Afrasiyab’s Dream in the Shahnameh Dreams and Dream Interpretation in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, with Special Attention to Afrasiyab’s Dream in the Story of Siyavash

A Special Lecture by Dr. Shahin Seraj

UBC Persian Studies invites you to a special lecture by Dr. Shahin Seraj on dreams and dream interpretation in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh.

Dreams occupy a significant place in the narrative world of the Shahnameh, often foreshadowing momentous events and influencing the decisions and actions of kings, heroes, and their advisers. This lecture will explore the role of dreams and their interpretation in Ferdowsi’s epic, with particular attention to Afrasiyab’s prophetic dream in the story of Siyavash and its significance in the unfolding events of the story.

Date & Time:
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm (PCT)/ 4:30am to 6:30am (Tehran Time)

Location:
Asian Centre Seminar Room (Room 604)
There is also an option to attend virtually via Zoom.

Presented in Persian
Free & open to the public. Registration is required via the form below.

About the Speaker

Dr. Shahin Seraj is a scholar of Persian literature and Iranian Studies whose research has focused extensively on classical Persian literature and Shahnameh studies. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the University of Tehran, she continued her studies in France, completing several research diplomas at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) in Paris. In 1996, she received her doctorate in Iranian Studies from the Sorbonne, with a dissertation examining the concept of homeland (vatan) in the poetry of Mohammad-Taqi Bahar, Malek al-Sho‘ara. She has also taught Persian language and literature in France and collaborated with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

A significant body of Dr. Seraj’s scholarship is devoted to Ferdowsi and the Shahnameh. Her research has addressed dreams and dream interpretation, particularly Afrasiyab’s dream; warrior women in Persian epic and the Banu Goshasp-nameh; Nowruz references in the Shahnameh; demons and anthropophagy; the story of the Taqdis Throne; the absence of the Arash narrative from Ferdowsi’s epic; the written sources of the Shahnameh; and the scholarship of Jalal Khaleghi-Motlagh. Her broader work in classical Persian studies includes research on Nezami, Attar, Jami, Rumi, Sa‘di, Hafez, Khayyam, Manuchehri, Khaqani, and early Persian poetry.

Organized by UBC Persian Literature Reading Club