Muscovites are learning Persian language over the weekends. Following an agreement between the Iranian Embassy in Russia and officials of the Muzeon Art Park, an elementary course in Persian language is being held for enthusiasts.
The state-funded Muzeon Park in Moscow is offering free classes in Persian and Central Asian languages. The Persian course will end on September 5, and Muzeon will issue certificates to those who pass a final exam.
Around 25-30 students are attending the Persian class every week. There are also additional courses for familiarization with Persian script and calligraphy, IRNA reported.
On completion of the course, those who are still interested to learn Persian language at higher levels will be referred to the cultural section of the embassy or advanced language centers.
Persian learning in Russia dates back to 1716, when Peter the Great sent five people to Isfahan to learn Persian and serve his government as translators. Since 1732, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has officially organized Persian courses. Decades later, Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh (Book of Kings) received special attention from Russian Iranologists, encouraging a great number of Russians to learn Persian.
Persian language classes in Muzeon have received a warm welcome but have to compete with the Tajik language which has become the most popular course at the park so far.
“It’s Omar Khayyam’s language and I love his poetry. And I just like studying; I want to learn something new. Moreover, this is not just a linguistics course, the teacher describes a lot about culture,” student Antonina Chelombeeva, a Russian-language teacher from Moscow told EurasiaNet.org.
