TEHRAN – Ordibehesht 25 in the Iranian calendar corresponding with May 15 is the National Commemoration Day of the renowned poet Ferdowsi, the influential Persian poet and author of the Persian epic, the Shahnameh.
A commemoration ceremony was held at Tous Cultural Complex near the tomb of the great poet, with a group of people and officials in attendance.
President Ebrahim Raisi said the great “open-hearted and free-thinking” Iranian poet revived the Persian language and the history of Iran, noting that his commemoration will help promote the Iranian-Islamic identity.
“Undoubtedly, commemorating this prominent poet and introducing his precious personality and works to the society, especially the young generation, will greatly help promote the Iranian and Islamic identity and self-confidence, develop and deepen common language and national empathy as well as regional solidarity,” he said in a message.
The greatness of Ferdowsi, the president said, is in his heroic perseverance in creating the national epic of the Islamic Iran.
The president described Iran as a “cultural and spiritual truth in the heart of the ancient continent of Asia”, which connects the East to the West.
The administration supports researchers and professors in the direction of institutionalizing the thoughts of great figures like Hakim Ferdowsi in order to promote the rich Iranian culture, he added.
Ferdowsi was born in 940 CE in a small village near Tous. He is best known for his magnum opus, Shahnameh (Book of the Kings), which is a classic in epic Persian poetry and recounts Iran’s mythical and historical past.
The book, which had a great influence on the nation’s cultural heritage, chronicles the legendary history of the pre-Islamic kings of Iran from Keyumars to Yazdegerd III.
Ferdowsi spent over three decades writing the book in Persian at a time when Arabic was the main scientific and literary language of Iran.
Shahnameh is composed of 55,000 couplets and has been translated into several languages.
Every year, Iran pays tribute to its great poet on National Ferdowsi Day marked on May 15.