TEHRAN – Several cultural officials have offered congratulations over Ferdowsi Day, which was commemorated this year on May 14.

Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Abbas Salehi in his message published on Thursday called Ferdowsi the renovator of the history of Iran and the source of inspiration for the artists of today.

“His masterpiece Shahnameh is a precious treasure and an endless source for creation,” he added.

“This great masterpiece has had a significant role in the life and dynamism of the Persian language. Without Ferdowsi and his Shahnameh, the fate of this language would have been vague and unclear,” he noted.

Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, the director of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature, also sent a video message. 

“The Persian language has long been the venerable and common heritage of the great nations in the Indian subcontinent, West Asia, Central Asia, Afghanistan and south China,” he said.

“This language after over 12 centuries in exchange with other languages, especially Arabic, has reached a high value, turning into the second language of the world of Islam,” he added.

In a message published on Thursday, government spokesman Ali Rabiei also called Ferdowsi the shining star of the Iranian identity and the creator of a common chapter among Iranians.

“I think the literati, poets, painters, musicians and architects are those individuals who make our history and national identity, rather than the warriors, governors and the conquerors,” he said. 

“His stories and heroes enliven our social and cultural lives and form the meaning of ‘we’,” he added. 

“Ferdowsi does not belong to the past, but is a new word for all generations. The wisdom and ability composed by Ferdowsi in the world of today is a phenomenon distant from his time and is a guideline for all generations,” he concluded.

The Iranian Society of Cultural Works and Luminaries held a webinar on Wednesday to commemorate Ferdowsi Day.

A number of literati, including Hassan Bolkhari, Mir Jalaleddin Kazzazi, Ali Ravaqi and Vahidreza Qorbani, delivered speeches during the webinar.

Photo: A statue of Ferdowsi set up near his tomb in Tus.

RM/MMS/YAW