TEHRAN—Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri has said the great poet Abolqasem Ferdowsi became the architect of a language which went beyond geographical borders of dialogue.

The masterpiece that Ferdowsi created was not only a literary work, but also a semantic system for the combination of epic, wisdom, morality, and identity, IRNA reported. 

May 15 as a day to mark Persian Language is not merely a reminder of a language heritage. It is a historical event for reviewing a civilizational project which is tied to the great name of Ferdowsi. 

He was not only a great poet, but also a strategic thinker who turned the language into a supporter of culture, identity, and survival in a sensitive time of history.

The great poet shaped the language epic without stepping into the boundaries of hostility with other clans or languages. 

He wrote at a time when Iran was scarred by historical turmoil and cultural threats. 

With an eye to the past and future, he didn’t give up to isolation. He resorted to awareness and created a masterpiece. 

Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, more than a narrative of wars, is a cultural document for endogenous peace and the revival of the linguistic and historical identity of a nation. 

Ferdowsi became an architect of language that echoed the thought, literature, mysticism and dialogue beyond borders in an area stretching from Indian subcontinent to Central Asia, Caucasus to Anatolia, and West Asia to North of Africa.

Persian language in light of Shahnameh, was rescued from oblivion and turned into the one of the most deeply rooted cultural media of the nations. 

In today's world, languages are not only the tools for relations but a strategic cultural asset and pillar of soft power diplomacy.

Persian language, supported by Ferdowsi's legacy, has unique potential for presence in the scene of global interactions. The language that carries justice in words, peace in mind, and beauty in expression deserves to play a role in global civilizational dialogue.

Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts relies on these deep roots and redefines Persian language as a global asset; a language for the collaboration, dialogue, and coexistence of nations. 

Currently, we need to recognize Ferdowsi as a cultural strategist more than ever. Just as our civilizational memory began with him, our cultural future depends on the continuity of his thought. 

In today's challenging world, where identity wars are raging beneath the surface of linguistic and cultural differences, Ferdowsi calls us to a deep understanding of ourselves and respect for others.

As the Persian language has developed civilization in cooperation with Arabic, Turkish, Urdu, Pashto, and other neighboring languages throughout history, it can also be a link for new civilizational dialogues. 

This language reserves the joint memory of nations that have lived together and can generate a new future. 

The day to mark the Persian language is a time for praising Ferdowsi. 

KD