Dr. Nizamuddin Zahedi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Tajikistan to the Islamic Republic of Iran, emphasized the transnational significance of Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani and called for strengthened scholarly and cultural cooperation among ECO Member States to collect, edit, and publish the manuscripts of the renowned scholar and mystic.
According to the Public Relations Office of the ECO Cultural Institute (ECI), Dr. Zahedi delivered these remarks during the consultative meeting on the collection, editing, and publication of the manuscripts of Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani. He described Hamadani as one of the most distinguished figures in the shared cultural heritage of the Persian-speaking world and the Islamic civilization, noting that his intellectual and spiritual legacy belongs not to a single nation, but to the entire region.
Dr. Zahedi stated that Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani embodied the values of dialogue, ethics, and wisdom, combining spiritual insight with social responsibility. He added that, at a time when the world faces identity crises, extremism, violence, Islamophobia, and growing cultural fragmentation, Hamadani’s ideas offer an important source of inspiration for regional solidarity, intercultural dialogue, and peaceful coexistence.
The Ambassador stressed that honoring Hamadani's legacy requires more than commemorating his name. Instead, he called for systematic scholarly efforts to study, translate, preserve, and promote his writings as a shared cultural treasure of the ECO region. He emphasized that the collection, critical editing, and publication of Hamadani’s manuscripts constitute the essential foundation for achieving this objective.
Highlighting Tajikistan’s special connection with Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, Dr. Zahedi noted that the revered scholar’s mausoleum is located in the historic city of Kulob and that his teachings and literary heritage have become an integral part of Tajikistan’s cultural identity. He also recalled that, under the initiative of President Emomali Rahmon, Tajikistan organized international commemorations marking the 680th and 700th anniversaries of Hamadani’s birth in 1995 and 2015, bringing together scholars from across the region and beyond.
He further explained that, in preparation for these commemorative events, Tajik scholars transcribed, critically edited, and published a significant number of Hamadani’s works in the modern Tajik script, adding that research on his intellectual heritage continues in the country’s academic institutions. Dr. Zahedi also announced that Tajikistan has nominated Dr. Hatam Asaszadeh as its national focal point for coordinating future scholarly cooperation within the proposed ECO initiative.
Concluding his remarks, the Ambassador presented several proposals to advance regional collaboration. These included organizing international academic meetings in Hamadan or Kulob, designating a "Year of Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani" across ECO Member States, establishing a Virtual International Center for Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani Studies under the leadership of the Miras Maktoob Research Institute in cooperation with academic institutions throughout the ECO region, and producing documentary and feature films on Hamadani’s life, travels, and intellectual legacy through joint regional initiatives.
Dr. Zahedi expressed hope that these proposals would strengthen cooperation among the Member States and contribute to preserving, studying, and promoting the enduring legacy of Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani as a shared cultural heritage of the ECO region.