Conference on Shahnameh opens in Tehran

TEHRAN,Nov. 23 (MNA) -- The Shahnameh, the celebrated work of the Persian epic poet Ferdowsi (935-1020), is currently being discussed at a conference that opened at the Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia in Tehran on Tuesday. The three-day conference has been organized by the Islamic Azad University with the help of the Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia, UNESCO and several other organizations. The organizers have previously announced that renowned experts and literati from international academic centers would attend the conference. However, no names of the literati were mentioned. The attendees are scheduled to visit the tomb of Ferdowsi in Tus after the conference ends. They will also visit the tombs of Omar Khayyam and Attar in Neyshabur. Last year, Iran organized programs to commemorate the millennium of the completion of the Shahnameh which narrates stories of legendary Iranian kings and heroes. The Shahnameh millennium was also accepted on UNESCO’s 2010 calendar of events. The Shahnameh, in which the Persian national epic found its final and enduring form, was completed in 1010. It was written for Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna. However, he didn’t welcome it because of the Shia religion of Ferdowsi. According some historical sources on Persian literature, Ferdowsi spent 30 years writing the Shahnameh, which is comprised of nearly 60,000 verses. Also known as “Book of Kings” in English, the Shahnameh is based mainly on the Khwatay-namak, a history of the kings of Persia in Pahlavi (Middle Persian) from mythical times down to the 7th century. For nearly 1000 years, Shahnameh has remained one of the most popular works in the Persian-speaking world.