TEHRAN, Jan. 25--Concurrent with the ceremonies to mark the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Imam of the infallible household of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), ten taziehs (passion plays) will be performed in the City's Theater Complex.
Tazieh reenacts the events leading up to the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS) and his 72 companions.
The ten plays will be performed in the Ashoura camp, which has been set up in the complex.
Ashoura is the tenth day of the first lunar Hegira month of Moharram when Imam Hussein and his companions were martyred in the plains of Karbala, present day Iraq, in the sixth
century AD.
The martyrdom of Shahcheraq, Hajjat Al-Veda (the last Haj pilgrimage), departure for Kufa by Moslem Ibn-Aqeel and his martyrdom, martyrdom of Moslem's children, encounter of Ibn-e Ziad's envoy with Imam Hussein (AS) and martyrdom of Horr, martyrdom of Hazrat Ali Akbar, martyrdom of Hazrat Qasem, martyrdom of Hazrat Abolfazl (AS), events of Ashoura Day and the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS) will be enacted in the ten event.
The first seminar on Ashoura-related ceremonies will be held in the City Theater Complex from February 6-21.

Ali-Qapu Palace in Isfahan

TEHRAN, Jan. 25--Head of Isfahan City Council has said that Ali-Qapu Palace, as a cultural heritage site, has become a sensitive issue for the council, which is planning to conduct studies on ways of protecting the monument.
Abbas Haj-Rasouliha added that he intends to invite the head of Isfahan Cultural Heritage Department to discuss the problems pertaining to the historical site, the Persian daily Jam-e Jam reported.
He said that he has heard some perturbing news about the outbreak of a fire near Ali-Qapu, which is likely to have damaged the edifice.
Responding to a news about the collapse of Ali-Qapu's roof, published by the newspaper, Isfahan's Cultural Heritage Department said that in the 1970s, Iranian and Italian experts carried out operations to strengthen the monument while in the 1980s and 1990s, 11 pillars out of 18 were reinforced again.
The department further said that a project to make the edifice more secure will be implemented within three years.
Head of the Board of Directors of Isfahan Cultural Heritage Association Majid Ghias said that it seems nobody, not even the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization, cares for Ali-Qapu.
"If the neglect for Isfahan's cultural heritage sites continues at the current rate, one cannot even call the city semi-historical," he concluded.

New Delhi, India, Jan. 25--A 10-day training program began on Monday at Aligarh University in India for instructors of Persian language.
Some 55 instructors of Persian language from the Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi are undergoing special training to develop their teaching skills.
Iran's Cultural AttachŽ in India Morteza Shafiei Shakib, Professor Nazir Ahmad, Professor Azarmidokht Safavi, chancellor of the Human Sciences Faculty of Aligarh University and several other cultural figures attended the inaugural ceremony of the program.
IRNA quoted Shakib as saying that the training course will cover Persian classic poetry and prose and modern poetry and prose and the methodology for research studies in the Persian literature.
Meanwhile, concurrent with the training course for Indian instructors, an exhibit 'The Islamic Iran in a Glance' is being held at Central Library of Aligarh University for three days.
Iranian nature, miniature, Iranian architecture in the pre- and post-Islamic eras, condition of women in Iranian society, traditional garments and handicrafts are exhibited in the context of 73 photos and paintings.

TEHRAN, Jan. 25--Iranian and Swedish musicians will perform a concert at Niavaran Cultural House. They will sing Khayyam's poetry to a blend of Irano-Swedish music.
Mehr news agency said that it will be last music program at Niavaran Cultural House in the Iranian year (to end on March 20).
The program will be held for three days at the Persian Gulf Hall of Niavaran Cultural House.
Reza Aqaei, Pasha Hanjani, Drashnand Anand, Ramin Behna, Peter Acub and Yahya Al-Khansa will play musical instruments conducted by Henrik Naji.
The Institute for Visual Media has sponsored the program.

TEHRAN, Jan. 25--Iranian and British Children Friendship Week will be held in London's Islamic Center concurrent with Ten Days of Dawn celebrations to mark the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution.
Announcing this, deputy director of Islamic Revolution Ten Day Dawn Headquarters' Children's Committee, Mehdi Baqeri, said that Iranian Children Film Week and Iran's Cultural Week will be held in Sweden and Turkmenistan respectively as part of the committee's international programs on the occasion.
According to him, the committee has drawn up programs to that effect under the auspices of the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults in cooperation with Iran Republic Iran Broadcasting, Artistic Center of Islamic Propagation Organization, Welfare Organization and Imam Khomeini Relief Committee.
Commissioning 13 urban mobile libraries and 44 rural mobile libraries in different regions in the country under a special program titled 'Revolution's Messenger', holding various exhibitions in villages and organizing snowman festival are also on the committee's agenda.
Baqeri noted that his committee will sponsor artistic and cultural undertakings in more than 600 branches of IIDCYA across the country.
In a symbolic move, members of the branches will attend some of the airports in the country on January 31 to mark Imam Khomeini's homecoming, he noted.
He also said that the Eighth Puppet Show Festival will be held in Qazvin province with the participation of 15 groups from different provinces from February 6-8.
Focusing on puppet show as an educational aid, drawing the children and young adults' attention to those rich cultural sources which can be dramatized and introducing outstanding examples of puppet show are among the objectives of the three-day event, which will be held in Qazvin, Abyek and Alvand.

TEHRAN, Jan. 25--The twentieth Fajr International Music Festival will be held here from January 30 to February 6.
Fars news agency said that the list of the music bands selected for the event was released by the organizers of the festival as follows: Yaran, Jivar, Parirokh (fairy), Tekeh (piece), Avaz (song), Laleh, Avaye-Khazar (echo of the Caspian), Avaye Sharq (echo of the East), Avaye Oraman (echo of Oraman), Avaye Khalij-e Fars (echo of the Persian Gulf), Arghnoon, Shahnazi, Farhang Sharif, Houshang Zarif, Barbad, Zolfonoon, National Orchestra and Symphonic Orchestra.
Foreign music groups which have been selected for the international festival are from Italy, Hungary, Turkey, Tajikistan, the Netherlands, Romania, France, Russia, Poland, Spain, Ukraine and Azerbaijan republic.
Meanwhile, other Iranian music groups selected for the advanced level are as follows: Sharq (east), Sarlak, Golbang Javaheri, Nehzat, Fakhteh (ringdove) and Delbar Hakim-Ava.
It said that seminars will be held on research studies carried on classic music, traditional music, pop music and modern music along with special nights during the event designated for different music instruments.
At Niavaran Cultural House, music groups from Iran's religious minorities and foreign groups from Italy, Hungary, Turkey, Tajikistan, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia, France, Poland, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Spain will perform programs.
At Farhang Hall, the music groups Ben, Arghnoon. Sol, Shahbazi, Vaziri Orchestra, Novin Afrooz Recital, Barbad, Taknavazi, Javan, Javan Orchestra, Javanan Orchestra and Zolfonoon will hold programs during the event.
The Sepehr Group, Hegmataneh Orchestra, Ham-Ava, Oshaq (lovers), Amir Pazvari, Koumess, Najva (wisper) and Moshtaq will also perform programs at the Arts University.
At Azadi cultural house, the groups Cheheldaf (40 tambourines), Mahoor, Oghlan Bakhshi, Avaye Sharq, Avaye Khazar, Avaye Khalije Fars and Avaye Oraman will bring to stage the songs they prepared for the festival.
The festival will end on February 6 and special ceremony will also held on February 7 to wind up the international music event.