"Common Cultural Structures: Identity of ECO Nations"

At the beginning of the ceremony, Sarvar Bakhti, the ECI president, said that the ancient territory of ECO region is heir to one of the most glorious cultures in the world, which has over time flourished and evolved. He pointed that common cultural structures such as language, poetry, music, and traditions are some of the components of the identity of the ECO countries and their distinguishing features as compared to the components of the identity of other nations.
While underscoring the significant share of authors and elites of the countries in enriching treasures of human knowledge, Bakhti said their works are the most obvious manifestation of the glory and prosperity of the culture and civilization of the ECO region. He further called Kamal Khujandi as one of the most brilliant personalities in the history of Persian literature.
Bakhti continued his remarks saying that the recognition and study of Khujandi's worldview, his thoughts and style of art is an important step towards gaining a better understanding of the mysticism of the 8th century and the stylistic characteristics of the Persian poetry and literature of that time. Hence, the freshly published book ‘Life and Works of Kamal Khujandi' is another gift offered by the ECO Cultural Institute to poetry and literature enthusiasts.
Further at the online event, Dr. Nizamuddin Zahedi, Ambassador of the Republic of Tajikistan to Iran, expressed his gratitude towards the ECO Cultural Institute for the publication of the book ‘Life and Works of Kamal Khujandi' and holding its launching ceremony and stated: "Kamal's name and works are common treasures of all the Persian Speakers of the world and this year, at the initiative of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, H.E. Emomali Rahmon, and with UNESCO's approval, the 700th anniversary of Kamal will be celebrated widely in Tajikistan. On the same occasion, publication of books and translation of Kamal's works as well as organizing scholarly conferences at international level have been planned."
While talking about Dr. Maghsoudzadeh's scientific and academic research studies conducted during the past four decades pertaining to Kamal, Dr. Nizamuddin Zahedi talked about the features of the book ‘Life & Works of Kamal Khujandi' and termed it as one of the indisputable achievements of contemporary Kamal studies. He then pointed to the incontrovertible advantages of the Persian transcript of the book over its Tajiki counterpart that are evident in every section and chapter of the book. Dr. Nizamuddin Zahedi then said that the scientific foundations of Kamal studies have been further reinforced in this book thus making it one of the most complete biographies of Kamal published so far.
The next speaker was Dr. Faezeh Joneydi, researcher and university professor, who talked about the historical antiquity of Khujand and the importance of this ancient city as the birthplace of authors such as Kamal Khujandi. "Kamal's poetry is a messenger of peace and friendship and he is a preacher of faith and love. Kamal is a mystic who, due to his association with Khujand and Tabriz, can be a mediator for cultural dialogue among the Persian speakers", she added.
The last speaker was Dr. Badruddin Maghsoudzadeh, Professor of the National University of Tajikistan and author of the book, who pointed to the status of arts and culture of Kamal's residential area in Tabriz, and acknowledged: "Kamal is a counterpart of Hafez in composing ghazal, and Hafez regarded Kamal highly and considered his words ‘pure'". Dr. Maghsoudzadeh further reminded that in recent years, researchers have paid more attention to the works and poems of Kamal Khujandi, and hoped that literary scholars in oriental studies centers would pay more attention to Kamal's poems.