By Ali Baman Eqbali Zarche
Senior Eurasia Expert
International Peace Studies Center (IPSC)
“All human beings are limbs of one another,
For they are created from the same essence.
If one limb is afflicted with pain,
The other limbs cannot remain at ease.”
As we enter the year 1404 (2025-2026), the fragrance of spring blends with the spring of the Quran and the month of Ramadan, infusing Nowruz 1404 with a unique vitality, especially during the nights of Qadr. Wishing the best for all humanity, particularly Muslims and our dear compatriots, we reflect on Nowruz as a symbol of Iranian civilization and a beacon of soft power, albeit in a somewhat stagnant state.
For over three millennia, the historical and traditional interactions between the people of Iran and the nations of the Balkans and surrounding regions have flourished. Dr. Bastani Parizi highlights two significant documented events in the history of direct interactions between the inhabitants of the Balkans and Iran. He notes that Iranian kings always kept water from four rivers in a special bowl in their palaces and placed it on the Nowruz table. These rivers were the Jeyhun (Amu Darya), Sindh (Indus), Euphrates, and Danube.
Since ancient times, the nations of the Balkans, like other European peoples, have shown a keen interest in exploring the intellectual and literary works of Iran, particularly in the realms of history, literature, and poetry. Dr. Viorica Bajenaru, a prominent Romanian orientalist and Persian scholar, identifies two main reasons for this: first, the spiritual value of Iranian works, and second, the curiosity of Balkan people to understand new environments and cultures. In modern times, the first Iranian literary works were introduced to the Balkans in the mid-19th century through newspapers in Greek and French. Over time, articles about Iran’s geographical and cultural features were published in Balkan print media, some of which are preserved in major libraries in cities like Bucharest, Belgrade, Cluj, Tirana, Sofia, Athens, and others.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the translation and publication of Saadi’s Golestan and Bustan marked a new movement in promoting Iranian literature and poetry in the Balkans. Golestan was translated into Romanian by Gheorghe Popescu, while in Albania, Vexhi Buharaja produced a precious translation of selected works from Bustan and Golestan. The cultural and literary interactions between Iran and the Balkans are characterized by several unique features:
-
Nowruz as a Significant Occasion: Nowruz is an important celebration, especially in countries like Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and other former Yugoslav republics, where Bektashi Muslims honor this historical and civilizational day as the birthday of Imam Ali (AS).
-
Prominence of Iranian Literature: Initially, Saadi’s Golestan and accounts of the lives of the Imams played a prominent role in introducing Iranian works to the Balkans. These were translated and published in large numbers. Following Golestan, the works of Khayyam, Hafez, Rumi’s Masnavi, and Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh—mostly translated from French and English—gained the most popularity. In all Balkan countries, Khayyam’s quatrains have been translated into dozens of languages and are considered essential for personal libraries.
-
Growing Interest in Persian Stories: Over time, Balkan people have increasingly gravitated toward Persian stories. Today, few in the Balkans can think of Iran without recalling Persian tales and childhood dreams. For instance, a collection of 35 Persian tales titled Sultan and the Vizier, translated by Dr. Viorica Bajenaru, was published in Romania in the spring of 1971 with a print run of 70,000 copies.
-
Historical, Geographical, and Philosophical Works: Balkan historical, geographical, and philosophical texts have always paid significant attention to Iran and Persia. In philosophy, Balkan thinkers like Sami Frashëri drew inspiration from prominent figures such as Avicenna. Persian proverbs and aphorisms have also been cherished by literature-loving Balkan people, with translations from Italian published in several Balkan countries in the mid-20th century.
-
Post-Islamic Revolution Revival: After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, a new spirit was breathed into the movement to promote Persian culture and literature in the Balkans. In recent years, samples of Iran’s religious, literary, and political works—focusing on the works of Imam Khomeini, Shahid Motahhari, Sohrab Sepehri, Tahereh Saffarzadeh, and Mehdi Azar Yazdi—have been translated and published. Efforts have also been made to revive older works, particularly those of classical poets like Saadi and Khayyam.
The Islamic-Iranian culture and civilization have flowed through this region of the Muslim world and the heart of Europe for centuries, thanks to the efforts of great cultural and literary figures and national heroes of Albania, such as Naim Frashëri and his brothers, Vexhi Buharaja (the skilled translator of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh), Tahir Dizdari (a prominent Albanian researcher and author of a lexicon of Eastern terms in Albanian), Fan Noli, Shaban Sinani, Hafiz Ali Korçë, and others. The familiarity of Balkan people with great Iranian poets like Saadi, Ferdowsi, and Khayyam, the translation of their works, countless cultural commonalities, the widespread presence of Bektashi followers and devotees of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS), and the numerous Alawite sects and their tekkes all attest to the deep-rootedness of Persian culture and language in this land.
Nowruz also holds special significance in the geography of the former Soviet Union. In various regions of Russia, including Tatarstan, diverse programs are held to celebrate this occasion. For example, a local Tatarstan music group performs traditional Nowruz tunes in Kolso Square, and people partake in traditional foods as part of the Nowruz rituals. Tatarstan, one of the regions in Russia within the Nowruz civilizational sphere, has maintained these traditions for centuries due to its historical trade and cultural exchanges with Iranians and Turks.
For Tatars, Nowruz (or “Nawriz” in the local language) is a celebration of the solar New Year or the joy of spring’s arrival. A symbol of this festival is the sprouting of wheat. Fifteen days before Nowruz, wheat seeds are planted, and when the sprouts emerge, it marks the beginning of the New Year. A special Nowruz dish called “Sumalyak” is prepared from these sprouts. Many traditions associated with this festival are linked to the number seven: the Nowruz table features seven elements, the meal includes seven dishes, and celebrations include public festivities, dancing, singing folk songs, and jumping over fires.
Nowruz, as one of the oldest heritages of Iranian history and civilization, transcends the boundaries of ancient Iran, manifesting in Turkic, Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Central Asian, Caucasian, and other cultures. It stands as one of the most amicable legacies, now serving as a unifying bond among nations and countries worldwide. The Haft-Seen table, the renewal of nature, purity, reunions, and the end of grudges are among the profound messages of Nowruz that should be spread everywhere, as it is a global culture based on human empathy.
Nowruz is an essential part of soft power and public diplomacy, offering vast potential to strengthen Iran’s interactions with other countries, especially under the priority policy of neighborhood relations. Let us pass over all else, for the words of a friend are sweeter. We began this discussion with a poem by Saadi, and to conclude, let us cite a poem by the renowned Albanian poet Naim Frashëri—a true gem and unparalleled treasure of the interactions between the peoples of Iran and Albania—as an example of Iranian culture’s influence in the Balkans:
“The night is gentle, the moon radiant, the beloved is near,
The fragrant breeze, the earth adorned with beauty.
The wise bird soars into the sky,
In the light-filled space of the soul.
Sometimes it accompanies the stars,
Sometimes it ascends to the galaxy’s nest.
All it sees is captivating and luminous,
A glimpse of divine radiance.
Light without beginning or end,
The power, image, and meaning of God.”
This poem was composed in Persian by the poet in the late 19th century and is part of the collection “Imaginations.”