Sassanian dynasty’s elite cavalry (Savaran). This text has outlined the specific Pahlavi terms of the Sassanian cavalry’s elite units (e.g. Gyanavaspar; Zhayedan, etc.), military tactics, insignia and pitched battles. The role of Iranian women in the Sassanian military system has also been emphasized.
