In General History by Dinawari,[12] The Meadows of Gold by Muslim historian Masudi,[13] and Shahnameh, a poetic opus written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi around 1000 AD, and Sharafnameh by the medieval Kurdish historian Sherefxan Bidlisi, Zahhak was an evil king who conquered Iran and had serpents growing from his shoulders.[14] Zahak's rule lasted for one thousand years. During this time, two young men were sacrificed daily and their brains were offered to Zahhak's serpents in order to alleviate his pain.[14] However, the man who was in charge of sacrificing the two young men every day would instead kill only one man a day and mix his brains with that of a sheep in order to save the other man. As discontent grew against Zahhak's rule, a nobleman planned a revolt led by Kaveh (also known as Kawa), a blacksmith (cf. Ossetian Kurdalægon), who had lost six sons to Zahhak.[14] The young men who had been saved from the fate of being sacrificed (who according to the legend were ancestors of the Kurds [12][13][15]) were trained by Kaveh into an army that marched to Zahhak's castle where Kaveh killed the king with a hammer. Eventually Kaveh was instated as the new Fereydun king.[14] The root of this story goes back to ancient Iranian legends. According to Evliya Çelebi, the district (sancak) of Merkawe in Shahrazur (Sharazur) is named after Kaveh.[16] The 12th century geographer Yaqoot Hamawi, mentions Zor son of Zahhak (Aji Dahak) as founder of the famous city of Sharazor.[17]
According to Kurdish myth, Kaveh was a Kurd (written as Kawa in Kurdish), lived 2,500 years ago under the tyranny of Zahak, an Assyrian who is named Zuhak by the Kurds.[3][18] Zuhak's evil reign caused spring to no longer come to Kurdistan.[3] March 20 is traditionally marked as the day that Kawa defeated Dehak. He is then said to have set fire to the hillsides to celebrate the victory and summon his supporters; subsequently spring returned to Kurdistan the next day.[3]
