Following protests against the removal of Ferdowsi’s statue from a Salmas city square, reports from Iran on Thursday February 26 indicate that the statue was returned to tis original place in the Western Azerbaijan city.
An IRNA reporter in Salmas reports: “The statue of the creator of Shahnameh and the return of the Wise Man of Toos was completed by Thursday night.”
Born in Toos, Ferdowsi, the creator of the epic poem Shahnameh (the Book of Kings) is considered the giant of Persian language and literature.
Some reports indicated that City Council of Slamas had decided to remove Ferdowsi’s statue in order to replace it with a newly designed “Revolution Square”. The Islamic Republic has often been uncomfortable with the connection of Ferdowsi’s masterpiece to Iran’s history of Monarchy.
The City’s decision had reportedly triggered a wave of protests on the internet and social media, with 21 Iranian scholars urging the city in an open letter to cease their actions.
The report on IRNA indicates that the statue was returned to tis original spot in the city after undergoing minor restoration.
