Nozar and the war at Dehestan

When Manuchehr dies, his son Nozar takes the throne and soon goes wrong. He scorns his father's ways, quarrels with his mobeds (priests and counsellors) and cares for nothing but gold. Farmers turn soldier, the country is in uproar, and the frightened king writes to Sam, who is fighting far away. The nobles meet Sam on the road and beg him to take the throne. He refuses: while one of the royal line sits on it, he will not touch the crown; even if a daughter of Manuchehr were on the throne, his pillow would be the dust before her. He brings Nozar back to justice and the nobles back to their oaths.

In Turan, King Pashang, a descendant of Tur, hears that Manuchehr is dead and his son weak. The old feud of Salm and Tur still burns, and Pashang's son Afrasiab, tall and as strong as an elephant, is hungry for war. Afrasiab's brother Aghriras warns against it, but Pashang sends both. Afrasiab crosses the Jayhun and sends two commanders, Shamasas and Khazarvan, with thirty thousand men against Zabolestan. Then news comes that Sam has died and Zal is building his tomb. Afrasiab is delighted: the one man he feared is gone. He marches on Dehestan, where Nozar and his general Qaren have camped before the fortress.

Three days at Dehestan

A Turk named Barman rides out and calls for a challenger. No one answers but Qobad, Qaren's aged brother. Qaren weeps with shame that among so many young men only an old one will fight. Qobad is calm: 'Know, brother, that the body is for death.' He asks to be buried with camphor, musk and rose-water, and rides out. He and Barman fight from dawn until the shadows lengthen, and Barman kills him with a javelin.

On the second day Nozar meets Afrasiab spear to spear, and the Iranians are beaten. That night Nozar calls his sons Tus and Gostahm and sends them to bring the royal women from Pars to safety in the Alborz: perhaps one or two of Fereydun's seed may survive. On the third day the commander Shapur falls and Nozar is shut up in Dehestan. When Afrasiab sends riders after the women, Qaren breaks out to stop them, killing Barman on the way. Nozar follows him, and is caught in the desert with twelve hundred nobles.

Elsewhere the Iranians win. Qaren kills a son of Vise, Afrasiab's general, and then routs Vise himself. In Zabolestan, Mehrab holds the invaders off with a false offer of friendship until Zal returns from his father's tomb. Zal shoots three arrows into their camp by night, so that they know he has come, kills Khazarvan with Sam's mace and pins Kolbad to his saddle with an arrow. Shamasas flees and runs into Qaren.

Enraged by these defeats, Afrasiab has Nozar dragged out bareheaded and barefoot. He reminds him of Salm and Tur, tells him he deserves whatever comes, and strikes off his head with his own sword. So passes the last of Manuchehr's line, the poet says, and Iran is left without throne or crown. Aghriras begs for the other captives, and Afrasiab lets him hold them in prison at Sari, then goes to Rey and puts on the crown. The prisoners send word to Zal, the warrior Kashvad rides for Sari, and Aghriras withdraws and leaves them to be freed. For this Afrasiab cuts his brother in two.

Zal looks for a king of Fereydun's blood and finds Zav, son of Tahmasp, already eighty years old. Zav rules justly, but drought comes, no rain falls, and bread is weighed against silver. The armies face each other for eight months without a battle, until hunger makes both sides divide the world again and make peace. The land turns green, and five years later Zav dies.