Ali Mojtaba Rouzbahani, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Iran to Turkmenistan, discussed the history of cultural and scientific ties between the two countries and current areas of cooperation in an article for the Turkmen media. This was reported by the news website Turkmenportal.

According to the diplomat, the shared civilisational heritage of Iran and Turkmenistan is deeply rooted in the region’s history. The Ambassador cited Greater Khorasan, as well as Merv, Nisa, Sarahs, Nishapur and Abiverd. During the Seljuk era, Merv was one of the centres of literature, astronomy and mathematics. Among the authors who wrote in Persian, Arabic and Turkmen, Rouzbahani mentioned Anvari Abiverdi, Zamakhshari, Fakhr al-Din Razi and Magtymguly Pyragy.

According to the Ambassador, libraries in Turkmenistan hold thousands of manuscripts in Persian and Arabic, whilst Iran’s archives contain texts in Turkic, Arabic and Turkmen relating to the region’s history.

Cooperation continues in the study and cataloguing of ancient manuscripts, the joint publication of books, translation and scholarly research into these works. In June 2023, Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, presented Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the National Leader of the Turkmen people and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, with a two-volume edition of the revised divan of Magtymguly Pyragy.

Through the efforts of the Iranian Embassy in Ashgabat, several works by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, and President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, have been translated into Persian and published, including the book ‘Worshipping Mother — Worshipping a Sacred Person’. The translation of one of the volumes of the encyclopaedia ‘Medicinal Plants of Turkmenistan’ is ongoing, as is the translation of Serdar Berdimuhamedov’s book ‘Neutrality of Turkmenistan — A Bright Way of Peace and Trust’; its presentation is scheduled for a later date.