Speaking during a meeting organized by the Khorasan Ravazi branch of the Society of Cultural Works and Luminaries, Jafar Morvarid said that the annual meetings to celebrate Khayyam Day and Ferdowsi Day are to be held in Mashhad on May 15 and in Neyshabur on May 18.

Neyshabur is Khayyam’s hometown, which also houses his tomb. He is primarily known to English-speaking readers through the translation by English writer Edward Fitzgerald of a collection of his quatrains in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.

Abolghasem Ferdowsi is the composer of the Persian epic Shahnameh (The Book of Kings), the famous celebrated work of the poet in which Persian poetry is presented in a state-of-the-art form that continues to impress literature experts to this day. He is buried in Tus, his hometown that is located near the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad.

Morvarid said that the Society of Cultural Works and Luminaries will be fully cooperating with the organizers to ensure that the celebrations to honor the two renowned poets and their cities are held in the best possible form.

He added that the arrangements have been made in order to execute great celebrations with quality programs and features, including academic lectures by prominent figures.

Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Abbas Salehi’s message for these days will be read during the virtual meetings.

Ferdowsi Day is celebrated by Iranians as a day to safeguard the Persian language and literature, and the Shahnameh is honored as a book of life, which teaches nobility, wisdom and ethics.

Source:Tehran Times