Choghazanbil Ziggurat in Shoush, Khuzestan province

TEHRAN, Oct. 26--National Iranian Oil Company has begun drilling operations at a distance of only 500 meters from the historical site of Choghazanbil Ziggurat, Shoush, Khuzestan province without any prior coordination with Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO), reported CHN.
The company has drilled wells of up to 15 meters deep and five centimeters wide with the aim of identifying underground energy reserves in the area.
Confirming the news, director of Research Base for Haft-Tappeh and Choghazanbil sites, Mehdi Maddahi said that the explosives detonated in the process will inflict irreparable damage to the monument.
Choghazanbil Base came to learn about the oil company’s activities by chance after three days and, in a letter, has called on it to permit ICHTO experts to examine the threats which may be posed by drilling operations.
Khuzestan Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department and Choghazanbil Base have called for the complete suspension of operations.
Maddahi further noted that while Oil Ministry experts have acknowledged that the region is lacks underground reserves, they nevertheless insist on going ahead with the operations.
Given the significance of the monument in Iranian history,
Experts consider the operations a major disaster for the ancient heritage.
The ruined palace and temple complex of the ancient Islamite city of Door Unlash, near Shoush in Khuzestan includes a magnificent ziggurat (the largest structure of its kind in Iran), temples, and three palaces. The site was placed on the UNESCO Global Heritage List in 1979.

One of the phrases that Iranian children learn right from the day they start to speak is ’O! Ali’. This shows the deep affection among Iranians for Imam Ali (AS), the first Imam of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) infallible household, Persian daily Iran reported.
Although the love for Imam Ali (AS) and his descendents is a valuable asset for Iranians, most of historians maintain that it has been used as a means to counter Arab caliphates.
Iranians, irrespective of the steadfastness in their belief in the Imam, always demonstrate respect for Imam Ali (AS) in words and action. Teaching the phrase ’O! Ali’ to toddlers is proof of this.
“We rejoice at the birth anniversary of Imam Ali (AS) and mourn at his martyrdom, which falls on Qadr Nights.
Swearing upon Ali was always common among the Iranian men and women,“ the article said.
Phrases such as ’O! Ali Help’ are quite common in everyday conversations in Iran.
In an opinion poll conducted several years ago, girls and boys were asked which day they would choose as their wedding day to which some 60 percent responded ’on the birth anniversary of Imam Ali (AS)’.
Necklaces, tiles as well as paintings in stores and homes featuring the name of Ali (AS) all indicate the deep devotion Iranians have for him.
Iranians also respect everything pertaining to Imam Ali (AS) such as his horse called ’Doldol’ and his sword ’Zolfeqar’ (a two-pronged sword presented to him by the Prophet).
Veneration for Imam Ali (AS) is an integral part of the Iranians’ traditional and official cultures.

MASHHAD, Khorasan Razavi, Oct. 26--The first exhibit of holy Qur’an currently underway here features pages from the Loqman chapter of the holy book in Kufi handwritten script dating back to the second and third centuries AH, reported ISNA.
The pages are written on parchment (deer hide) with colorful swans and magnificent ornamental works in handwritten script in Abu Al-Aswad style.
The entire verses from the Loqman chapter of the holy book are maintained in the treasury of handwritten scripts of Khorasan province’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department.
Meanwhile, other pages from the holy Qur’an dating back to the sixth and seventh centuries AH are also on display at the exhibit. They are written in Reyhaneh script in parchments dyed with henna.

LOS ANGELES,
Oct. 26--A record 58 countries from four continents are vying for nominations in next year’s best foreign-language film Oscar category, including first time entrants Iraq and Fiji, officials said.
Organizers of cinema’s top awards unveiled the entrants for the 2006 Academy Awards’ foreign movie section some three months ahead of the announcement of the nominations for the 78th annual Oscars, reported AFP.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had invited 91 countries to present a film for consideration for the 2006 Oscar for best foreign film and the winner will be unveiled at a star-studded show in Hollywood on March 5.
Iraq entered ’Requiem of Snow’, a Kurdish language film from director Jamil Rostami about Kurds praying for rain in a drought-parched area of the country. The tiny Pacific island of Fiji submitted ’The Land Has Eyes’, its first indigenous movie about indigenous Fijians from director Vilsoni Hereniko, according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The movie, which premiered at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, tells of a young girl whose father is unjustly convicted of stealing from a neighbor, which brings crushing disgrace upon the entire family in the islands close-knit culture.
France’s hopeful in the race for the coveted golden statuette is ’Joyeux Noel’ (’Merry Christmas’), a World War I drama directed by Christian Carion, the Academy said.
The film beat out the hit documentary ’March of the Penguins’ for France’s official entry in the Oscars race.
Under now hotly-disputed rules, each country can now only submit one film for the best foreign-language Oscar category and that submission must be predominantly in the language of the entering country.
The rule brought woes to Italy’s initial choice for its entrant in the best foreign-language film Oscar race, Saverio Costanzo’s ’Private’, a Palestinian drama that was rejected because the dialogue is in Arabic, Hebrew and English.
Instead, Italy submitted Cristina Comencini’s film ’La bestia nel cuore’ (The Beast in the Heart), which deals with the issues of childhood incest and lesbianism. Iran entered Reza Mir Karimi’s ’So Close, So Far’, the story of a self-absorbed neurosurgeon who sets off into the desert to locate and reconcile with his 18-year-old son, and a finale involving divine intervention. Hong Kong submitted ’Perhaps Love’, by director Peter Chan Ho-Sun, while China’s entry is ’The Promise’, by Chen Kaige.

TEHRAN, Oct. 26--A play script ’Zoleikha Nameh’ written by Davood Fathali-Beigi of the Drama Unit of Arts Department was published by Sureh Mehr Publishing House.
The publisher said in a press release that the drama features a symbolic approach to conversion of Zoleikha, queen of Egypt, from idolatry to a believer in God.
The book is pictorial and readers have access to paintings from the drama as well as the text.
The book uses a narrative style in which the narrator has a free hand in helping the audience understand the dialogue.
The play script is coupled with poems by Jami and Sediqi-zadeh.
The first edition of the book was published in 2003.
The 100-page book was published in 2,200 copies and has a cover price of 6,500 rials.

TEHRAN, Oct. 26--Author of books for children and young adults Mehdi Kamous is compiling an oral history of literature for children and young adults, reported ISNA.
The history book will be in three volumes with 1,000 pages each.
The author said that he sought guidance from experts involved in writing historical and literary books including Mahmoud Hakimi, Mehdi Hejvani, Mohammad Mirkyaei and Hamid Bavand.
He said that he would observe impartiality in compiling the history book about literature.
Kamous said that serious works on the project will begin from next week adding that several publishing institutes have shown interest in the work, but, no decision has been made in this respect.