This painting is based on Shahnameh ( book of the kings) of Ferdowsi series.

On his quest to rescue King Kavus from demons, the hero Rostam had to succeed in many trials of courage and strength. In this part of the story, Rostam was asleep, unaware that a huge 80 metre long dragon was approaching. He was woken up several times by Rakhsh, his faithful horse. But each time, the Dragon made itself invisible, and Rostam fell back to sleep. However, at last Rostam saw the dragon and drew his sword to kill it. With the help of Rakhsh, he was able to sever the dragon’s head.