TEHRAN – The Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Abbas Salehi issued a message on the occasion of the National Pen Day in Iran, which is celebrated on Tir 14 in the Iranian calendar, usually falling on July 5.

Salehi started the message by describing the Pen Day as “a day to honor thought, meaning, and creation; a day that offers an opportunity to pause and reflect once again on the lofty station of the writers, poets, thinkers, and bearers of the pen in this land”. 

“The pen is not merely a tool for writing, but the trustee of truth, the awakened conscience of society, and the eloquent voice of our culture and identity. When the ink of the pen is blended with the people’s pain and hope for the future, it writes history and illuminates the horizon,” Mehr quoted the minister as saying.

“In these days, when Iran is witnessing national solidarity and the social maturity of its people, I salute all those pens that have written about Iran and for Iran — those who, with responsibility, courage, and honesty, have narrated the truth and safeguarded hope,” the minister stressed.

“On Pen Day, I bow in respect to all those who, on this sacred path, quietly and with dedication, have kept the torch of knowledge alight — those who use words not to adorn, but to elucidate the truth,” Salehi noted.

“I honor this blessed day and ask the Almighty for ever-growing success for all the people of the pen, culture, art, and media in safeguarding the truth and enlightening minds,” he concluded.

The Pen Day was first marked on the Persian calendar in 2002 by the Iran Pen Society and the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution.

However, the occasion is rooted in the ancient era of Hooshang, the second king of the Pishdadian Dynasty, who gathered the writers and honored them in the Tirgan Festival celebrated on July 4. This historical connection is why the Iran Pen Society chose this date to commemorate the day.

The Iran Pen Society views this day as an opportunity to recognize the dedication of writers who promote the culture and art of Iran.

SS/SAB