Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Vocals by Ali Reza Berenjan & Farya Faraji, kamancheh by Amir Hossein Eskandari, ney by Ali Farbodnia, lyrics by Kyan Kabiri, music by Farya Faraji based on traditional Mongolian and Iran musical motifs. This song uses the sounds of modern Iranian and Mongolian music as a framing device to explore this part of Eurasian history.
Like with Timur and The Chagatai, I thought it would be interesting to explore what a meeting of Mongolian and Iranian music would produce, so I used the theme of the Ilkhanate to achieve this: one of the offshoot states of Genghis' united empire that corresponded to Iran. The Mongolian rulers over the course of a few generations converted to Islam and were Iranianised, and developped an interesting dual Mongolian-Iranian cultural identity marked by both pride in their ancestry, but also their local identity.
Lyrics in Classical Persian:
برخاست بادِ خون
از دشتِ تاتَران
غُرّید چون تندر
چَنگیزِ خاقانان
مرو چون خاک و خون،
بخارا چو وهم و ریش.
سمرقند چون غباری،
در باد شد پریش.
خون بر فلک بریخت،
چو موج بحر شور.
بر باد شد گنجشک،
در خاک شد سرور
دل گشت روشن از نور،
زِ ایمانِ مصطفی.
ما تیغِ حق گرفتیم،
در راهِ کبریا.
ایمان زِ ما شکفت،
چون گل به صبحِ نور.
ما بندگانِ حق،
در خدمتِ دستور.
فرّ انوشیروان،
نور ساسان بر تاج.
دادِ خسرو به دلها،
نمادِ عدل و تاج.
زِ خاقانزادگانیم،
فرزندانِ آسمان.
به حکمِ چرخِ برین،
بر خاستیم جاودان.
چون فریدون به پیروزی،
چون جمشید در جلال.
چون کیخسرو درخشان،
تاج از نورِ جاودان.
چو چنگیز در شکوه،
چو خайдُو در امان،
فرّ ما زِ آسمان است،
تاج از حکمِ یزدان.
English translation:
A storm of blood arose,
from the plain of the Tatars.
It roared like thunder—
Chengiz, the Khāqān of kings.
Marv became dust and blood,
Bukhārā became a vision and a wound.
Samarkand, like a drifting mote of dust,
was scattered upon the wind.
Blood poured upon the heavens,
like the waves of a briny sea.
The sparrow was swept away,
the mighty fell into the dust.
Our hearts were illumined with light,
from the faith of Muṣṭafā.
We took up the sword of Truth,
upon the path of Divine Majesty.
Faith blossomed within us,
like a flower at dawn’s first light.
We are the servants of the Truth,
in service to the heavenly decree.
The farr of Anūshīravān,
the light of Sāsān upon the crown.
Khosrow’s justice in the hearts,
the emblem of righteousness and crown.
We are of the line of the Khāqāns,
the children of the heavens.
By the command of the turning sky,
we arose eternal.
Like Farīdūn in victory,
like Jamshīd in majesty.
Like Kay Khosrow, radiant—
a crown from the eternal light.
Like Chinggis in splendor,
like Qaidu in security.
Our farr is from the heavens,
our crown from the decree of the divine.
Vocals by Ali Reza Berenjan & Farya Faraji, kamancheh by Amir Hossein Eskandari, ney by Ali Farbodnia, lyrics by Kyan Kabiri, music by Farya Faraji based on traditional Mongolian and Iran musical motifs. This song uses the sounds of modern Iranian and Mongolian music as a framing device to explore this part of Eurasian history.
Like with Timur and The Chagatai, I thought it would be interesting to explore what a meeting of Mongolian and Iranian music would produce, so I used the theme of the Ilkhanate to achieve this: one of the offshoot states of Genghis' united empire that corresponded to Iran. The Mongolian rulers over the course of a few generations converted to Islam and were Iranianised, and developped an interesting dual Mongolian-Iranian cultural identity marked by both pride in their ancestry, but also their local identity.
Lyrics in Classical Persian:
برخاست بادِ خون
از دشتِ تاتَران
غُرّید چون تندر
چَنگیزِ خاقانان
مرو چون خاک و خون،
بخارا چو وهم و ریش.
سمرقند چون غباری،
در باد شد پریش.
خون بر فلک بریخت،
چو موج بحر شور.
بر باد شد گنجشک،
در خاک شد سرور
دل گشت روشن از نور،
زِ ایمانِ مصطفی.
ما تیغِ حق گرفتیم،
در راهِ کبریا.
ایمان زِ ما شکفت،
چون گل به صبحِ نور.
ما بندگانِ حق،
در خدمتِ دستور.
فرّ انوشیروان،
نور ساسان بر تاج.
دادِ خسرو به دلها،
نمادِ عدل و تاج.
زِ خاقانزادگانیم،
فرزندانِ آسمان.
به حکمِ چرخِ برین،
بر خاستیم جاودان.
چون فریدون به پیروزی،
چون جمشید در جلال.
چون کیخسرو درخشان،
تاج از نورِ جاودان.
چو چنگیز در شکوه،
چو خайдُو در امان،
فرّ ما زِ آسمان است،
تاج از حکمِ یزدان.
English translation:
A storm of blood arose,
from the plain of the Tatars.
It roared like thunder—
Chengiz, the Khāqān of kings.
Marv became dust and blood,
Bukhārā became a vision and a wound.
Samarkand, like a drifting mote of dust,
was scattered upon the wind.
Blood poured upon the heavens,
like the waves of a briny sea.
The sparrow was swept away,
the mighty fell into the dust.
Our hearts were illumined with light,
from the faith of Muṣṭafā.
We took up the sword of Truth,
upon the path of Divine Majesty.
Faith blossomed within us,
like a flower at dawn’s first light.
We are the servants of the Truth,
in service to the heavenly decree.
The farr of Anūshīravān,
the light of Sāsān upon the crown.
Khosrow’s justice in the hearts,
the emblem of righteousness and crown.
We are of the line of the Khāqāns,
the children of the heavens.
By the command of the turning sky,
we arose eternal.
Like Farīdūn in victory,
like Jamshīd in majesty.
Like Kay Khosrow, radiant—
a crown from the eternal light.
Like Chinggis in splendor,
like Qaidu in security.
Our farr is from the heavens,
our crown from the decree of the divine.
