TEHRAN -- Iran and Tunisia are seeking to deepen their cultural and intellectual ties through greater cooperation in literature, translation and philosophical studies, with a recent joint event highlighting their shared Islamic intellectual heritage and opportunities for further academic exchange.
The event, titled Islamic Wisdom: A New Dialogue between Iran and Tunisia, was organized through a collaboration between Iran’s Book City, Tunisia’s Al-Kitab bookstore and the Cultural Counselor’s Office of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Tunisia.
The gathering focused on Three Muslim Sages: Avicenna, Suhrawardi, Ibn Arabi, a book by Iranian-American philosopher Seyyed Hussein Nasr, and provided an opportunity for Iranian and Tunisian scholars and cultural representatives to discuss ways of expanding literary, intellectual and cultural relations between the two countries.
At the beginning of the meeting, Lotfi Jellouli, representing Al-Kitab, highlighted the historical background of scientific, cultural and commercial exchanges between Iran and Tunisia. He described the organization as a platform for connecting books, knowledge and intellectual exchange.
Jafar Morvarid, Iran’s cultural counselor in Tunisia, also emphasized the importance of continuing such initiatives, describing bookstores as more than commercial spaces for selling books. He said they could serve as centers of intellectual discussion, critical thinking and interaction between academics and the wider reading public.
Ali Jafarabadi, CEO of Book City, joined the meeting online and delivered his remarks in Arabic, drawing on the institution’s two decades of experience in organizing international cultural programs.
He stressed that lasting relations between countries are strengthened through mutual understanding, reading and translation. He described the selection of Three Muslim Sages as a reminder of the shared intellectual heritage of the Islamic world.
Referring to the recognition of Ibn Khaldun in Iran, Jafarabadi emphasized the importance of introducing contemporary Tunisian literature to Iranian readers.
He proposed several practical initiatives to expand cultural cooperation, including introducing Tunisian women writers to Iranian audiences, exchanging children’s and young adult literature, strengthening connections between publishers and translators, organizing joint discussions on Ibn Khaldun and publishing bilingual Persian-Arabic collections.
Ali-Asghar Muhammadkhani, deputy for cultural affairs at Book City, reviewed the institution’s efforts to establish literary connections with around 40 countries.
He noted that although translations of Arabic literature into Persian have increased, Tunisian fiction remains relatively unfamiliar to Iranian readers.
Recalling the joint conference dedicated to Persian poet Ferdowsi and Tunisian poet Aboul-Qacem Echebbi, Muhammadkhani said Iranian audiences have become more familiar with Tunisian religious thinkers, including through
 the translation of seven works by Tunisian scholar Abdelmajid Charfi.
He also referred to comparative studies examining Charfi’s ideas alongside those of Iranian intellectuals such as Mojtahed Shabestari, Abdolkarim Soroush and Mostafa Malekian.
Drawing on the contribution of Persian-language programs at Egyptian universities to translation and cultural exchange, Muhammadkhani called for the expansion of Persian-language studies at universities in Tunisia.
A video message from Seyyed Hussein Nasr was also presented during the meeting.
Nasr explained that his selection of Avicenna, Suhrawardi and Ibn Arabi was intended to introduce three major intellectual traditions within Islamic civilization. He also highlighted the continued educational use of the book in both Western and Islamic academic circles following its translation into several languages.
Iran’s Ambassador to Tunisia Mir Masoud Husseinian described the book as a reflection of the intellectual, rational and spiritual diversity of Islamic civilization, calling it an intellectual bridge between the eastern and western parts of the Islamic world.
Lotfi Aissa, a professor of history at the University of Tunis, emphasized that shared religious beliefs alone are insufficient to establish meaningful mutual understanding. Genuine dialogue, he argued, requires a serious and critical reassessment of intellectual traditions.
Discussing Nasr’s traditionalist philosophical perspective and his emphasis on sacred knowledge, Aissa examined how the ideas of the three Muslim philosophers, despite their differences, converge on several important questions.
He also called for a balanced, critical and academically rigorous engagement with Western scholarship on Islamic thought.
Abdullah Albughobaish, a professor at Allameh Tabataba’i University, also addressed the meeting online, examining the different approaches to knowledge developed by the three thinkers.
He identified rational demonstration as a central feature of Avicenna’s philosophy, the integration of reason and intuition as a defining characteristic of Suhrawardi’s Illuminationist philosophy, and mystical unveiling as a key element of Ibn Arabi’s thought.
Albughobaish also stressed the importance of reciprocal translation, calling for greater attention from Tunisian cultural institutions and intellectuals to the translation of contemporary Iranian philosophical and intellectual works into Arabic.
The meeting concluded with a question-and-answer session in which participants discussed the relationship between rational and intuitive knowledge. The discussions also outlined opportunities for continued cooperation between the participating institutions, particularly in publishing, translation, academic exchange and the promotion of shared intellectual heritage.