Echoes of Persian luminaries in Iran’s civilizational quest for soft power
By Abed Akbari
Guest contributor
The Persian months of Mehr (September-October), in Iran’s cultural calendar, recalls great names etched into the depth of history and the collective conscience of the Iranian world; from the day commemorating Rumi, the universal mystic from Balkh who rests in Konya, to the day honoring Hafez, the “Tongue of the Unseen” from Shiraz whose words remain a universal language of love and wisdom. This symbolic simultaneity is not merely a remembrance of the past; it is an occasion to rethink Iran’s cultural diplomacy on the basis of its civilizational luminaries—diplomacy that can revive and reimagine Iran’s soft power across a span from Balkh to Konya.
Cultural Iran, as a vast civilizational sphere, carries a shared heritage of Persian language, mysticism, poetry, philosophy, and art stretching from Central Asia to Anatolia, from Khorasan to the Caucasus, and from India to Mesopotamia. This expanse, transcending today’s political borders, is the product of centuries of interaction, dialogue, and cultural synergy. Figures such as Rumi, Nizami, Bidel Dehlavi, Rudaki, Ferdowsi, Sa’adi, and Hafez are the connectors of this historical memory. They are not merely cultural icons; they are the bearers of a common civilizational language that can serve as a foundation for renewed regional and transregional engagement.
In today’s world, where hard competition and political disputes often lead to distrust and division, the diplomacy of eminent figures can act as a smart tool for broadening mutual understanding and reducing tensions. Nations that have successfully harnessed their cultural heritage—China with Confucius, India with Tagore, and Turkey with Rumi—have elevated their national image and grounded their international relations in cultural respect. Iran, with its treasure of globally celebrated luminaries, holds a unique capacity for cultural soft power, a capacity that can complement foreign policy and reinforce the country’s regional and global standing.
The opportunities ahead are extensive. Multilateral cultural cooperation with countries of the broader Iranian sphere, hosting joint festivals and commemorations of luminaries, establishing research and cultural foundations in related countries, producing multilingual works in Iranian literature and philosophy, and strengthening cultural tourism in cities such as Shiraz, Balkh, Nishapur, Samarkand, Herat, and Konya can all foster a network of civilizational synergy.
Yet, effectively tapping these capacities requires a strategic outlook, coordination among cultural and policymaking institutions, and the institutionalization of a discourse of “cultural diplomacy” alongside official diplomacy. Along this path, emphasis on shared cultural elements, avoidance of possessive approaches, and portraying Iranian heritage as a platform for dialogue, peace, and coexistence are essential.
The diplomacy of eminent figures can transform the past into capital for the future. Just as Hafez’s poetry knows no borders and Rumi’s thought inspires both East and West, a conscious engagement with these treasures can present an inspiring and human face of Iran on the global stage.
In a tense world, where dialogue has been displaced by hard rivalries, Iran can, through its cultural heritage and civilizational luminaries, build a bridge of understanding and convergence—a bridge stretching from Balkh to Konya, carrying a message that resonates beyond politics, in the language of poetry, wisdom, and love.