TEHRAN — The exhibition “Pakistan Through the Ages” has opened at the ECO Cultural Institute in Tehran, showcasing Pakistan’s rich history, civilization and cultural heritage while highlighting the longstanding linguistic and spiritual ties between Iran and Pakistan.
Organized by the Embassy of Pakistan in Tehran in cooperation with the ECO Cultural Institute, the exhibition brought together Iranian cultural officials and representatives to celebrate the shared heritage of the two neighboring countries.
Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, head of the Saadi Foundation and the Academy of Persian Language and Literature, said Persian has played a significant role in introducing Islamic mysticism and its intellectual traditions to Pakistan.
He noted that tens of thousands of Persian manuscripts are preserved in Pakistani libraries and that Persian has had a profound influence on Urdu vocabulary. According to Haddad-Adel, the influence has led some scholars to describe Urdu as a daughter of Persian.
Highlighting the cultural affinities between the two nations, he said Iranians visiting Lahore often experience a sense of familiarity similar to visiting Isfahan.
Haddad-Adel also emphasized the importance of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, whose Persian poetry and philosophical ideas have helped connect the intellectual traditions of Iran and Pakistan. He further highlighted the 
literary legacy of Waqif Lahori, whose poetry has attracted appreciation among Iranian readers and performers.
Anoushirvan Mohseni-Bandpey, deputy minister for tourism at Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, said tourism could serve as an effective means of strengthening regional cooperation, supporting economic growth and promoting mutual understanding.
He called for expanding tourism routes, facilitating travel among member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), promoting shared cultural heritage and strengthening cooperation between public and private sectors.
In a message delivered by a representative, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran Imran Ahmed Siddiqui highlighted the country’s historical diversity, tracing its civilizational roots to ancient Mehrgarh, the Indus Valley Civilization and Gandhara.
He said Pakistan’s cultural identity had developed through the interaction and blending of different civilizations. Persian, he added, became an important language of literature, scholarship, administration and cultural expression following the arrival of Islam in the region.
The ambassador identified Lahore, Multan, Peshawar and Thatta as important centers preserving this shared cultural legacy and described Iqbal as a major figure linking the intellectual traditions of Iran and Pakistan.
Muhammad Hassan, president of the ECO Cultural Institute, described Pakistan as a mosaic of languages, traditions and cultural identities shaped by centuries of interaction among civilizations.
He said Pakistan’s heritage was distinctly national while also forming part of a broader regional legacy shared with neighboring countries.
The exhibition highlights the potential of cultural exchanges, tourism and literary cooperation to deepen mutual understanding and strengthen the historic relationship between Iran and Pakistan.