7Berkeh: Yesterday a man died whose works are part of the collective identity of all Iranians. A significant share of the documents that prove the title “The Persian Gulf” is the historically legitimate title is gathered by him and his colleagues.
Dr. Ahmad Eghtedari passed away on April 16, 2019 in Asia Hospital, Tehran, after a long fight with lung and kidney deficiencies. A memorial ceremony will be held next week in the Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia in Tehran, to which Dr. Eghtedari had dedicated his precious library, “The Persian Gulf Library”. Then his body will be flown to his hometown, Gerash, to be buried next to his ancestors (read more about him and his wish in Gerishna, here). He said he wanted this line as his gravestone epitaph: “Farewell to the world with the scent of the spring.”
A considerable campaign is being planned by the officials and people of Gerash to welcome Ahmadkhan (that is the name by which Dr. Eghtedari is known in Gerash, here is why) in his hometown. Dr. Eghtedari is the first scholar who published a dictionary of Larestani language, and unearthed a number of books which are foundations of the identity of the people of the region. Gerashi people do not see him only as their most celebrated scholar, but also as their spiritual father.
Dr. Shafiei Kadkani, the prominent Iranologist and a colleague to Dr. Eghtedari, once said: “The Persian Gulf is the heart of Iran; and Dr. Ahmad Eghtedari the heart of the Persian Gulf.” Ahmadkhan, “The Guardian of the Persian Gulf”, will never die. His many books and articles are forever watching the Gulf.
Some words and expressions in this news story:
Identity: هویت
Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia: مرکز دانشنامه بزرگ اسلامی
Hometown: شهر زادگاه
gravestone epitaph: شعر سنگ قبر
Farewell to the world with the scent of the spring:
بدرود باد گیتی با بوی نوبهاران
Iranologist: ایرانشناس
Colleague: همکار