Published under the supervision of the director of festival, Kurosh Javidi, the book also carries introductions by three Ferdowsi experts, Jalal Khaleqi-Motlaq, Jalaleddin Kazzazi and Qadamali Sarami. 

The English version of the book was published in Cambridge and its Persian digital version was already published.

The Shahnameh National Photo Festival has been organized to focus on the representation of Persian poet Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh in people’s life.

The first edition opened in the Iranian city of Tus beside the tomb of Ferdowsi in Khorasan Razavi Province in May 2017.

The exhibit displayed a collection of 57 photos that were taken by ordinary people and mostly focused on the main topics of the festival.

The topics included the tomb of Ferdowsi, the statues of Ferdowsi installed in different locations across the country, naqqali, which is a style of storytelling dedicated to Shahnameh epic stories, and the reflection of Shahnameh in the daily lives of people.
 
“I am well aware of the artistic value of the old miniatures, however, I don’t like the image of Rustam with all that grandeur but with a bald head and Mongolian eyes who has been sitting in a corner like an orphan child,” expert Khaleqi Motlaq wrote in the introduction of the book.

“Instead, I like the images and photos taken by a group of people published in the book. In this collection, it is as if Ferdowsi and his Shahnameh have become an integral part of people’s lives,” he said.

“Ferdowsi has been with people in the streets, and alleys and bazar, and in people’s conversations and has his shares in their sorrows and happiness,” he added.

The 2nd edition of the festival was held at Tehran’s Eshraq Cultural Center in June 2019.

Over 35 selected photos went on display in the 2nd edition with the motto of “Iran a Gallery for Shahnameh”. The exhibition was previously held in the Iranian cities of Mashhad, Gorgan, Qazvin and Rasht.

The festival is organized every two years by the Association of Shahnameh Reciters and the Association of Shahnameh Researchers.

Source: Tehran Times