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Tur (Tur – son of Fereydun) is a mythical character in the Persian epic Shahnameh (c. 1000 CE). Tur is the second son of the Iranian mythical king Fereydun and brother of both Salm and Iraj. His name, meaning "brave", was given to him by his father when the young prince bravely fights the dragon that had attacked him and his brothers. When Fereydun divides his empire among his sons, he gives Turkistan and China to his second son Tur. This is the mythical beginning of the nation of Turan of the Avestan age, the neighbor and rival of the Iranian.^[1]^[2]^[3] Some of the most important characters of Shahnameh, such as Afrasiab, are his descendants.

Tur in the Shāhnāmeh

Being the national epic of the Persian-speaking world, written by Hakim Abu ʾl-Qasim Ferdowsi Tusi (940-1020 CE), the Shāhnāmeh mainly tells the mythical past of the Persian empire. According to Ferdowsi’s Shāhnāmeh, Fereydun (also pronounced Farīdūn) was the son of Ābtīn, one of descendants of Jamshid. As king, according to the myth, Farīdūn ruled the country for c. 500 years. Eventually he divided the kingdom to his three succeeding sons; Salm, Tur, and Īraj. The oldest son Salm inherited the western lands called Rūm (Asia Minor). Tur inherited all the lands north and east of the Oxus, as far as China, called Tūrān (Central Asia). Iraj was Fereydun’s youngest and favored son and inherited the best part of the kingdom, namely Iran. This aroused Iraj’s brothers’ envy and encouraged them to murder him. After Iraj’s murder, Fereydun enthroned Iraj’s grandson, Manūchehr. Manūchehr’s attempt to avenge his grandfather’s murder initiated the Iranian-Turanian wars.

In the Shahnameh, Tur is identified with the Turks^[4] although culturally there is no relationship between Turanians of the Shahnameh and the culture of ancient Turks.^[5]

References

^ Edward A Allworth,Central Asia: A Historical Overview, Duke University Press, 1994. pp 86
^ I. M. Diakonoff, The Paths of History, Cambridge University Press, 1999, p. 100: "Turan was one of the nomadic Iranian tribes mentioned in the Avesta. However, in Firdousi’s poem, and in the later Iranian tradition generally, the term Turan is perceived as denoting 'lands inhabited by Turkic speaking tribes.'"
^ According to Prof. Gherardo Gnoli: "Iranian tribes that also keep on recurring in the Yasht, Airyas, Tuiryas, Sairimas, Sainus and Dahis". G. Gnoli, Zoroaster's time and homeland, Naples 1980
^ Edgar Burke Inlow. Shahanshah: A Study of the Monarchy of Iran, Motilal Banarsidass Pub, 1979. pg 17: "Faridun divided his vast empire between his three sons, Iraj, the youngest receiving Iran. After his murder by his brothers and the avenging Manuchihr, one would have thought the matter was ended. But, the fraternal strife went on between the descendants of Tur and Selim (Salm) and those of Iraj. The former – the Turanians – were the Turks or Tatars of Central Asia, seeking access to Iran. The descendants of Iraj were the resisting Iranians.
^ http://www.medievalists.net/2009/01/04/barbarian-incursions-the-coming-of-the-turks-into-the-islamic-world/ Bosworth, C. E. "Barbarian Incursions: The Coming of the Turks into the Islamic World." In Islamic Civilization, Edited by D. S. Richards. Oxford, 1973. pg 2: "Hence as Kowalski has pointed out, a Turkologist seeking for information in the Shahnama on the primitive culture of the Turks would definitely be disappointed."

External links

A king's book of kings: the Shah-nameh of Shah Tahmasp, an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Tur

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 {{Unreferenced|date=November 2006}}
-'''Tur (Tur&nbsp;– son of Fereydun)''' is a character in the [[Persian Language|Persian]] epic [[Shahnameh]]. He is the second son of the legendary [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]] king [[Fereydun]] and brother of both [[Salm (son of Fereydun)|Salm]] and [[Īraj|Iraj]]. His name, meaning "brave", was given to him by his father when the young prince bravely fights the [[dragon]] that had attacked him and his brothers. When Fereydun divides his empire among his sons, he gives [[Turkistan]] and [[China]] to his second son Tur. This is the beginning of the nation of [[Turan]], the neighbor and rival of the Iranians. Some of the most important characters of Shahnameh, such as [[Afrasiab]], are his descendants.
+'''Tur (Tur&nbsp;– son of Fereydun)''' is a [[Persian mythology|mythical]] character in the [[Persian Language|Persian]] epic [[Shahnameh]] (c. 1000 CE). Tur is the second son of the Iranian mythical king [[Fereydun]] and brother of both [[Salm (son of Fereydun)|Salm]] and [[Īraj|Iraj]]. His name, meaning "brave", was given to him by his father when the young prince bravely fights the [[dragon]] that had attacked him and his brothers. When Fereydun divides his empire among his sons, he gives [[Turkistan]] and [[China]] to his second son Tur. This is the mythical beginning of the nation of [[Turan]] of the [[Avesta]]n age, the neighbor and rival of the [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]].<ref>Edward A Allworth,''Central Asia: A Historical Overview'', Duke University Press, 1994. pp 86</ref><ref>I. M. Diakonoff, ''The Paths of History'', Cambridge University Press, 1999, p. 100: "Turan was one of the nomadic Iranian tribes mentioned in the ''Avesta''. However, in [[Firdousi]]’s poem, and in the later Iranian tradition generally, the term Turan is perceived as denoting 'lands inhabited by Turkic speaking tribes.'"</ref><ref>According to Prof. Gherardo Gnoli: "Iranian tribes that also keep on recurring in the Yasht, Airyas, Tuiryas, Sairimas, Sainus and Dahis". G. Gnoli, ''Zoroaster's time and homeland'', Naples 1980</ref> Some of the most important characters of Shahnameh, such as [[Afrasiab]], are his descendants.
+==Tur in the Shāhnāmeh==
+Being the [[national epic]] of the [[Persian language|Persian-speaking]] world, written by [[Hakim Abu ʾl-Qasim Ferdowsi Tusi]] (940-1020 CE), the ''Shāhnāmeh'' mainly tells the [[Persian mythology|mythical]] past of the [[Persian empire]]. According to Ferdowsi’s  Shāhnāmeh, Fereydun (also pronounced Farīdūn) was the son of [[Abtin|Ābtīn]], one of  descendants of [[Jamshid]]. As king, according to the myth, Farīdūn ruled the country for c. 500 years. Eventually he divided the kingdom to his three succeeding sons; ''Salm'', ''Tur'', and ''Īraj''. The oldest son Salm inherited the western lands called [[Rûm|Rūm]] ([[Asia Minor]]). Tur inherited all the lands north and east of the [[Oxus]], as far as China, called [[Turan|Tūrān]] ([[Central Asia]]). Iraj was Fereydun’s youngest and favored son and inherited the best part of the kingdom, namely [[Iran]]. This aroused Iraj’s brothers’ envy and encouraged them to murder him. After Iraj’s murder, Fereydun enthroned Iraj’s grandson, ''[[Manuchehr|Manūchehr]]''. Manūchehr’s attempt to avenge his grandfather’s murder initiated the ''Iranian-Turanian wars''.
+In the ''Shahnameh'', Tur is identified with the Turks<ref>Edgar Burke Inlow. ''Shahanshah: A Study of the Monarchy of Iran'', Motilal Banarsidass Pub, 1979. pg 17: "Faridun divided his vast empire between his three sons, Iraj, the youngest receiving Iran. After his murder by his brothers and the avenging Manuchihr, one would have thought the matter was ended. But, the fraternal strife went on between the descendants of Tur and Selim (Salm) and those of Iraj. The former – the Turanians – were the Turks or Tatars of Central Asia, seeking access to Iran. The descendants of Iraj were the resisting Iranians.</ref> although culturally there is no relationship between Turanians of the ''Shahnameh'' and the culture of ancient Turks.<ref>http://www.medievalists.net/2009/01/04/barbarian-incursions-the-coming-of-the-turks-into-the-islamic-world/ Bosworth, C. E. "Barbarian Incursions: The Coming of the Turks into the Islamic World." In ''Islamic Civilization'', Edited by D. S. Richards. Oxford, 1973. pg 2: "Hence as Kowalski has pointed out, a Turkologist seeking for information in the Shahnama on the primitive culture of the Turks would definitely be disappointed."</ref>
+==References==
+<references />
 ==External links==
 *[http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15324coll10/id/36222/rec/1 A king's book of kings: the Shah-nameh of Shah Tahmasp], an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Tur
+==See also==
+* [[Turanism]]
+* [[Hungarian Turanism]]
+* [[Turanid race]]
 {{Shahnameh}}