TEHRAN – A number of academics and scholars from Iran and neighboring countries is commemorating Nur ad-Din Abd al-Rahman Jami during a two-day conference, which opened on Thursday in the northeastern Iranian town of Torbate Jam, the homeland of the 15th-century Persian poet. 

Scholars from Iran, Russia, Turkey, South Korea, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, and Iraq are exchanging views on Jami’s poetry and his personality. 

The conference is also playing host to guests from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS), Iran-Tajikistan Friendship Society, Asian Cultural Documentation Center, and ECO Cultural Institute. 

In a press release published on Tuesday, the organizers announced that 60 articles out of 307 submissions will be presented during the event. They also plan to publish a collection of the essays both in Persian and English.

The conference has been organized jointly by the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Torbat-e Jam Municipality and the Torbate Jam branch of the Islamic Azad University.

Jami was primarily an outstanding Sufi poet and theologian who is often credited for his eloquent tongue and readiness in repartee.
 
Jami wrote approximately eighty books and letters, some of which have been translated into English. He is also author of some works on history and science.

Amongst his famous works are “Haft Awrang”, “Tuhfat al-Ahrar”, “Layla wa  Majnun”, “Fatihat al-Shabab”, and “Al-Durrah al-Fakhirah”.

Photo: A poster for an international conference on Persian poet Jami 

AFM/MMS