Published under the title “Taman Mawar”, the book has been translated into Malay by a team of Malaysian translators, the Persian service of IRNA reported on Tuesday.

Sheikh Muslih od-Din Sadi Shirazi (C. 1213-1291) is one of the greatest figures of classical Persian literature famous worldwide for his Gulistan and Bustan (The Orchard).

The director of the National Library of Malaysia, Nafisah Ahmad, Iran’s Ambassador to Kuala Lumpur, Marzieh Afkham, and a number of Iranian and Malaysian scholars attended the ceremony.

In her opening speech, Afkham called Sadi one of the greatest poets in Iran and the world, and talked about Sadi’s famous books Gulistan and Bustan.

“This Persian poet has beautifully described the (moral) values in beautiful language, and now this book is available here in the Malay language,” Afkham said.

Pointing to the rich Persian literature, she hoped that the Malay translation would bring joy to the readers.Nafisah Ahmad, for her part, called Sadi’s Gulistan a world classic hit.

She expressed hope that the translation of great Persian literary works helps develop ties between the two countries and reinforce cultural relations.

Scholars Faizal Musa from the National University of Malaysia, author Muhammad Bukhari Lubis and Persian scholars in Malaysia Amir Zekrgu and Naser Qoli Sarli next talked about the Gulistan of Sadi. 

Iran’s cultural attaché in Malaysia, Ali-Mohammad Sabeqi, donated a collection of 500 Persian books with the central themes of children, and the history and culture of Iran to the National Library of Malaysia. 

Source: Tehran Times