TEHRAN, Oct. 8--Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan will jointly publish a series of stamps featuring the well-known Iranian mystic and poet Molana Jalaleddin Rumi until March.
Announcing this, Mohammad Arab, director general of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology’s Public Relations Department said that the decision to print commemorative stamps on Molana was first taken during a visit to Turkey of the managing director of Iran’s Postal Company.
Following that, Syria and Afghanistan also requested to take part in the venture.
Finally, the four countries agreed to simultaneously publish the stamp to commemorate Molana.
Elaborating on the design of the stamp, Arab told CHN that following the agreement among the parties, representatives from the three countries came to Iran and selected three designs featuring the portrait of Molana, his mausoleum and celestial dance.
The four countries decided to publish the stamp in their own name.
Syria has published the stamp and has sent a sample to Iran’s Postal Company. The stamp is the first in the world to feature the image of Molana.
Arab further said that the stamps will be displayed in an exhibition to be held in Konya, Turkey where the poet’s mausoleum is located, to mark Molana’s death anniversary.

An unclean dog sat himself down beside a Shaykh who made no move to draw in the skirt of his robe. A puzzled passer by who had noticed his behavior said: “O you who are distinguished for the purity of your life, why do you not protect yourself against the defilement of this dog?“
“This dog“, replied the Shaykh, “is outwardly unclean, but what is outside him is inside him is inside me. That un-cleanliness which is clearly manifested outwardly on him, is hidden within my inmost self. Since my inward part is like the exterior of the dog, why should I have an aversion to him, seeing that he and I are alike in that? Whether inward filth is slight or great, the outcome is the same. If straws impede you or a mountain, where is the difference if you have to stop?“
Hafiz Magazine

TEHRAN, Oct. 8--Artists from 18 provinces will take part in the Third Imam Reza (AS) Cultural and Artistic Festival, which is named after the eighth Imam of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) infallible household, to be held in Mashhad (Khorasan Razavi province) in December.
Announcing this, Javad Jafari, director general of Khorasan Razavi province’s Culture and Islamic Guidance Department, added that 17 provinces have so far expressed their readiness to take part in the event.
He further noted that the number of provinces taking part in the fourth round of the festival will increase to 30.
Meanwhile, director general of the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry’s Provincial Affairs Department underlined the need for popular institutions to play an active role in holding Imam Reza (AS) Festival, reported the Persian daily Jaam-e Jam.
Mohammad Mehdi Ahmadi noted that religious delegations, mosques, professors, artists, teachers and people from all walks of life should cooperate in holding Imam Reza Festival. “The festival belongs to all people of the world and not just a particular group,“ he added.
Imam Reza (AS) Festival was held for the first time in 2003.

TEHRAN, Oct. 8--Iranian Cultural Center in Moscow will organize the Second Persian Language and Literature Olympiad on November 24-25 in cooperation with Lomonosov Moscow State University.
Reporting this, Fars news agency quoted the Public Relations Department of Islamic Culture and Communications Organization as saying that more than 50 top students studying Persian language and literature from Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Tatarstan, Dagestan and Astrakhan will take part in the event.
During the two-day event, the participants will compete with each other in Persian writing, translation, reading and comprehension of texts as well as dialogue.
The Olympiad will be held under the supervision of Iranian experts and professors.

TEHRAN, Oct. 8--A total of 108 paintings, 23 miniature works, 15 sculptures and 12 works in modern art are on display at the Second Qur’anic Art Festival, announced the secretary of the event, reported ILNA.
Speaking at Tehran’s Niavaran Creativities Foundation, Habibollah Sadeqi recalled that governments have always helped in the creation of great works of architecture, such as churches, to create visual imprints of valuable concepts.
“The most important works of Muslim calligraphers will be represented at the festival,“ he added.
Sadeqi noted that the number of participants in this year’s event has increased by 40 percent compared to the figure for last year.
The event, he added, is sponsored by Niavaran Cultural Complex, Visual Arts Development Institute and Arts Department of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
The Qur’anic Art Festival, which opened on Saturday will continue until Nov. 3.

TEHRAN, Oct. 8--’A Piece of Sky’ is a book written by Hossein Fattahi on the biography of martyr Mohammad Borujerdi in a series of golden books published by Sureh Mehr Publishing House.
In press release, the publisher said that the book is about the life of a young Iranian soldier Mohammad whose mother used to call him ’Mirza’. The people called him ’Messih’ of Kurdestan.
He was born in 1954 in the village of Dareh Gorg, Borujerd. His father died when he was five years old and he was brought up by his mother. After a while, he moved to Tehran with his family. He became acquainted with one Muslim freedom activist and this changed his life. He used to regularly attend Islamic teaching classes where the character of Imam Khomeini was revealed to him.
The seventh edition of the book was published in cooperation with Office of Literature and Art of Resistance (for children and young adults) in 5,000 copies.

LONDON, Oct. 8--Italian police have smashed an art smuggling ring believed to have plundered an archaeological site near Rome and sold over 3,500 artifacts, reported BBC.
The ring was allegedly headed by an 82-year-old Austrian guide, whose home in Linz has been described as a ’museum’ by a senior police official.
The artifacts include ceramics but also pieces of gold and silver, including a cup worth several thousand euros.
The Austrian, nicknamed ’Mozart’, has not been arrested because of his age.
Five Italians, believed to be tomb raiders and collectors, have been arrested on charges related to international art trafficking and 28 more are under investigation.
The Austrian is said to have gained access to protected archaeological sites thanks to his tour guide credentials.
“His house was just like a museum, with objects on display and ready to be sold,“ police Col Ferdinando Musella said at a news conference in Rome.
Some 600 artifacts are said to have been illegally excavated at Crustumerium, an Etruscan city on the outskirts of the capital which was later conquered by the Romans.
But other objects recovered came from Sicily and Puglia in southern Italy.

TEHRAN, Oct. 8--Melal (nations) Orchestra, also known as Persepolis (Takht-e Jamshid), has received offers to perform in Qatar, France and Armenia, following a successful performance here at Vahdat Hall, said the orchestra’s conductor in an interview with ISNA on Friday.
Peyman Soltani added that while broadcasting the concert, Iranian TV zoomed the musical instruments played by the group whereas it only showed a general view of instrument used by Symphony Orchestra and National Orchestra.
Stating that Melal Orchestra’s performance has received extensive coverage on foreign and domestic media, he also said, “We performed the concert without any support and painstakingly organized two performances in Vahdat Hall.“
Criticizing some people for creating obstacles, the conductor said he borrowed a sum of 400 million rials for organizing the event.
“Ticket sales amounted to 65 million rials whereas we spent a total of 600 million rials to stage the performance,“ he noted.
“Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry’s Music Center did not make certain instruments available to us,“ he lamented, saying that one cannot buy these instruments which are specially meant for halls.
For the same reason, some members of the orchestra were left out of the group in the performance, he said.
“Only Vahdat Hall officials and head of the ministry’s Public Relations Department collaborated with us,“ he concluded.