From the Senmurw to the Simorg: Persian Identity in Early Islamic Iran Reflected in Mythical Birds

In the middle of the 6th century, the Sasanian Empire's 400-year reign ended with the Arab Muslim conquest, leading to significant social, political, and religious shifts that impacted Persian identity. From the 7th to 13th centuries, as Islamic Caliphates replaced the Zoroastrian Sasanians, the mythical bird Senmurw transformed into the Simorg. This evolution mirrored the broader changes in Persian identity. Around the turn of the millennium, Persians turned to their pre-Islamic history and mythology to reinvigorate the Persian culture and identity. The Persian elites reinvented the Senmurw, allowing it to exist as the Simorg in a new Islamic context and therefore preserve cultural aspects of pre-Islamic Persia. This research examines the transformation of the Senmurw into the Simorg as a reflection of Persians adapting themselves to an Islamic context. My contention is reflected further in the mythologies of the Rukh and Anqa as they absorbed some of the changes to the characteristics of the Simorg.