Did you know that the real story is of Shirin Khusrow and Shirin Farhad ( made famous as a Punjabi qissa) is just an interlude?
Sassanian prince Khusrow Perviz fell in love with Shirin princess of Armenia based on description by a friend.
He travelled to meet her. The famous scene where he sees her bathing has been immortalised by many. But she doesn’t recognise him & they keep missing each other. Finally they meet but in meantime Khusrow ‘s kingdom has been snatched away.
Shirin asks him to overthrow usurper. For that he takes help of King of Constantinople and has to marry his daughter Maryam.
Now he can’t marry anyone else.
Meanwhile Farhad a stone cutter/ sculptor falls in love with Shirin.
He is exiled by Khusrow to Mt Bishtun to carve steps in sheer rock face.
Shirin visits him there. She’s tired so he carries her back horse and all.
The story compares Khusrow ‘s egoistic love to Farhad’s selfless love.
On hearing false news sent by Khusrow that Shirin is dead Farhad kills himself.
Shirin remonstrated with Khusrow but eventually married him when he repents.She consents to marry Khosrow after several romantic and heroic episodes.
But if a love story was happy it wouldn’t be famous!
Yet, Shiroyeh, Khosrow’s son from his wife Maryam, is also in love with Shirin. Shiroy finally murders his father Khosrow and sends a messenger to Shirin conveying that after one week, she would have to marry him. Shirin, in order to avoid marrying Shiroy, kills herself. Khosrow and Shirin were buried together in one grave.
This famous Persian tragic romance was written down by the Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi (1141–109 
