The Persian legend of the red tulip tells the love story of Farhad and princess Shirin. While having no noble origin or title and nothing else to offer but his loving and open heart, the young man was put to the challenge by the father of the princess, who did not want his beloved daughter to marry a commoner. Thus, the challenge was no easy undertaking, the young man had to cut a passage through the rocks of a mountain and make a stream flow through to the palace. Farhad’s love was so strong that he started his work right away.

As the king found out that the young man was close to accomplishing his task, he thought out another trick to impede Farhad’s marriage with his daughter. He sent a messenger to the young man, to tell him that princess Shirin died of a sudden illness. Overcome with grief, Farhad threw himself from the top of the mountain and where each drop of his blood fell on the barren rocks, a scarlet tulip sprang, as an eternal symbol of his pure and undying love.