The Shahnameh is the epic Persian poem that recounts the mythological origin of Nowruz with King Jamshid.
Written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi around 977–1010 CE, the Shahnameh, or “Book of Kings,” combines Iranian mythology, legendary history, and royal genealogies. In its account, Jamshid becomes a culture-bringing monarch whose reign introduces civilization, crafts, social organization, and prosperity.
The Nowruz episode describes Jamshid being raised into the sky on a jewel-studded throne by supernatural beings. His radiant appearance amazes the people, who celebrate the wondrous day as Nowruz, meaning “new day.” The story connects the festival with the first day of Farvardin, the opening month of the Iranian year.
This is a mythological literary explanation, not a modern historical record of the festival’s first celebration. Nowruz traditions are older and broader than the Shahnameh, and earlier Iranian and Zoroastrian sources preserve related Jam or Yima traditions. The Masnavi and Rubaiyat are important Persian works, but they do not serve as the national epic containing this foundational narrative.