Persian (Farsi) has one of the richest literary traditions in the world, with great poetry written over 1,000 years ago still memorized and recited today. The poet Rumi, who wrote in Persian in the 13th century, is one of the best-selling poets in the United States today. Persian is written in a modified Arabic script and is the official language of Iran, Afghanistan (as Dari), and Tajikistan (as Tajik).