Tajikistan Distributes “Shahnameh” to Every Family as Gift from President Rahmon on 35th Independence Anniversary
Dushanbe, The Gulf Observer: Local authorities in Tajikistan have begun the free distribution of a two-volume edition of the epic poem “Shahnameh” by the renowned Persian poet Abulkasim Firdowsi to residents of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) and the Rasht Valley. Each family will receive a set of two volumes, with each book consisting of 1,200 pages.
According to Deputy Minister of Culture Manuchehr Sharifzoda, the distribution has already taken place in the districts of Lakhsh and Tajikabad and is currently ongoing in Rasht. The initiative will continue in the districts of Nurabad, Sangvorsky, Rogun, and Fayzabad. “More than 20,000 pairs of books will be distributed to the population of the Rasht Valley,” Sharifzoda stated.
The publication of Shahnameh was financed through the Reserve Fund of President Emomali Rahmon and published by the Sharky Ozod publishing house of the Executive Office of the Head of State. The preface to the book emphasizes that the edition is a personal gift from President Rahmon to the Tajik people in celebration of the 35th anniversary of state independence.
The Ministry of Culture earlier confirmed that the Shahnameh would be published in sufficient circulation to reach every family in Tajikistan by 2026. A special working group of scholars from the National Academy of Sciences prepared the text, which has been adapted into the modern Tajik orthography.
President Rahmon had first announced the decision to publish and distribute the Shahnameh in December 2023 during an international symposium marking the 115th anniversary of Academician Bobojon Gafurov. In March 2025, the President personally presented the first copies of the complete edition to women during a special gathering.
The Shahnameh, considered one of the world’s greatest literary epics, was composed by Firdowsi over more than three decades. The initiative follows earlier large-scale cultural projects, including the nationwide distribution of Bobojon Gafurov’s book “Tajiks,” also funded from the President’s Reserve Fund.
