TEHRAN – At a meeting between the National Library Chair and Iran’s Archives (NLAI) Golamleza Amilkani and Tehran’s Ambassador Nizomidin Zohidi, the two sides highlighted the exchange of resources, the dispatch of researchers and the organisation of co-workers.
Amirkhani highlighted the importance of cultural and linguistic commonalities between the two countries, and the need to expand scientific and library cooperation, Isna reported.
Referring to the national project distributing Tajikistan’s “shaname” he said, “The precious initiative of the Tajik government in distributing “shaname” among all people in this country brings joy to Persian language lovers in Iran. ”
Reviewing previous collaborations, he said: “In 2017, the Dushanbe National Library was equipped with a room entitled “Iran.” Now you need to be more active. This space is ready to strengthen and collaborate with the National Library of Tajikistan and other scientific and cultural institutions in the country. ”
“There is a wide range of capabilities in the exchange of resources, dispatching researchers and professors, organizing joint workshops. For us, for us, for the sake of our shared language and culture.
Also speaking at the meeting, Nizomidin Zohidi expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and spoke about the favourable state of bilateral relations.
Referring to Tajikistan’s “Shaname” distribution project, he added: “The printing and distribution of 3.4 million copies of Feldoushi’s “Sharname” is on the agenda. A significant portion of this is produced by Iranian printers. Shadow. ”
Free distribution of hundreds of thousands of copies of Shaname, the epic work of Persian poet Abolkasem Feldwi, began in Tajikistan.
According to the Tajik government, the initiative aims to make the nation more familiar with the epic tales of “Shaname,” the history of honor, literature and culture, nurture a new generation with a spirit of patriotism, promote courage and heroism, and prepare young people to defend their homelands.
This epic is published by the publication of Sharq-e Azad (Free East), a member of the Tajikistan Presidential Office.
The order to distribute “shaname” free of charge to the Tajikistani people was issued by Tajikistan President Emomali Ramon.
Shahnameh is a unique literary masterpiece filled with grand, romantic and mythical stories. Its storytelling style is perfectly consistent with storytelling traditions around the world, offering deep insight into Iranian culture, art, and even ancient Persian governance and political traditions.
Hakim Abul-Qasem Ferdows (940-1020) is a Persian poet and author of Shahnameh, one of the longest epics in the world, created by one poet, and the largest epic in the Persian-speaking country.
He is one of the most influential figures of Persian literature and is celebrated as one of the greatest figures in literary history.
Feldouzi’s patriotism is prominently displayed in his grand poem, Shaname, where he celebrates Iran’s history, culture and language, and defends the value of courage, wisdom and the pride of the people. His work is seen as a strong claim of Iranian identity.
“Shahnameh” holds a special place in the cultural memory of the Tajik people. For centuries, this monumental work has been seen as a source of patriotism, courage, and the ethics of chivalry for successive generations.
Throughout many periods, from ancient times to the period of Tajikistan’s independence, “Shaname” has always attracted the attention of national scholars and literary enthusiasts. Even during the Soviet era, when Persian scripts were replaced by Cyrillic, efforts were made to rewrite “Shaname” with new scripts to make this work accessible to people.
Zohidi has also announced five more cooperation proposals: exchange of librarians and restoration expertise and experts, exchange of manuscripts and books, providing online access to researchers, holding joint workshops and strengthening the Tajikistan corner of the Iranian National Library.
Looking at the importance of the archive, he states: “In Tajikistan, the archival organisation and the national library are independent institutions and require greater cooperation with Iran in this area, and there is a project to identify and catalog all works and articles relating to Iranian Tajikistan.
In conclusion, the ambassador highlighted the shared cultural figures between the two countries, saying: “Next year marks the 150th anniversary of Master Sadridin Aini. To commemorate the Iranian National Library, we hope to strengthen our programmes, including Iran’s Tajikistan cultural age.
Sadriddin Aini (1878-1954) was an intellectual of Tajik who wrote poetry, fiction, journalism, history and dictionary. He is a national poet of Tajikistan and is considered one of the most important writers in the history of the country.
In 1934 he attended the first Soviet Writers’ Conference as a representative of Tajik. By asserting national identity in his writings, he was able to escape Soviet censorship, which quieted many intellectuals in Central Asia. He was a member of Tajikistan’s highest Soviet for 20 years, awarded the Order of Lenin three times and was the first president of the Academy of Sciences of Tajik SSR. Since 1992, his writing helped to unite the sense of Tajik nationalism that survived the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Aini’s early poems were about love and nature, but after a national awakening in Tajikistan, his subject shifted to the New Age and the dawn of the working class.
***Photo: Gholamreza Amirkhani (2nd L) and Nizomiddin Zohidi (c) will meet in Tehran on August 27th.
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