ATU Commemorates Ossetian National Poet Kosta Khetagurov

Report by Directorate for International Academic Cooperation, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran—

Report prepared in English by Rasoul Firouzi

Allameh Tabataba’i University (ATU) hosted the international academic seminar, "Kosta Khetagurov: People and Freedom," on 16 October 2025, to celebrate the 166th birthday of the foundational figure of Ossetian literature. The event brought together scholars and students from Iran and Russia to strengthen academic and cultural ties.

The hybrid seminar, organized by ATU’s Russian Language Department, featured live participation at the Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages and online presentations from leading academics in North Ossetia-Alania (Russian Federation). Esteemed scholars from North Ossetian State University and the V.I. Abaev North Ossetian Institute for Humanitarian and Social Studies delivered keynote speeches, alongside their Iranian counterparts from ATU.

Academic discussions explored Khetagurov's legacy through comparative literature, linguistics, and folklore. Key topics included the poet's role in Caucasian freedom movements, his parallels in Persian literature, and his monumental contribution to standardizing the modern Ossetian literary language.

The event included cultural highlights, such as a poetry recitation by an ATU student and a flower-laying ceremony at the bust of Kosta Khetagurov, which was unveiled on the university’s campus last year in a joint ceremony.

The seminar concluded with a roundtable discussion that yielded concrete proposals for future collaboration, including the establishment of a joint working group for comparative Iran-Caucasus studies; organization of workshops on literary translation; and creating a student exchange program with the SOIGSI research institute.

This event, which coincided with official commemorative programs in North Ossetia, successfully reinforced ATU's position as a leading center for Slavic and Caucasian cultural and diplomatic studies in Iran.