Stolen Copy of Shahnameh is Recovered in Nepal Report by The Times of India, August 10, 2001 The Nepal police have recovered a rare book on Persia in Katmandu, the Nepalese capital, shocking the nation as the priceless work's theft from the National Museum 22 years ago never came to public knowledge. The Shahnameh, written by the famous Persian poet Abolghasem Ferdowsi centuries ago, traces the history of Persia from 3600 B.C. to 641 A.D. when Muslims took over present day Iran. According to the police, the Shahnameh has 1,416 pages of inscriptions in gold, including 108 pictures. The book was recovered on August 6 from three persons who were trying to sell it for 60 million Nepali rupees (about $80,000). The police have taken the trio into custody, including a long time bodyguard of the late Prince Dhiredra, the present King's younger brother who was shot dead in the palace massacre of June 1. According to police sources, former bodygurd Jivraj Kunwar stole the book from the National Museum 22 years ago. It is still not known why he kept it for so long. Kunwar was caught in a drug trafficking case in London during a royal visit in the late 1960s and had spent six years in jail. He had gone to London as the bodyguard of Dhirendra who relinquished his princely status in the early 1990s. Shahnameh, or the genealogy of Iranian kings, is an invaluable book and its present market value is worth millions of dollars. It is said that there are only three copies of the Shahnameh in the world, the other two being in Patna and New Delhi (both in India). How the book was brought into Nepal is not yet known. Historians say the Himalayan kingdom had trade link with Persia for centuries and Nepal traders probably brought the book. Ram Kumar Dahal, a famous historian, said , "Until the end of the Rana regime in Nepal in 1950, the official correspondence to the outside world, was done in the Persian language, which shows Nepal's connection with Persia". (Contributed by Ja'far Madani, Washington D.C.) (end) © Khorhseed.com - Sep 2001