On October 7-8, 2009 there in the National library of the RK took place the international scientific conference “The civilization of the Great Steppe and Shakhnama”.

The purpose of the conference is to summarize the experience of the scientific-research activities relating to the literary piece “Shakhnama” by Firdousi. There are in the programme of the conference the plenary and sectional sessions, the panel “The Turkic-Iranian interaction on the Great Silk way: the historical-cultural aspects”.  The National library of the RK organized the book exhibitions from the fond of Rare books and manuscripts “Firdousi and Shakhnama”  and the editions of “Shakhnama in the languages of the world” and “Shakhnama on Kazakh land”. There was presented to the participants of the conference the exhibition of pictures named “The illustrations to the motifs of the “Shakhnama poem” by the Kazakhstani artist, member of the Artists’ Union of Kazakhstan, winner of the prize after Makhambet – Tabyldy Mukatov. 

There within the framework of the conference took place the premiere of the documentary film ”The singer from the Syr-Darya” (“Kazakhfilm” JSC, 2009) narrating about the difficulties which Turmagambet Iztileuov met during the translation of “Shakhnama” poem into the Kazakh language. The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran organized an exhibition of pictures and sculptures, Dedicated to Firdousi’s “Shakhnama” numbering approximately 60 exhibits. There was demonstrated the film “The documentary works about Firdousi’s “Shakhnama” in the city of Tus – the native land of Firdousi”. 

There in the conference participated the Oriental scientists of Kazakhstan (U.Kumisbayev, I.Zhemenei, A.K.Muminov, A.N.Almatov and others), the leading specialists of the “Firdousi” Foundation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian National Library (St-Petersburg), the scientists of Azerbaijan etc. The conference “The civilization of the Great Steppe and Shakhnama” was held with the support of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Kazakhstan.