Abolqasem Ferdowsi
Abolqasem Ferdowsi was a Persian poet born in 935 near Tus, Khorasan.
He devoted over 35 years to composing the Shahnameh, an epic poem chronicling Persian history and mythology.
Originally intended for Samanid princes, Ferdowsi completed the work during the Ghaznavid era.
He presented it to Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni around 1010.
Despite his monumental effort, Ferdowsi reportedly died in poverty in 1020 at age 85.
However, he remained confident in his work's enduring significance, believing he had revived Persian language and culture through his epic.
Today, Ferdowsi is celebrated as one of the greatest figures in Persian literature, with the Shahnameh considered his magnum opus and a cornerstone of Iranian cultural identity.
