ATU faculty express readiness to cooperate with Tajikistan in Promoting the Ancestral Alphabet

Directorate for International Academic Cooperation–

Following the announcement of the policy to improve the quality of "Ancestral Alphabet" instruction in the Tajik education system—ordered by President Emomali Rahmon—a coalition of professors, researchers, and Persian language advocates from Iran and Afghanistan, including ATU faculty, co-authored a letter praising the initiative as a significant step toward preserving the shared cultural and linguistic heritage of Persian-speaking nations.

The letter states: "The Persian language is an invaluable heritage and a vital medium for transmitting the shared culture, literature, and spirituality of the peoples within the Persian-speaking civilizational sphere. Emphasizing its instruction and reinforcement will help solidify cultural bonds among the nations of this region."

Dr Gholamreza Zakiani, Dean of the Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages at Allameh Tabataba'i University, and Dr Mohammad Jafar Yahaghi, among the prominent signatories of the letter, pointed to several cultural initiatives implemented in Tajikistan in recent years. These include the establishment of the "Peyvand Association of Tajiks and Persian Speakers of the World," gifting copies of the Shahnameh to Tajik families, promoting Shahnameh-recitation, and holding traditional cultural ceremonies, describing these measures as evidence of the Tajik government's commitment to honoring Persian literature and culture.

Furthermore, members of Ferdowsi Wisdom Centres (Kheradsara-ye Ferdowsi) in Iran and abroad, alongside professors and researchers from Allameh Tabataba'i University and Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, as well as scholars and students from Iran and Afghanistan, have expressed their readiness to support Tajik teachers in instruction of the Persian script.

The proposed cooperation is intended to be conducted both in-person and online, aiming to strengthen Persian script instruction and broaden academic and cultural relations among educational and research institutions in Persian-speaking countries.

The letter concludes with the hope that the development and expansion of Persian script instruction will further strengthen the historic friendship and cultural ties among the region's nations, establishing a foundation for expanded academic and cultural partnerships.