Khurāsānīyyāt, No 8 A Tribute to the Sage of Ṭūs: An Account of the Formation and Proceedings of the Ferdowsi Millenary Congress, a Turning Point in Shāhnāma Studies
Document Type : pajoohesh
Author
Ph.D. Candidate, University of Tehran
10.22081/jap.2026.80045
Abstract
In 1934 (1313 Sh.), Iran—and particularly the region of Greater Khurāsān—hosted a distinguished gathering of some of the world's foremost scholars of the Shāhnāma. Literary figures and researchers from various countries traveled to Khurāsān to commemorate the millenary of Ferdawsī and, symbolically, to redress the neglect and ingratitude that, according to tradition, Sulṭān Maḥmūd of Ghazna had shown toward the poet a millennium earlier. Preparations for the construction of a new mausoleum for Ferdawsī had begun as early as 1922 (1301 Sh.), when a number of government officials sought to secure the necessary funding for the project. After more than a decade of planning and effort, a congress was finally organized in both Tehran and Mashhad to coincide with the inauguration of the new mausoleum. The event brought together leading scholars of the Shāhnāma from around the world, who presented research on various aspects of this monumental work and contributed significantly to the advancement of Ferdawsī studies. Drawing upon contemporary documents and periodical sources, this article reconstructs the organization and proceedings of the congress and examines its enduring impact on the development of Shāhnāma scholarship.
Keywords
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