For millennia, the Arab world has been one of extremes: a place where wind-swept desert plains coexist with tropical climes and rich vegetation. It is a place where the splendor and majesty of some of the largest and oldest cities on earth provide a stark contrast to wandering desert nomads who travel with all belongings in tow-a place where warring peoples are as common as a depth of spiritual commitment found few places on earth. This novel traces the development of the legendary city of Ishlandoen, a great metropolis that arose on the plains of the Persian desert and eventually gave birth to the Zoroastrian faith. The story follows the life of a reluctant leader, Ravi, who was trained from his birth to bring a scattered desert people together into one nation. It is the story of a powerful nemesis, the emperor of Lydia, who resides in pampered luxury while his kingdom is rampant with unspeakable crimes of lack. It is the tale of a mysterious Egyptian holy man who possesses mystical powers found nowhere else on earth. And it is the story of two young lovers who are separated by a desert and are destined to find one another. Woven together with accounts of magic and mystery, desert skirmishes and intrigue, passion and one's search for meaning, the story explores the wonder of ancient Persia. Within its pages, A Persian Tale describes the formation of a new city upon the hills and the plains of a desert, destined to forever alter the history of its people, laying the foundation for one of the most important religious movements that the world would ever know.