From the archive

ancient history

Polo’s origins are shrouded in stories of exoticism and romance from Persia’s distant reaches. Here is the tale of Humay, Queen of Persia, as depicted in ancient manuscripts from the British Museum

WORDS HERBERT SPENCER

The miniature shown above, one of three illustrating the story, shows Humay on her black horse, upper right, watching as Darab gallops past the nobleman Rashnavad to strike the ball towards goal Although there is no hard evidence to prove it, most historians believe the polo we know today originated in the region of the Near East that was known as Persia, now known as Iran, sometime in the first century BC or earlier.

Some of the earliest and most striking descriptions and depictions of polo in antiquity are found in works by Persian poet-historians of the thirteenth to seventeenth centuries AD. Rare books and manuscripts of that period, now in the world’s museums and private collections, contain texts often referring to polo in earlier centuries – a tenuous history of the ancient game told through stories that are sometimes more legend than fact.

Many of the Persian manuscripts are beautifully illustrated with depictions of the game. The work was often executed by artists working under royal commissions, for in those days polo was very much a ‘game of kings’. It was in the British Museum during research for my 1971 book Chakkar: Polo Around the World that I discovered a number of Persian manuscripts containing, in total, some 35 miniatures with polo scenes.

One of the most appealing and unusual stories from the manuscripts was a ‘prodigal son’ tale of how a Persian queen was reunited with her long-lost son during a polo match. It was buried in a 16th century work, Darabnama, an epic poem by Abu Tahir Tarsusi and illustrated by the artist Sanvala. The curator assisting us, Nora Titley, kindly gave a translation of the flowery text on the pages:

‘It is said that after many years Humay Queen of Persia longed for the return of Darab, the son she had sent away at birth, so to console the Queen her courtiers suggested she play polo. Thus it was that Humay decreed that all the nobles and celebrities gather at the maidan [public square] and there was great rejoicing that Humay should play polo and when she arrived at the maidan, dressed in chain mail and wearing her crown, there arose a great noise of drums and cymbals and flutes and elephant bells.

‘Humay and her slaves played against the noble Rashnavad and his men and their horses’ hooves made the dust rise and Humay played until the ground became hot, but she could not get the ball. Then Darab arrived at the maidan, unknown and knowing nothing of his birth but feeling sad for Humay. Darab took a mallet from a slave and disguised himself in the slave’s cloak and galloping onto the field took the ball away from Rashnavad and took it to the goal scoring many times. Then Darab paid homage to Humay and when her eyes fell on him she stopped playing and asked “From where have you come”… and thus was the Queen of Persia reunited with her lost son Darab.’