Today on this day in 1010 Hakim Abul Qasim Mansur also known as Ferdowsi completes his epic poem Shahnameh (Book of Kings). He was remembered as highly revered Persian poet.

Ferdowsi was born in Tus, a town in North Eastern Iran, in the province of Khorasan. He began work on the Shahnameh around 977 under the patronage of the Samanid dynasty. It was an epic poem that recounts the history of pre Islamic Persia. The Shahnameh contains 62 stories, told in 990 chapters with 50,000 rhyming couplets. It is divided into three parts—the mythical, heroic, and historical ages.

The Shahnameh, finally completed in 1010, was presented to the sultan Mahmud of Ghazna. He has a unique place in Persian history because of the strides he made in reviving and regenerating the Persian language and cultural traditions.

To commemorate this most influential figure of Persian literature, a number of postage stamps have been issued.

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