President: Ferdowsi Revitalized Iranians Identity

Tehran, May 30, IRNA – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iranian nation needed an epic to maintain monotheism of Prophet Mohammad and sovereignty of justice and this was done by the great Iranain poet Ferdowsi who revitalized Iranians' identity. He made the remarks in a ceremony to honor researchers on Ferdowsi and commemoration of registration of storytelling in the intangible cultural heritage list of the United Nations Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization(UNESCO). "Iranian nation were following prophets' message and monotheism, but in the course of time they got polytheism and egoism," said the president. "Changing this trend, the Iranian nation needed an epic and it was provided by Ferdowsi who wrote the epic work of Shahnameh," Ahmadinejad said. He added Ferdowsi flourished Iranian civilization and culture. Abulqasim Ferdowsi Tousi known as Ferdowsi is a highly revered Persian poet. He is the author of the Shahnameh (the epic of kings), the national epic of Iran and related societies. The poet was born in 940 AD in Tous and died in 1020 in the same city./end