Three presidents to celebrate Nowruz in Shiraz

The presidents of Tajikistan and Afghanistan are expected to come to Iran to celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the historic city of Shiraz.

Ali Asghar Sherdoust, Iran’s ambassador to Tajikistan, told the Mehr news agency on Monday that Emomali Rahmon and Hamid Karzai will visit Iran on March 21, in line with a previous agreement reached by the three Persian-speaking nations.

The heads of state are holding the meeting in order to strengthen cultural ties and especially to promote the Persian language.

Last year, the foreign ministers of Iran, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan held a meeting in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif on the eve of Nowruz.

The ancient celebration of Nowrouz was registered on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in May 2009.

Nowruz, literally meaning New Day, is the start of the Iranian New Year. It occurs on the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere, which is March 21 for three years and March 20 in leap years on the Western calendar.

Nowruz is celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.