Following the characterization of Iran as a dying, old motherland and the urgency of her revival in the course of the Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1909, a nationalistic movement was formed in Iran which continued through the Pahlavi period (1925-1979). The reformation of Iran as a “rejuvenating Aryan nation” through a call for returning to the glorious pre-Islamic past was the main theme of this nationalistic movement, and was therefore on the top of the cultural and political agenda of the first Pahlavi regime (1925-1941). For the implementation of this agenda, a number of historical figures, such as Persian kings, philosophers and poets were monumentalized. Among these figures was Firdawsi, the eleventh century Persian poet who recounted the history of ancient Iran from its origins through to the Arab invasion (643 CE) in his long epic, Shahnamah – that was recognized as the documentation of Iranian national identity. The renovation of Firdawsi’s mausoleum and the planning of the Firdawsi Millennium Congress were the most important steps taken by the government in monumentalizing Firdawsi on the millennial anniversary of his birth (1934). The Firdawsi millennium celebration was brilliantly planned to engage both the public and the intellectuals in the Iranian nationalistic movement. While the public was engaged in raising funds for the renovation of Firdawsi’s mausoleum and the expenses of the congress, the intellectuals were involved in the scholarly activities, such as organizing the Firdawsi Millennium Congress and giving lectures in this event. The hallmark of this congress was the participation of a considerable number of leading Orientalist scholars from different countries. The congress also served as the moment of the redefinition of Orientalism. More specifically, the founders of the congress utilized Orientalism in its Sa’idian sense – which is a tool for the promotion of the colonial interests — for the enforcement of particularistic agendas, which subsequently helped to create a new sense of Iranian national identity in the modern world. This paper investigates the planning of the Firdawsi Millennium Congress and its impacts on the redefinition of the Iranian national identity.