# Communities > Antique Arms & Armour Community > Book Reviews >  "Arms and Armor from Iran  The Bronze Age to the Qajar Period"

## Mark McMorrow

"Arms and Armor from Iran  The Bronze Age to the Qajar Period" by Dr. Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani



In what has come to be regarded as his characteristic academic style, Dr. Khorasani presents a very detail-heavy examination of Iranian arms and armor with "Arms and Armor from Iran  The Bronze Age to the Qajar Period". This massive and scholarly work features a comprehensive, expanded typology of a wide array of weapons. The painstakingly assembled descriptions combine concise identification and technical translations with valuable historical context, in-depth linguistic references and an overview of Iranian cultural influences. A much needed and often overlooked aspect present in this book is the treatment of insignia and symbolism found so ubiquitously incorporated into arms from this region, to include a descriptive analysis of a selection of the enigmatic cartouches often associated with Iranian arms. Dr. Khorasani rounds out this wealth of information by providing the reader with an interesting and well written overview of Iranian warfare and martial arts. 

From an aesthetic perspective, the photographs, especially the color images featured in the 'Catalog' are both artistic in execution and superior in quality. Produced to a level of magnitude and depth previously unprecedented in English, Arms and Armour of Iran will stand as the benchmark by which all other volumes on the subject will be measured. Though many arms and armor books are published, few approach the scope of achievement realized by Dr. Khorasani's "Arms and Armour of Iran". 776 pages, including index, bibliography and illustrated catalog.

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