Afghanistan paid tribute Wednesday to the legendary 15th-century literary figure Ali-Shir Nava’i in an international symposium at his birthplace in western Herat province.
According to the ECO Cultural Institute, quoting Bakhtar News Agency, the symposium was in connection with the 580th anniversary of the birth of this world-renowned poet, writer, politician, linguist, and painter. Delegates from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkey also took part in the seminar, which was attended by a number of ministers, researchers, novelists, cultural figures, and more than 1,500 domestic guests from Afghanistan.
At the beginning of the seminar, Mohammad Shaker Kargar, Director Chief of Staff to the Office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, welcomed the participants and spoke about the importance of the seminar and the re-reading of the thoughts of Amir Ali-Shir Nava’i.
In his message on the occasion, President Ashraf Ghani hailed the ideas of Nava'i in regard to common regional culture.
“The regional cooperation in the fields of culture and economy and the ideas of the peace-loving thinkers will lead us to a path free of violence. We consider the role of culture important in an environment free of violence, regional cooperation and national unity,” said Ghani in a video message at the symposium.
Afghanistan’s Culture and Information Minister Mohammad Taher Zuhair, in his remarks, indicated various dimensions of Ali-Shir Nava’i's personality, calling him a mystic, poet, musician and writer of the Timurid era.
He added: "The outstanding 15th-century poet also founded, restored, or endowed hundreds of mosques, madrasas, libraries, hospitals, caravanserais, and other educational and charitable institutions in Khorasan, a historical region comprising a vast territory now lying in northeastern Iran, southern Turkmenistan, and northern Afghanistan."
Mohammad Tahir Zuhair also vowed to develop a museum on the Timurid era in Herat as well as a grand library on the works of Nava’i.