Karkadann
The Karkadann is a legendary beast from Persian and Arabic mythology, often described as the Persian version of the unicorn. This powerful creature was believed to inhabit the grassy plains of India, Persia, and North Africa, and is based on the Indian rhinoceros as described by early scholars. First documented in the 10th and 11th centuries by the Persian scholar Al-Biruni, the Karkadann evolved in later writings from a simple rhinoceros-like animal into a fearsome mythical beast endowed with magical properties. It appears in the famous collection One Thousand and One Nights during the Second