A new exhibition at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., offers a glimpse into the rich literary tradition of the Persian language. Titled "A Thousand Years of The Persian Book," the exhibit showcases a unique Persian collection, one of the most important outside of Iran. It includes editions of the 10th-century epic poem "The Shahnameh" -- or "Book of Kings" -- as well as contemporary novels from Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. The head curator, Hirad Dinavari, told RFE/RL that the goal of the exhibition is to introduce the Persian language to a Western audience, and to help give Persian speakers a better understanding of their own heritage.
A Thousand Years of the Persian Book
![The exhibition looks at the Persian language, its early writing system, its modern script, and fields including history, religion, literature, poetry, works by women writers, and children's literature.](https://gdb.rferl.org/f76b7af4-3796-4894-abcf-652d245fd5d6_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
1
The exhibition looks at the Persian language, its early writing system, its modern script, and fields including history, religion, literature, poetry, works by women writers, and children's literature.
![A visitor looks at the books displayed in the religion section of the exhibition.](https://gdb.rferl.org/23be1337-ccb5-4570-bdd3-3e62e386ae2c_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
2
A visitor looks at the books displayed in the religion section of the exhibition.
![A new edition of the epic poem "The Shahnameh," published in 2013, with illustrations by Hamid Rahmanian and a translation by Ahmad Sadri](https://gdb.rferl.org/d1feb67d-f919-420f-8641-b90e742099bf_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
3
A new edition of the epic poem "The Shahnameh," published in 2013, with illustrations by Hamid Rahmanian and a translation by Ahmad Sadri
![Young visitors take cell phone pictures of the exhibit.](https://gdb.rferl.org/e8b0678e-1276-4b69-9706-90e884868e3d_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
4
Young visitors take cell phone pictures of the exhibit.
![Curator Hirad Dinavari explains that Persian used to be the language of the elite in a vast area stretching from from the Moghul Empire in India to the Ottoman Empire. "It didn't necessarily tie in to a narrow ethnicity like it does today," he said. Dinavari said the exhibit is intended to showcase the diversity of Persian tradition across different faiths and ethnicities.](https://gdb.rferl.org/d60ebd55-c263-4f10-aef7-05a3ed052608_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
5
Curator Hirad Dinavari explains that Persian used to be the language of the elite in a vast area stretching from from the Moghul Empire in India to the Ottoman Empire. "It didn't necessarily tie in to a narrow ethnicity like it does today," he said. Dinavari said the exhibit is intended to showcase the diversity of Persian tradition across different faiths and ethnicities.
![A 1565 manuscript titled "Marvels of Creatures and Oddities of Beings," by Zakariya ibn Muhammad ibn Mahmud Abu Yahya Qazvīnī](https://gdb.rferl.org/459fa86f-3d4c-4dc0-a4cb-b72b3f0fa506_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
6
A 1565 manuscript titled "Marvels of Creatures and Oddities of Beings," by Zakariya ibn Muhammad ibn Mahmud Abu Yahya Qazvīnī
!["The Book of Licit Magic," by Muḥammad Ahlī Shīrāzī, from 1545](https://gdb.rferl.org/36d65fad-8d8f-4b0d-adb9-778f4aaea9d7_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
7
"The Book of Licit Magic," by Muḥammad Ahlī Shīrāzī, from 1545
!["The Book of the King," by Muḥammad Amīn ibn Abī al-Ḥusayn Qazvīnī, from India, 1825](https://gdb.rferl.org/18860c21-1c55-4f2a-b008-b8b01c8ad8ed_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
8
"The Book of the King," by Muḥammad Amīn ibn Abī al-Ḥusayn Qazvīnī, from India, 1825
!["The Gift of the Kings and Their Practices," from Tabriz, Iran, 1856–1857](https://gdb.rferl.org/2c4a86e3-58c1-4dfa-92dc-3ae61a0df857_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
9
"The Gift of the Kings and Their Practices," from Tabriz, Iran, 1856–1857
![Among the collection of women writers is "The Collected Poems of Āyisha Durrānī," from Kabul, published in 1881.](https://gdb.rferl.org/e31a86b9-e8e4-4dfe-b389-958f556b5f2b_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
10
Among the collection of women writers is "The Collected Poems of Āyisha Durrānī," from Kabul, published in 1881.
!["The Hymns of The Holy Gathas," from Bombay, 1927](https://gdb.rferl.org/66a53156-57d0-48e8-bf60-fb541573cb09_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
11
"The Hymns of The Holy Gathas," from Bombay, 1927
![An embossed leather book cover from the 19th century](https://gdb.rferl.org/43a7c9fc-d69a-4b68-89d5-1c2b7f652abd_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
12
An embossed leather book cover from the 19th century
!["The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam," a collection of 11th-century poetry, published in 1946 with a translation by Edward FitzGerald and illustrations by Arthur Szyk](https://gdb.rferl.org/4778e0fc-3083-4107-98cc-50e254c46631_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
13
"The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam," a collection of 11th-century poetry, published in 1946 with a translation by Edward FitzGerald and illustrations by Arthur Szyk
!["Shahnameh: The Epic of the Persian Kings," in a new 2013 edition illustrated by Hamid Rahmanian and translated by Ahmad Sadri](https://gdb.rferl.org/1572d7d5-f81a-4d3e-b235-90452f15dfca_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
14
"Shahnameh: The Epic of the Persian Kings," in a new 2013 edition illustrated by Hamid Rahmanian and translated by Ahmad Sadri