TEHRAN -- Muhammad Jafar Yahaghi, a distinguished Iranian scholar of Persian literature and a permanent member of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature, has been elected a member of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan.
Yahaghi, an emeritus professor at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, received the academy’s special insignia and official membership decree at a ceremony in Dushanbe on Sept. 8, 2026. 
The appointment marks another step in longstanding academic and cultural ties between Iran and Tajikistan, particularly in the shared field of Persian language and literature.
Born in Ferdows in 1947, Yahaghi studied Persian language and literature at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad before completing his master’s degree there and earning a doctorate from the University of Tehran in 1981. He joined Ferdowsi University as a lecturer and rose to the rank of professor in 1993.
His academic career has combined teaching, literary research and the study of Iran’s classical heritage. He has headed Ferdowsi University’s Center of Excellence in Ferdowsi Studies and has played a prominent role in research on Persian literary history, particularly the Shahnameh, the works of Ferdowsi and the literary heritage of Khorasan. 
His academic profile also includes visiting and teaching appointments abroad, including at the University of Tokyo and SOAS University of London.
Yahaghi has published and edited more than 200 books and scholarly works. Among his better-known contributions are editions and studies of Tarikh-e Beyhaqi
 (The History of Beyhaqi), works on Persian mythology and literary figures, and research connected with Ferdowsi and the Shahnameh. 
His Farhang-e Asatir va Dastanvareha dar Adabiyat-e Farsi won the Farabi International Award, while his edition of Tarikh-e Beyhaqi has also received major recognition.
His international academic work has taken him to universities and research institutions across Europe, Asia and North America, where he has presented papers and lectures on Persian literature and Iran’s cultural heritage. 
His election to the Tajik Academy of Sciences further highlights the continuing scholarly connections linking Persian-speaking intellectual traditions across the region.
The Academy of Persian Language and Literature has welcomed the appointment, expressing hope that academic cooperation between Iran and Tajikistan, especially in Persian language and literature, will continue to expand.