Free Entry to Ferdowsi Tomb

To commemorate Ferdowsi Day, entry to his tomb in Tous, Khorasan Razavi Province, is free today. “Entry will be free of charge for everyone,” Mohammad Reza Kargar, director of museum affairs at Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, was quoted as saying in a statement on the organization’s website. Born around 940 in Tous, Ferdowsi was an influential Iranian poet whose contributions to Iranian literature and identity went unappreciated for centuries after his death in 1020. It was not until the early 20th century that the role of his works, particularly the epic Shahnameh, in literature was understood by academics. Ferdowsi was originally buried in the garden of his home, since his burial in the city had been forbidden. However, having realized the value of his contributions, Iran built a mausoleum for the eminent poet in 1934, where he now rests.