May 5

Bahram Chubin, an Iranian Military Genius

Compilers of martial history have written 5th May AD 592 as the death date of General Bahram Mehran (Iran Espahbod Bahram Chubin), the famous general and military genius of the 6th century AD of Iran. He was born in Ray (Tehran) and died in Greater Khorasan. According to some historians, the Samanian dynasty (Samanids) – restorers of Persian language and Iranian culture – was descendent of Bahram Chubin.     Bahram,s objection to Khosrau Parviz (Khosrau II) becoming king of Iran is an informative chapter in “general history”, in which the weak personality and mismanagement of Khosrau II, for instance, shortsightedness and indifference towards the advices of the wise, brought about the end of the ancient Iranian Empire.     Historians have described the Battle of Balkh in AD 588, in which Bahram Chubin was victorious, as unequalled to any other war because in that war a kind of a weapon with petrol as its fuel was used, and in addition, a small army in number defeated a very large army.          Translation by Rowshan Lohrasbpour