The culture ministers of Tajikistan and Iran have met in St. Petersburg to expand cooperation through joint cultural initiatives.
IRNA reports that the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Abbas Salehi, and his Tajik counterpart, Matlubakhon Sattoriyon, held a meeting in St. Petersburg on September 13 on the sidelines of the 11th St. Petersburg International United Cultures Forum to discuss views on expanding cooperation.
During the meeting, the Iranian minister reportedly highlighted the similarities between Iran and Tajikistan regarding cultural issues, stating, “Both countries share numerous cultural bonds, making it fitting to plan joint initiatives.”
Salehi proposed organizing joint events, such as contests and award ceremonies focused on Naqqali and reciting the Shahnameh, which are deeply rooted in the history of both nations.
For her part, the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Tajikistan welcomed this proposal, expressing her gratitude for the support of Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in publishing the Shahnameh, according to IRNA.
The Shahnameh ("The Book of Kings") is a monumental epic poem by the Persian poet Ferdowsi, composed between roughly 977 and 1010 CE. It chronicles the mythical and historical past of Greater Iran, from the creation of the world to the 7th-century Muslim conquest. Consisting of some 50,000 distichs or couplets (two-line verses), the Shahnameh is one of the world's longest epic poems, and the longest epic poem created by a single author
The work is of central importance in Persian culture and Persian language. It is regarded as a literary masterpiece, and definitive of the ethno-national cultural identity of Iran.
The free distribution of hundreds of thousands of copies of the Shahnameh has begun in Tajikistan. According to the Tajik government, the initiative seeks to familiarize the people of the country more deeply with the epic stories of the Shahnameh, honor history, literature, and culture, raise a new generation in the spirit of patriotism.
