TEHRAN - The culture and language of great Iranian poet Sadi Shirazi stems from identity of Iranians, said Minister of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri on Saturday.

Speaking in a ceremony which was held near Sadi mausoleum in Shiraz, Fars province, to commemorate this renowned master, Salehi-Amiri added that Sadi’s language includes reason, ethics, tolerance, and beauty, ISNA reported.

He called Shiraz as a cultural, art lover’s destination, and cradle of civilization and literature, adding: “Today, our society needs Sadi, Hafez, Molana (Rumi) and other luminaries more than any time.”

Currently, youth, women and men need Sadi and his virtue, knowledge, mysticism and ethics more than ever.

“We should once again keep the largest flag of peace, reconciliation and coexistence flying in Shiraz, Fars, and Iran and tell to the world that the message of peace and coexistence is from Shiraz and this geography.”

The region of Fars is the origin of Iranian culture and civilization, he added.

Pointing to the widespread presence of tourists in Sadieh, he said Sadi mausoleum, Hafezieh, Takht-e Jamshid, Pasargadae and the shrine of Shah Cheragh were the most visited sites across the country during Nowruz 1404 holidays.

He said Iranians have always lived in land of peace and friendship, adding the existence of the discourse of Sadi and Hafez has contributed to the perpetuation of this culture.

The history of Iranian culture shines in the world of humanity, he pointed out.

Today, many [Western] media outlets spread Iranophobia, but it never comes to fruition. “We believe that as long as we have great soft powers like Sadi and Hafez, we will last.”

There are few people in Iran who have not read the desirable and advising stories of Sadi as well as the attractive and delicate stories of his book Golestan or a poem from the book Boustan. From the ancient times, everyone who read the words of Sadi confessed the beauty of them and lauded this great Iranian poet.

Sadi is well-known across the globe and for this reason, UNESCO has named April 21 as Sadi's Commemoration Day. This is because of the fact that April is in spring and Sadi's work was greatly inspired by the spring season.

KD