The Shahbaz

Shahbaz is commonly rendered as "royal falcon." It is a name that brings together the bird of prey and the idea of kingship. Historical Persian bird names do not always match a single modern species, so falcons, hawks and eagles need to be distinguished with care.¹

Behind our Shahbaz lies a wider Iranian tradition of powerful birds: in sacred texts, royal imagery and poetry. These connections belong to different periods and contexts. Together, they offer a rich inheritance for a contemporary design.

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The bird and royal glory

In the Avesta, the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, the divinity of victory, Verethragna, takes several forms. One is a swift bird of prey called the varəγna. Another Avestan passage tells of glory leaving Yima, known in later Persian tradition as Jamshid, in bird form. The precise identification of this bird has been debated.²

That glory is known as farr in Persian. It can signify the divine favour and splendour that sustain legitimate rule. It could belong to a royal line, yet possession was not unconditional: a ruler could lose it. Jamshid's loss of glory makes that possibility memorable.³

For us, this is an invitation to think about the responsibility that accompanies power. An inherited position does not remove the need to act well.

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Birds beside kings

The Greek writer Xenophon describes a golden eagle with outstretched wings as Cyrus's ensign. Written after Cyrus's lifetime, his account is literary evidence for the association between a great bird and Persian kingship. It does not establish every detail of a modern reconstructed flag.⁴

Ancient objects and later images add to that story, but their interpretation is not always certain. A damaged bird-bearing object in the Alexander Mosaic has been read as a Persian standard, while other scholars have understood it differently.⁵

Bird imagery also appears in Sasanian royal art. Shahbazi identifies the bird on Hormozd II's crown with the varəγna associated with Verethragna. Such examples show how regal bird imagery took different forms across time; they do not demonstrate that one unchanged flag passed through every Iranian dynasty.⁶

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The falcon in poetry

The falcon also has a life beyond the battlefield and the court.

In Rumi's poetry, it can become an image of the spirit and its return to God. Alan Williams explores this use in the second book of the Mathnawi, where the trained bird's relationship with its royal master becomes a way of imagining spiritual belonging.⁷

The bird can therefore lead us towards different kinds of stories: the authority of a ruler, the loss of glory, or the search for a home beyond the familiar world. No single meaning needs to exhaust them all.

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What the Shahbaz means to us

For Persian Falcon, the Shahbaz suggests clear vision, patience and purposeful action. These are the qualities we bring to our design, rather than a fixed ancient code assigned to every depiction of a falcon.

We draw on the bird's presence in Iranian culture while giving it a contemporary form. Our colours and details are artistic choices. Their value lies in the connection they create with the stories, and with the person who chooses to wear them.

For us, the Shahbaz is a reminder to use strength with purpose.

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In our collection

The Royal Falcon is central to Persian Falcon. In our pieces, its outstretched wings become a personal expression of heritage, resolve and the direction we choose for ourselves.