TEHRAN -- Ankara stands poised to host a rare cultural convergence, celebrating the enduring legacy of Hafiz of Shiraz. 
The event, part of the 2025 Iran-Turkey Cultural Year, brings together the rich traditions of Persian poetry and music within the storied walls of Turkey’s Presidential Symphony Orchestra.
On Tuesday, Iranian and Turkish ministers of culture will open a ceremony that symbolizes more than diplomatic ceremony—it is an act of shared memory and artistic dialogue. 
The Iranian National Music Orchestra’s “Iranian Instruments” ensemble, under the direction of Pouria Shivafard with vocalist Mojtaba Asgari, will interpret Hafiz’s exquisite ghazals through a fusion of sound and word that has transcended centuries.
Hafiz’s poetry, steeped in mysticism and metaphor, continues to inspire beyond the Persian-speaking world, his verses echoing in the hearts of readers and listeners across cultures. 
The anniversary of Hafiz Day on October 12 has long been celebrated in Shiraz, but this year, the honor extends internationally, weaving a new chapter in cultural diplomacy between Iran and Turkey.
The gathering, with speeches from Culture Ministers Seyed Abbas Salehi and Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, is a reminder that art often speaks where politics falters. It honors not only a poet but the delicate threads of history and shared humanity that bind two nations with a complex, intertwined past.