Iranian New Year 1398 is named as the “Year of Ferdowsi”.  Pasargad Heritage Foundation (PHF), observing its annual tradition, and on the occasion of “Nowruz” – the Iranian festival and celebration of the beginning of Spring and Persian New Year – has named the year 1397 (Iranian Calendar) as the “Year of Ferdowsi”. Every year, on the advent of beginning of Iranian New Year (which coincides with the beginning of spring), Pasargad Heritage Foundation (PHF) designates a name for the coming year that signifies and symbolizes a certain aspect of its mission. PHF is an organization established a decade ago outside Iran with the aim of preserving Iranian cultural heritage and has observed this practice of designation of the New Year for the last ten years. The main purpose is to emphasize the priceless values of the ancient cultural heritage of Iran that are exposed to constant destruction due to negligence of the relevant authorities in that country.

Ferdowsi Tusi (c. 940–1020), (also spelled, Firdawsi, Firdusi, Firdosi, Firdausi) was
a Persian poet and the author of Shahnameh ("Book of Kings"), which is the world's longest epic poem created by a single poet, and the national epic of Greater Iran.

Ferdowsi is celebrated as the most influential figure in Persian literature and one of the greatest in the history of literature.