ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 26--The Persian Language Research Center in Islamabad is working to promote Persian language and culture and deepen longstanding cultural bonds between Iranian and Pakistani people.
The center, which has been active for over three decades, has effectively introduced Iranian culture and helped expand cultural exchanges between the two nations.
The center has also extended assistance to scholars and advocates of Persian language and literature to develop dynamic cooperation.
Nematollah Iranzadeh, head of Iran-Pakistan Persian Language Research Center told IRNA that the center was established in October 1971 under an agreement between Iran and Pakistan.
"The center aims to promote research studies in the field of culture and develop cooperation between Iran and Pakistan on Persian language and arts," he said.
Setting up libraries for handwritten and printed books, microfilms of books and manuscripts and assisting researchers of Persian literature are among the other objectives of the center.
Iranzadeh, who is also a member of the faculty at Allameh Tabatabaei University, said that the center provides text books to students and conducts courses for Persian language instructors to help them update their knowledge and teaching skills as well as making reference books available to them.
He said that the center also supports students studying Persian language at the postgraduate level.
"Since its establishment, 34 years ago, the center has compiled 17,000 handwritten works, 24,000 scripted books and treatises, 44,000 printed books and scientific magazines. These are being maintained at 'Ganj Bakhsh' Library which is devoted to the memory of Abolhassan Ali Bin Othman Hajwiri, the author of Kashf Al-Mahjoub."
He said that despite political ups and downs of the past decades, Iran-Pakistan relations have remained steady thanks to the cultural bonds between the two nations.
Iranzadeh recalled a section of the Center's charter which says: 'Pakistan has the honor of having a cultural heritage which is rooted in centuries of Persian language and literature', adding, "Therefore, an institute called 'Center for Research Studies on Persian Language' has been founded in cooperation with Iranian Ministry of Culture and Arts and Pakistani Ministry of Education and Scientific Research in Pakistan."

TEHRAN, July 26--Farabi Cinema Foundation has earmarked 35 billion rials to produce value-oriented films in line with international standards, reported IRNA.
The foundation's managing director, Alireza Rezadad said that deputy minister of culture and the Islamic guidance for Majlis affairs has followed up allocation of fund for producing high quality films with the Parliament's cultural commission.
He said that part of the fund will also be spent on importing technical equipment and training manpower.
Elaborating on the features of high quality films, he said that they should have special themes, as well as artistic and technical features which will facilitate communications with the international community.
He underlined that high quality films in line with international standards can only be produced with state assistance.
The official cited feature films such as 'Hazrat-e Suleiman', directed by Shahriar Bahrani and 'Magnificent Day of Victory' directed by Ahmad Reza Darvish as examples of high quality films.
Rezadad said that Majlis has made funds available for the production of great works in the field of cinema and hoped that the same trend will continue in the years to come.
He said in the meantime that an expert panel has been set up to select the good films which will be supported by Farabi Foundation.
"Consultations are underway to produce two films. They will be made public after a final decision is made about them," Rezadad said.
He said that Farabi Foundation encourages partnership of national organs in film production and foreign investment in the sector.
He said that 'Magnificent Day of Victory' is about the liberation of Khorramshahr from Iraqi forces in 1982 and its producer is currently in talks with military organs since the film needs pictures which the army can provide.
Ahmad Reza Darvish, had earlier produced the film 'Duel' at a cost of over 12 billion rials.

Gonbad Qaboos Tower

TEHRAN, July 26--While controversy over the construction of Jahan Nama Tower in the vicinity of Isfahan's Naqsh-e Jahan Square is still to be resolved, Gonbad Qaboos Municipality, in northeastern Iran, has announced plans to build a tower near the city's most famous historical site.
Director of Cultural Heritage and Tourism Office in Gorgan and Gonbad Qaboos Jebreil Nokandeh told IRNA that municipality has planned to build Qaboos Tower and Restaurant in the vicinity of the historical Qonbad Qaboos Tower.
He said that according to criteria of Iran's Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO), the maximum height of such buildings should be five meters and construction for business purpose should occupy 75 percent of the land while 50 percent for the entire area can be used for housing projects in the same area.
"This is while the municipality has decided to build a 5.16-meter structure in an area of 1,000 square meters."
Nokandeh said that ICHTO has informed Qonbad Qaboos Municipality of its objection and has asked the public prosecutor to look into the case.
The public prosecutor has demanded the suspension of construction works on the tower, he said.
The official stated that ICHTO is responsible for safeguarding cultural heritage sites and the municipality is expected to heed the organization's demand.
He said that ICHTO had planned to propose Gonbad Qaboos Tower for registration with UNESCO as a global heritage site at its 2006 meeting.
Qonbad Qaboos Tower, which boasts of unique architecture, is the highest baked brick tower in the world. It is a masterpiece in architecture dating back to the 4th century AH.
The tower was built by Shams Al-Maali Qaboos Bin Voshmgir Ziari on a hilltop at the center of a large park.
Voshmgir built the tower for as his tomb. It is the most beautiful example of early Islamic architecture and gives a sense of pride and glory to tourists.
Gonbad Qaboos Tower was registered as a national cultural heritage site in 1931.

ShamlooÕs tomb in Taherabad Cemetery, Karaj, Tehran province (ILNA Photo)

TEHRAN, July 26--The poet who focuses on human issues in his/her poems will never go into oblivion; rather he/she will go down in the history of Iranian literature.
Expressing this view, Seyyed Ali Salehi, a poet, said that the secret to the perpetuity of the great Iranian poet Ahmad Shamloo is the presence and perception of human being in his poems, reported ILNA.
Salehi, who was participating in a ceremony to mark the poet's fifth death anniversary in Karaj, near Tehran, added that the two elements: humanistic concerns and opposition to corruption are fully evident in his poems.
Jahed Jahanshahi, a translator told the same gathering that Shamloo's poetry has a high status in literature and his books have always been among the best-sellers in recent years.
Kamran Jamali, a poet and translator, also said that the presence of the general public at Shamloo's tomb on the occasion of his death anniversary is precisely due to his perpetuity in Iranian literature and indicates the glory of his poetry.
"If Shamloo had not dealt with social themes in his poems, he would not have attained an eternal place in literature," he noted.
Qasem Roubin, a translator, said that Shamloo linked terminology with the human being and this can very well serve as a topic in literary endeavors.
Hafez Mousavi, a poet told the audience that Shamloo has reflected the spirit of the time and conducts of intellectuals in his poetry.

TEHRAN, July 26--Animated version of 'Rostam and Esfandiar', a tale from Shahnameh an epic by the renowned Iranian poet Abolqassem Ferdowsi, is currently being produced under the direction of Alireza Kavianrad.
According to ILNA, production of the animated film, the order for which was placed by the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, has been underway since October.
The project--a cumbersome undertaking--is a combination of live filming, two-dimensional animation and comic strips.
It is run by a six-member group.
Commenting on his strategy for directing the film, Kavianrad said that he always tries to employ new techniques in his works.
The designing stage is over and sound recording will begin within three months, he noted.
Kavianrad won the top animation prize jointly with Ali Asghar Sadeqi for the film 'Alliance' at the Fourth Animation Festival.
'Rostam and Esfandiar' features the battle of the two heroes who fight for a long time and eventually Rostam defeats Esfandiar.

WASHINGTON,
July 26--Marin Alsop was confirmed as the 12th music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) Tuesday, despite widespread opposition from the orchestra's musicians. The decision made her the first female conductor in history to assume the artistic leadership of a full-time, full-size, world-quality orchestra, Yahoo reported.
Philip D. English, chairman of the BSO board, said that Alsop's "artistic mastery, recording success and highly regarded reputation worldwide will shape an exciting future for the BSO".
In a statement read by English, the BSO said "an overwhelming majority" of the board voted in favor of Alsop, a 48-year-old New Yorker. Such votes are usually a formality after the search committee hands in its recommendation. At the conclusion of a seven-month search, Alsop received that recommendation last Wednesday.
But in an extraordinary challenge, the seven musicians who served on the search committee released a statement over the weekend asking the board to extend and broaden its search. According to the statement, "approximately 90 percent of the orchestra musicians [believed] that ending the search process now, before we are sure the best candidate has been found, would be a disservice to the patrons of the BSO and all music lovers in Maryland."
Alsop will replace Music Director Yuri Temirkanov, who has announced that he will step down at the end of the 2005-06 season.