Literary Evening and Competition Dedicated to the Works of Saadi Shirazi Held at TSU
A solemn literary meeting and a creative reading competition were organized at the Magtymguly Turkmen State University on the occasion of the commemoration day of Saadi Shirazi, a prominent representative of classical Persian literature. The event, organized by the Cultural Center of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Turkmenistan, became a testament to the strengthening cultural and spiritual relations between the two countries.
Prior to the event, guests viewed a thematic exhibition dedicated to the works of Saadi Shirazi and the 2026 motto "Independent, eternally Neutral Turkmenistan — the land of swift horses."
TSU Rector Orazgeldi Ovezsahedov, IRI Ambassador Ali Mojtaba Rouzbehani, and Cultural Counselor Abdolreza Abbasi spoke at the opening of the ceremony. In their speeches, they emphasized the historical commonalities between Turkmen and Persian literature and the importance of neighboring relations.
The competition was attended by students from the country's leading higher education institutions, including TSU, the D. Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages, the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the S. Seydi Turkmen State Pedagogical Institute, and students of Persian language courses at the Cultural Center.
The competition consisted of three stages:
- Creative Reading: Participants recited the poet's poems from memory.
- Content Analysis: Participants explained the meaning of the recited lines in Persian.
- Knowledge Contest: The strongest participants answered questions about the poet's life and work.
According to the decision of the jury, the winners were:
- 1st Place: Nurana Amanmuradowa (Student of the IRI Cultural Center);
- 2nd Place: Nurana Garrybaýewa (Student of the IRI Cultural Center);
- 3rd Place: Selbi Orazowa (Student of the D. Azadi TNIWL).
The winners were presented with letters of appreciation, cash prizes, and a collection of Saadi Shirazi's works in the Turkmen language.
The literary evening concluded with performances by the TSU "Bagtyýarlyk owazlary" center and songs performed by students in both Turkmen and Persian. This event was a major step in increasing youth interest in classical literature and strengthening friendly relations.
Saadi Shirazi's work is a treasure of world literature, and the humanitarian ideas in his works are inextricably linked with Turkmen literature as well.
