Artists, experts receive Ferdowsi Medals

Persian language scholar Seyyed Fat’hollah Mojtabai (2nd L) accepts a Ferdowsi Medal at the University of Ferdowsi in Mashhad on May 14, 2019.  (Photoshahr/Hossein Shariat)

TEHRAN – Russian graphic designer Sergey Feofanov, Iranian experts Seyyed Fat’hollah Mojtabai and Sajjad Aidanlu, and a performer of naqqali, Mostafa Saeidi, were honored with Ferdowsi Medals during a ceremony in Mashhad on Tuesday.

The University of Ferdowsi was the main organizer of the ceremony attended by Cinema Organization of Iran director Hossein Entezami and a number of art and cultural figures.

Feofanov is a senior stage and graphic designer. He has also created paintings and sculptures inspired by the Shahnameh, the epic masterpiece of the Persian poet Ferdowsi.

Mojtabai has so far written and published over 200 books and articles in Persian and English in Iran and out of Iran.

Aidanlu has also published books and articles on the Shahnameh.

Saeidi is a naqqal or a performer of naqqali, a style of storytelling dedicated to Shahnameh epic stories. He performs at teahouses across Lorestan Province.

In his brief speech, Entezami said that disregard of the Shahnameh might imperil the identity of the Persian language.

“If there was no Ferdowsi, Iranians would not have any myths, and returning to this epic spirit manifested in the Shahnameh is necessary indeed,” he remarked.

“We need to pay due attention to the Shahnameh while producing our cultural products, to help them remain eternal,” he added.

The honoring ceremony was part of an international conference, which opened in Mashhad on Monday to discuss connections between the Shahnameh and the Silk Road. The conference came to end on Wednesday with a celebration of Ferdowsi Day at the tomb of Ferdowsi in the northeastern Iranian town of Tus.