TEHRAN – Iranian director Davud Mirbaqeri who is most famous for his serials on distinguished personalities from early Islamic history plans to make his new project on Salman Farsi, the Iranian companion of the Prophet Muhammad(S).

In a press release published on Wednesday Mirbaqeri said he hopes to launch the pre-production of the series in March 2019.

“‘Salman Farsi’ will be one of the largest projects of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting,” he added.

Salman Farsi was one of several individuals of Persian origin residing in Arabia, probably as a consequence of Sassanid involvement in Yemen. He was among the freedmen (mawali) of the Prophet Muhammad (S) and became the model of Persian converts and the symbol of the role that Persia and Persians would play in the future of Islam.

According to certain traditional sayings, Salman Farsi was the first who translated parts of the Holy Quran into Persian during the 7th century.

The story of the series will be recounted in three seasons, the first of which will be set in the Sassanid cities of Gabae, modern Isfahan, and Ctesiphon located about 35 kilometers southeast of present-day Baghdad.

“The second season covers the period of Salman Farsi’s life when he lived in the Byzantine Empire and the third season is about the rise of Islam and the life of Salman in Mecca and Medina where he was in company with the Prophet (S),” Mirbaqeri said.

His team will make the necessary sets for the first season, and the second season will be shot on location in Armenia, Turkey and Morocco, where Mirbaqeri is scheduled to hire a local cast.

The third season will be shot on a set where Majid Majidi’s “Muhammad, the Messenger of God” was filmed.

Mirbaqeri described the last season of the series as difficult and said that the shooting of all three seasons will commence at the same time.

He estimated that the series would take about five years to complete.

Mirbaqeri is the director the 40-episode “Mokhtarnameh”, which chronicles an uprising organized by Mokhtar Saqafi after the events of Ashura to take revenge against the killers of Imam Hussein (AS).

He has also made “Imam Ali (AS)”, a blockbuster TV series that centers on Imam Ali’s fight against ignorance after the demise of the Prophet Muhammad (S).

Photo: Davud Mirbaqeri (R) directs Farborz Arabnia in a scene from “Mokhtarnameh”.

MMS/YAW