TEHRAN-Hakim Nizami is a poet who has an enduring status and lasting legacy throughout the Persian-speaking lands. With the power of poetry, he took a step in Iranian literature that is everlasting, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance said.

Seyyed Abbas Salehi made the remarks on Tuesday evening at the fourth commemoration ceremony of Hakim Nizami, held on March 12, which is named as Nizami Ganjavi Commemoration Day in the official Iranian calendar, IRNA reported.

The ceremony was held at Vahdat Hall in Tehran with the presence of ambassadors and cultural attachés from ten foreign countries, including the ambassadors of Tajikistan, Sierra Leone, the Czech Republic, Serbia, and Croatia, as well as a large gathering of professors and researchers of Persian language, literature, wisdom, and Islamic mysticism.

Referring to Nizami's poetry on earthly love and its connection to divine and eternal love, he said: “This is a highly delicate realm, and Hakim Nizami is someone who was able to speak of earthly love without crossing the threefold boundaries of love or slipping from one domain to another.”

“In the path that Hakim Nizami took in earthly love, he managed to intertwine it with divine love—a path that, although it did not continue as it should have, was initiated by him,” he added.

“Narrative and storytelling have a deep-rooted history in Persian literature, and there is a significant difference between a fable and a story. A fable, unlike a story, does not necessarily require climaxes and downturns. Hakim Nizami is the storyteller of Iranian literature and a poet who narrates through stories, which is why he holds a significant position in Persian literature,” Salehi continued.

He further stated: “Hakim Nizami is a turning point in Iran’s lyrical literature. he had a deep sense of belonging and attachment to Iran, and throughout his poetry, this affinity is intricately woven. Myths, kings, and everything that carries the essence of Iran are evident in his works.”

Also speaking at the event, the Ambassador of Tajikistan to Iran said: “The name and works of Nizami serve as a connecting link among regional countries such as Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and other Persian-speaking nations in the region. His literary contributions are shared across these countries, and today, they invite us to strengthen our cultural ties in this ever-changing world.”

“Hakim Nizami was one of the great poets who held a special role in several aspects. Like Ferdowsi, he was given the title of ‘Hakim’ (sage), and his poetry is not merely verse but a fusion of knowledge, wisdom, and deep thought, earning him a high status in this field,” Nizomiddin Zohidi noted.

“Hakim Nizami is regarded as the greatest composer of wise and romantic tales. He was one of the most innovative Persian poets, and with his ‘Khamsa’ (Five Treasures), he left an eternal mark of originality. Many poets have composed imitations of Nezami’s ‘Khamsa’ in the form of masnavis,” he stated.

Zohidi further said: “Poets like Jami, Abdallah Hatefi, and others have continued the tradition of ‘Khamsa’ writing in the best possible way. Even in the Indian subcontinent, poems inspired by him have been composed, with Persian poetry deeply woven into them.”

“Nizami's esteemed position in Persian literature, both regionally and globally, has led scholars around the world to preserve his works. In Tajikistan, Nizami’s works are accessible to literary scholars and are also included in university literature curricula,” he added.

Another speaker at the ceremony was the President of the Society for the National Heritage of Iran, who said, “Currently, 27 provinces across the country are hosting programs in honor of Hakim Nizami.”

In addition, Mahmoud Shalouei pointed out that Iran’s cultural attachés in various countries have also organized related events.

“Since last year, a statue of Hakim Nizami has been installed in Tehran’s Vanak Square, several books about him have been published, and additional books will be unveiled at the upcoming Tehran International Book Fair,” Shalouei continued.

“The Ambassador of Tajikistan has shown great dedication to the commemoration programs of Hakim Nizami. I would also like to express my gratitude to the Embassy of India for its commendable efforts in this regard,” he stated.

Furthermore, Shalouei urged the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance to provide serious support for producing cinematic works that honor and preserve the country’s cultural figures.

Jamal al-Din Abu Muhammad Ilyas ibn Yusuf ibn-Zakki, popularly known as Nizami Ganjavi and Hakim Nizami, was a Muslim poet and is considered the greatest romantic epic poet in Persian literature who brought a colloquial and realistic style to the Persian epic. His heritage is widely appreciated in Iran as well as the Republic of Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, the Kurdistan region, and Tajikistan.

Nizami influenced Persian poets who came after him. He had a wide range of knowledge of the common sciences of his time (such as literary sciences, astronomy, Islamic sciences, jurisprudence, theology, and Arabic language), and this feature can be clearly witnessed in his poetry.

He was very particular in selecting appropriate words and phrases, creating new and innovative combinations, inventing new and pleasant meanings and themes, depicting details with the power of his imagination, describing landscapes and describing nature and people, and using pleasant and new similes and metaphors, which ranks him among those who were unparalleled in comparison to those poets who came after him.

The famous and unparalleled masterpiece left behind by Nizami is “Khamsa” or “Panj Ganj” (Five Treasures), a lofty work in the realm of lyrical stories. He had spent 30 years of his life arranging and compiling his poetry. 

“Panj Ganj” comprises five Mathnavis (long narrative poems) of “Makhzan al-Asrar” (The Treasury or Storehouse of Mysteries, one of the prominent examples of educational literature in the Persian language), “Khosrow and Shirin” (the love story of Khosrow Parviz, the great king of the Sassanid Empire and the Armenian princess, Shirin), “Leily and Majnun” (the most famous classic love story of Persian literature), “Haft Peykar” (The Seven Beauties), and “Eskandarnameh” (The Book of Alexander).

SS/