Salehi proposes joint catalog of Iran, Kyrgyzstan manuscripts
‘Shahnameh,’ ‘Manas’ set to anchor new cultural cooperation
Iran's Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salehi proposed a comprehensive joint catalog of manuscript collections held in Iran and Kyrgyzstan during talks with Eldar Attokurov, head of National Library of the Kyrgyz Republic, as the two sides explored deeper scholarly and cultural cooperation on the sidelines of the 23rd Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Culture Ministers' Meeting.
The manuscript initiative came alongside a broader push to expand cooperation around the Persian epic ‘Shahnameh’ (Book of Kings) and Kyrgyzstan's national epic ‘Manas,’ two literary masterpieces that Salehi described as a “natural foundation for practical cultural projects” spanning miniature painting, traditional storytelling, music, and other artistic fields.
During his visit to the Kyrgyzstan national library, Salehi stressed the importance of identifying and making greater scholarly use of the valuable Persian manuscripts preserved in Kyrgyz collections.
He said advances in library technologies and artificial intelligence now make it possible to accelerate searches and improve access to manuscript data. “Using these advanced tools, information on manuscripts can be extracted more quickly and accurately and made available to researchers around the world,” he said.
Calling for concrete cooperation beyond formal agreements, Salehi proposed launching a detailed inventory of manuscript holdings in both countries. “The first step is to at least examine each other's manuscript catalogs so we can identify where new information and previously unknown materials may be found," he said.
Attokurov welcomed the proposal, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding written heritage and strengthening joint cultural and academic cooperation between the two countries.
Earlier, in a meeting with the head of the National Museum of History of Kyrgyzstan, Salehi urged both sides to complement cultural agreements with practical projects that could be implemented without lengthy coordination.
“The more we cooperate on Shahnameh and Manas, the more valuable our achievements will be,” he said, noting that the two epics offer broad opportunities for joint programs in visual arts, oral performance traditions, music, and related cultural fields.
Manas, inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013, is regarded as the world’s longest epic poem and a cornerstone of Kyrgyz cultural identity, recounting generations of struggles to unite scattered tribes and resist foreign aggression.
During his official visit, Salehi also paid tribute to celebrated Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov at the Ata-Beyit memorial complex, recalling his four decades of familiarity with the author's works through Persian translations.
He laid flowers at Aitmatov's grave and honored other prominent national figures buried at the site.
Salehi arrived in Bishkek on July 16 to attend the SCO culture ministers' meeting, where he is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with regional counterparts and pursue a cultural exchange agreement between Iran and Kyrgyzstan.