Shahbaz

Shahbaz (Persian: شَهباز) is a legendary bird from Persian mythology. It is described as resembling an eagle, larger than a hawk or falcon, and dwelling in regions that include the Zagros Mountains, the Alborz range, and the Caucasus within Greater Iran. In early Persian tradition, the Shahbaz was regarded as a divine being who aided the Iranian peoples and guided the Faravahar to the Iranian homeland.

The name Shahbaz translates literally to “royal falcon.” Persian kings traditionally kept royal falcons or other birds of prey, a practice that symbolized both power and ferocity. Some accounts suggest a connection between this symbol and the ancient Egyptian deity Horus, who may have served as a model for the standard of Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Empire.

The identity of the Shahbaz as an actual bird has been debated. The British explorer Richard F. Burton believed that the symbol referred to the goshawk (Accipiter gentilis). Others have proposed that it may instead have represented the eastern imperial eagle, a species commonly seen across the Iranian Plateau. However, this identification has not been widely accepted by historians.