Reverse of painted panel D viii 6 from ruined dwelling at Dandan-uiliq - The other side shows a 3 -headed demon. Stien considered this illustration so significant he included in several of his books. He writes that when he found it he was very nonplused as to its iconography. The figure is not Indian, nor Turkish nor Chinese but Persian. He is wearing the gold triple crown of A Sasanian king of kings. - He is a divinity (Buddhist Bodhisattva) as shown by the four arms. He ollds a curved sword, a drining cup and a spear head - but in the upper right hand raised the image is too damaged to tell what he is holding. He has a black beard and mustache and ruddy face. The narrow waist is Persian as are thebrocaded coat and top boots. The panel was a votive deposit at the temple. It was not until 15 years later, while Stein was completing his third expedition by exploring in Sistan - southeastern Iran that he solved the riddle. There at Kol-i-khwaja he found a large mural hidden behind a false wall. The immage was the same. And at that point he recognised it was a depiction of the Persian epic hero, Rustam, described among other places in Fidausi's Shan-nana. In his upraised right hand Rustam holds the ox-head mace. Stein notes that the period of occupation of Dandan-uiliq is approximately the same as that of Koh-i-khwaja indicating the artistic influence had spread widely..