Moshir Divan building in Sanandaj, Kurdestan province

Kurds House in the northwestern Kurdestan province is considered as the country's largest anthropology museum in terms of diversity and number of items on display.
Director general of Kurdestan Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department, Mohammad Ebrahim Zarei, said the unique museum features statues, paintings, books and historical documents, which present the customs, culture and lifestyle of Kurds in a comprehensible manner, an IRNA report said.
"The Kurds are divided into several ethnic groups. The items on display at the museum convey the traditions, beliefs and appearance of various Kurdish clans to visitors," he explained.
"All this has only been offered in the first stage of the work, which is soon going to be followed by the second part featuring old manuscripts and a handicrafts workshop. Another section is planned which will present ancient Kurdish technology in water supply, mills and the like."
He explained that what adds further to the museum's importance is that it is located in Asef and Moshir Divan buildings, which are a symbol of Kurdish architecture in previous centuries.
The House of Kurds was inaugurated in May 2003 in an area of 1.5 hectares and at a total cost of four billion rials.
Kurdestan boasts more than 1,400 cultural sites including hills and monuments, of which 600 have already been registered as cultural heritage.

The underground city in the Persian Gulf Kish Island, known as Kariz, will be expanded and developed using traditional and modern architecture styles.
Mohammad Ali Raoufi, architect of the project, told the Persian daily Iran, "Once the location is expanded, not the whole adventure would end under the ground. Rather, once they are out of, the visitors would be guided to a castle from atop which they can enjoy a beautiful view of the whole Kariz and the island."
He explained that the underground area approximates 18,000 square meters and said, "The tunnels and passages inside the Kariz, which is an ancient aqueduct, have been designed in a way that visitors would easily lose their sense of direction. This is aimed to make the journey more fascinating. Once they are out from a several-hour tour, they can hardly tell the right direction."
He estimated that completion of the project would last through 2006.
The unique project is funded privately by an Iranian residing in Germany, Mansour Haji-Hosseini, who has a profound love for his native country and culture.
"The 2,000-year-old aqueduct, also known as Qanat or Kariz, displays a matchless architecture style and precision that is fascinating to both Iranian and non-Iranian visitors. The fossils in the place are believed to date back between 250 and 560 million years," he explained.
"Thanks to the local managers' cooperation and the private entrepreneur's enthusiasm, a large surface area has been designed where special ceremonies and festivities of various Iranian ethnic groups will be displayed. We have been trying to display the splendor of Iranian historic architecture inspired by ziggurat and other ancient symbols."
People who were living on Kish Island centuries ago, with their inherent Iranian intelligence and talent in building aqueducts, dug the coralline layers of Kish Island in search of potable water, and were rewarded with fresh water. For centuries afterwards, the sweet water of Kish Island not only relieved the thirst of local residents, but was also exported to neighboring states and swapped with sugar or cash.
The Kariz is a unique phenomenon in the world. The visitors will have the choice either to walk inside or to sail in power/pedal boats and see its beauties.

Abdolkarim Soroush was born in Tehran in 1945 into a lower middle class family.
Soroush underwent his primary schooling in Qa–emiyyeh School and the first year of his secondary education at Mortazavi High School. Later he moved to the newly inaugurated Alavi High School. During his time at Alavi, Soroush was able to acquire a sound grounding in modern sciences as well as in matters of religion.
Soroush graduated in mathematics from high school.
Upon finishing high school, he was admitted into university to study pharmacology. After completing his degree, he spent two years as a conscript after which he set off for Bushehr, where he was director of the Laboratory for Food Products, Toiletries, and Sanitary Materials. He returned to Tehran 15 months later and began work in the Laboratory for Medicine Control, but soon he left for London.
In London, he enrolled for an MS course in Analytical Chemistry. After graduating from the University of London, he went to the Chelsea College for studying history and philosophy of science, spending the next five and a half years of his life there. During these years, confrontation between revolutionary people and the Shah's regime was gradually becoming more serious, and the political gatherings of Iranians in America and Europe, and Britain in particular, were on the increase.
In Britain, a group of young Muslims, including Soroush, were active in the Muslim Youth Association (MYA). After some time, however, major differences emerged and friends proposed an alternative venue, an Imambarah in west London, and thus the center of activities was shifted there. The Imambarah became a base for the gatherings of Iranian Muslim students in the UK, especially during the months preceding the victory of the revolution. Major personalities and activists from various parts of Europe, and even from Iran, delivered speeches in this place, including the late Ayatollahs Beheshti and Motahhari. After the revolution, the place was purchased by the Iranian government. Today, it is known as Kanoon-e Tohid and is run by Iranian students.
In England, Soroush's speeches were gradually transcribed and reproduced in pamphlets. He delivered lectures on the subject of Dialectical Antagonism, in an attempt to curb the ever-increasing leftist influence, especially from the members of the Mujahidin Khalq Organization who had won the hearts of many young activists with their Marxist ideology. His first book, which was published in Iran while he was in London, was “Dialectical Antagonism.– He also authored “The Restless Nature of the World– (Nahad-e Na-Aram-e Jahan). In this book, he tries to bring out the foundations of Islamic philosophy, namely monotheism and resurrection and to present Molla Sadra's thought as a firm philosophical base for these beliefs. This particular book was viewed by both Motahhari and Imam Khomeini, and received their approval and admiration.
After the revolution, Soroush returned to Iran and published his book "Knowledge and Value" (Danesh va Arzesh). He went to Tehran's Teacher Training College where he was appointed as director of the newly established Islamic Culture Group. In less than a year, the movement for closure of universities by some students began and culminated in total closure of all universities. Shortly afterwards, a new body was formed by the name of the Cultural Revolution Institute comprising seven members, including Soroush, all of whom were appointed directly by Imam Khomeini. The purpose of this institute was to reopen the universities and review the syllabuses. After a year and a half, the universities gradually re-opened and, with new syllabuses, resumed their work.
In 1983, due to differences which emerged between him and the management of the Teacher Training University, he was transferred to the Institute for Cultural Research and Studies and has ever since been serving as a research member. In the same year, the Cultural Revolution Institute was changed to the Cultural Revolution Council and its members increased to 17. Soroush attended only one of the council's sessions; he submitted his resignation to Imam Khomeini and has ever since held no official position within the ruling system, except occasionally as advisor to certain government bodies. His principal position has been that of a researcher.
Earlier, by virtue of his interest in Molavi (Jalaleddin Rumi), he began a series of lectures on the poet–s masterpiece Masnavi which were broadcast on Iranian television. Later, he delivered lectures on Masnavi in universities, which proved extremely popular, and have all been recorded on audiocassettes and are still widely circulated both inside and outside Iran.
In addition to teaching philosophy of science, he gave lectures on philosophy of history, philosophy of religion, mysticism of molavi, comparative philosophy, and the philosophy of empirical sciences.
Soroush was awarded the “Muslim Democrat of the Year Award– by the Center for Islam and Democracy in May 2004, as well as the “Erasmus Prize 2004– by the Netherlands Board of the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation.

Secretary of the scientific seminar titled 'Safavid in Iranian History' said 80 of the 120 papers received by the secretariat have been accepted.
Maqsoud Ali Sadeqlou told ISNA that about 30 papers shall be presented during the three-day event, and the rest will be published in a book containing a collection of articles and abstracts on the subject.
The seminar is slated for Oct. 12-14 in Tabriz University, and has been organized by the university's History Department.
He outlined the main themes of the seminar as foundation of the Safavid Dynasty (1501-1722), the realm of Iran during the Safavid reign, and the recognition of Shiite ideology in Iran, adding a large number of renowned Safavid scholars shall be present at the event.

Jame Mosque in Zabol, Sistan-Baluchestan province

Zabol Cultural Heritage Department has presented a proposal to Iran Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization on the registration of 150 ancient monuments and hills of the city in the heritage list.
Head of the department told IRNA that these monuments, situated in Shahraki-Narouei, Markazi and Shib-Ab regions, date back to the prehistoric and Islamic eras.
Alireza Khosravi noted that if the proposal is endorsed, the number of Zabol's registered historic sites will reach 200.
"Given that over 2,000 historic monuments exist in the southeastern Sistan area, the number of registered sites is meager," he added.
Khosravi pointed out that international archeologists attach great importance to Sistan because of its unique historical edifices and sites.
"For example, Shahr-e Soukhteh (Burnt City) dates back to 3200 BC, Gholaman Strait belongs to Achaemenid Dynasty and Khajeh Mount to Sassanid Dynasty," he added.
Khosravi noted that Iranian archeologists will soon resume the eighth season of archeological excavations in the Burnt City.

Jamkaran Mosque is located on the slopes of Dobaradaran Mount in Qom. On Tuesday nights, devout lovers of the 12th Shiite Imam, Hazrat Mahdi (AS)--the Awaited Savior who was destined to keep himself physically absent from the scene of life--flock to the Jamkaran Mosque to pray for his appearance. The Mosque of Jamkaran was constructed in 972 by Hassan bin Mosleh Jamkarani.

He lived in a city wherein the hands of thieves were cut. Since he was a single-handed man, all thought he was a thief! But he had stolen nothing. He was just a man with one hand!
He decided to go to another city. While traveling, there came a whirlwind and his eye went blind. But he had reached a city wherein the eyes of thieves were blinded. Everybody called him a bandit, though he had not had a hand in a robbery. So he was forced to leave that city as well!
On his way, while crossing a river, his leg was stuck between rocks and was broken. The doctors had to amputate one of his legs because of infection. But he had got to a city wherein the legs of murderers were cut! Upon seeing him, the people started whispering. The poor man could take no longer and decided to go to a city wherein no guilty person is punished! But to his surprise, he was caught and guillotined in that city!
You know why? Because there, they beheaded those who did not have a hand, an eye and a leg!

China held a public memorial service to mark the 2,555th birth anniversary of Confucius, a brilliant "sacred man" in ancient China last Tuesday, chinaviews.cn reported.
More than 3,000 people from home and abroad attended the public memorial service in his hometown, Qufu city in east China's Shandong province, the first official public memorial service for the world-renowned scholar and ethicist since the foundation of the Republic of China in 1949.
Confucius's descendants, government officials and representatives from all walks of life saluted the altar in turn and offered flowers to statue of the "sacred man."
People dressed in traditional ancient costumes represented the same activities held in the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Tourists attended from the Republic of Korea (ROK), Malaysia and the United States.
Confucius (551 BC-479 BC), or Kong Fuzi in Chinese, was a great ancient Chinese educator and philosopher. Among his three thousand disciples, seventy-two were versed in Six Arts, ceremonies, music, archery, charioteering, writing and mathematics. His profound thinking and the centuries of commentary it spawned, are central to China's culture system.