Prince Zal is born with white hair. Perceived as a demon he is abandoned in the mountains. The baby is rescued and nurtured by the great Simorgh, a wise and magical phoenix who teaches him everything a prince needs to know. Sixteen years later, the king realises he made a terrible error. A beautiful traditional tale enhanced by music.
In a bustling marketplace in Iran, a traditional storyteller regales her audience with the tale of Prince Zal and the Simorgh. High up on the Mountain of Gems lives the Simorgh, a wise phoenix whose flapping wings disperse the seeds of life across the world. When King Sam commands that his long-awaited newborn son Zal be abandoned because of his white hair, the Simorgh adopts the baby and raises him alongside her own chicks and teaches him everything she knows. But when the king comes to regret his actions, Prince Zal will learn that the most important lesson of all is forgiveness.
In this special edition, the story has been set to music, with each instrument representing a different character. You can download music composed by Amir Eslami (ney), Nilufar Habibian (qanun), Saeid Kord Mafi (santur), and Arash Moradi (tanbur). The music accompanies Sally Pomme Clayton's stunning narration of this classic tale from the Shahnameh.
SALLY POMME CLAYTON is an internationally acclaimed storyteller. She co-founded The Company of Storytellers with Ben Haggarty and Hugh Lupton, spearheading the revival of storytelling in the UK. She has a huge repertoire of stories, many of which feature bold heroines. She tours throughout Britain and internationally, performing at the British Museum, the Barbican and Southbank Centre. She writes for BBC Radio and theatre. Her first book for Frances Lincoln was Tales Told In Tents, followed by Amazons! and Rama And Sita.
