TEHRAN -- A new Armenian prose translation of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, one of the most celebrated works of Persian literature, was unveiled at Yerevan’s historic Blue Mosque on Monday, in a ceremony attended by Iranian Vice President and head of the Plan and Budget Organization Hamid Pourmuhammadi, alongside prominent Iranian and Armenian cultural figures, academics and Iranologists.
The publication, translated by Gevorg Asatryan and edited, with an introductory essay, by Professor Garnik Asatrian, brings Ferdowsi’s monumental epic into Armenian literary prose, offering Armenian-speaking readers access to one of the defining works of Iran’s cultural heritage.
The ceremony opened with remarks by Iran’s Ambassador to Armenia Khalil Shirgholami, and brought together scholars, researchers, university professors and representatives of the two countries’ cultural communities.
Among those addressing the gathering was Professor Garnik Asatrian, who introduced the publication and discussed its literary and scholarly significance. 
Renowned Iranian-Armenian composer and conductor Loris Tjeknavorian also spoke about Ferdowsi’s enduring contribution to world literature, praising the importance of making the Shahnameh available to Armenian readers and recognizing the efforts behind the translation.
Addressing the event, Pourmuhammadi emphasized the longstanding historical and cultural connections between the Iranian and Armenian peoples, whose interactions extend back to the Achaemenid period.
He described the Shahnameh as a major repository of wisdom, ethical