Ibn Arabi Award for the best translation from Spanish to Persian was presented at a ceremony at Ketab Sara Publishing House Thursday evening. (l-r) Ali Akbar Fallahi, Antonio Perez-Hernandez, Pezhman Rezaie and Sadeq Samiee (Photo by Amir Rajabi)

TEHRAN, Nov. 12--Two Iranians received the Ibn Arabi Award for the best translations from Spanish to Persian at a ceremony held at Ketab Sara Publishing House on Thursday evening.
The first prize of 10 million rials was awarded to Ali Akbar Fallahi while the second prize of four million rials went to Pezhman Rezaei.
The ceremony was attended by the Spanish Ambassador to Iran Antonio Perez-Hernandez, Head of Ketab Sara Publishing House Sadeq Samiee, who organized the Ibn Arabi Award, as well as a large number of Iranian writers, scholars, artists and also Tehran-based ambassadors and cultural attachŽs.
Speaking to Iran Daily’s Nazafarin Mirzakhalili, the head of Ketab Sara Publishing House recalled that the award was named after Ibn Arabi, a Spanish scholar who lived about 800 years ago. Although his name indicated that he was an Arab, he was born in Spain, he noted.
The award is presented to translators who have contributed to the development of Spanish language, said Samiee adding that the Spanish government recently decided to give prizes for the best translation from Spanish into the local languages of countries where Spanish embassies are located.
“This is the second time that the competition is being held in Iran. The third round will also be held here,“ he stated.
Samiee said that he had spoken to the Pakistani ambassador about initiating the Iqbal Lahori award and also to the Italian Embassy about Dante award. “These are the things that I would like to do but nothing has been finalized yet,“ he added.
The first prize winner Fallahi translated ’Territorio Comanche’ written by Arturo Perez Reverte. He graduated in Spanish language and was fascinated by Spanish literature and began to read novels. He found ’Territorio Comanche’ a precious literary work which had to be translated into Persian.
“There are a few Spanish translators in Iran and most of the Spanish books have been rendered from English to Persian. I decided to translate this book without expecting to publish it. After I heard about this competition, I send my work to the Spanish Embassy,“ he said.
He has translated some books and short stories from Spanish to Persian--none of which have been published yet. He believed that continuing his career as a translator mostly depends on the publishers’ interest in such books.
Rezaei, who was the runner up, translated ’Historia da Una Escalera’ by Antonio Buero Vallejo. As an experienced translator, who has focused on the works by some Spanish writers, he has published some of his translations. “Now I will focus on translating play scripts from Spanish speaking countries. No one has worked on this yet and if I receive support from publishers, I’ll be the first to introduce Spanish literature to Persian readers.“
The two award-winning books, which were published recently by Ketab Sara, are available in bookstores.
Spanish ambassador pointed out that the objective of the competition was to promote Spanish language in other countries.
“In 2001 we instituted this award to the best translator from Spanish to Persian. The idea is to promote knowledge and understanding of Spanish literature in Iran. We will have the third edition next year. The name Ibn Arabi precisely symbolizes what we wanted to do. He was the great scholar from a city in Spain which characterizes coexistence between different religions. That is the idea of promoting cultural contacts between Spaniards and Iranians by giving better knowledge of our respective culture.“

ASALOUYEH, Bushehr, Nov. 12--A Bushehri musician and art researcher has said that Bushehr province is currently undergoing major economic development but this should not result in the neglect of the traditional culture of the region.
Speaking on the sidelines of a culture week in Bushehr province on Thursday, Mohsen Sharifian told IRNA that industrial development and growth need certain prerequisites which should be heeded by industrial managers.
“Industrial centers should also invest in cultural development in addition to tackling their industrial problems,“ Sharifian added.
He noted that concurrent with the resumption of industrial activities in Kharq, Bushehr province, other measures to identify and introduce social and cultural activities of the region will also be taken into consideration.
“Industrial companies involved in developing South Pars gas field should set aside sufficient funds for introducing the culture of that region and also promoting it,“ he added.
Emphasizing the need for preserving Bushehr’s cultural identity, Sharifian pointed out that South Pars Economic Zone is going to cooperate in holding culture week for the Persian Gulf region.
Sharifian has written several books on Bushehr’s folklore music. He has also performed in Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Qatar and the US.
Bushehr Province’s Culture Week was held in Asalouyeh on November 7-11.

SHIRAZ, Fars, Nov. 12--Deputy energy minister for water affairs Friday announced that the controversial Sivand Dam will not be filled with water unless cultural heritage authorities are satisfied that the dam will not harm to ancient Pasargad site, IRNA reported.
Speaking during a visit to Sivand Dam, Rasoul Zargar added that a meeting of lawmakers, officials from Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization and water experts from the Energy Ministry ended inconclusively.
“Although the construction of the dam began in 1995, operations were delayed until 2001 due to technical problems and the need for utilizing modern technology,“ Zargar added.
Sivand Dam is an earth-filled dam whose height is 72 meters and it has a crown of 67 meters in length. Its reservoir capacity is 255 million cubic meters.
Sivand Dam is being built on a river by the same name in Pasargad district north of Shiraz.
It is located 50 kilometers from Persepolis and 10 km from Pasargad.

Historical brooches displayed at an exhibition

TEHRAN, Nov. 12--An Iranian archeologist has objected to giving historical artifacts on loan to foreign countries for displaying in exhibitions.
In an interview with ISNA, Mehdi Rahbar further said, “If we become optimistic about sending the artifacts abroad, we should accept that the objects may be destroyed for whatever reason.“
“I read in Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization’s News Bulletin that a beautiful metallic brooch, which is a valuable object belonging to Iran, has been lost,“ he said, adding that this is while such artifacts were displayed in several European exhibits.
The curator of National Museum had said that the loss was compensated for as the article was insured, he said, adding, “I want to know that whether money serves our purpose.“
He wondered whether the compensation from insurance can make up for the loss of such artifacts which will be useful for future generations.
Pointing to the most accurate methods of imitating artifacts today, Rahbar said, “If such a thing happens to our antiques, what will we do then?“
He noted that it is only Third World countries which lend valuable objects to other countries. “Name a western country which does so for its antiques,“ he asked.
Objecting to the presence of foreign archeological teams in Iran, Rahbar regretted that unfortunately this is on the rise.

TEHRAN, Nov. 12--The 14th Sacred Defense (the 1980-88 Iraq-imposed War) Poetry Congress will be held in Qasr-e Shirin, Kermanshah province from January 17-19.
According to ISNA, officials of the Foundation for Preserving and Publishing the Values of Sacred Defense announced last year that the current round of the event would be held in a region settled by tribesmen in Ilam, probably in Meimak.
However, Ali Reza Qazveh, secretary of the event has said that the congress will be held in Qasr-e Shirin.
He further announced changes in the composition of the jury and said that young talents will be given priority in this year’s event. A review of works submitted for the event will begin next week, he said.
The 13th round of the congress on sacred defense poetry was held in Ahvaz and Mashhad in February.

LONDON, Nov. 12--The Daytime Emmy Award organizers are to honor the creators of films for phones, computers, and devices like the video iPod and PlayStation Portable, BBC said.
The US National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences said its new category is a recognition that such content is becoming increasingly popular.
Shows that have already been broadcast would not be eligible but specially created spin-offs could qualify.
The Academy said the medium is also inspiring a new breed of filmmakers.
“What we are seeing is a burgeoning in this type of program making,“ Peter Price, president of the academy told the BBC News website.
“It will be very interesting to see who the developers of content turn out to be and how the newcomers vie in quality with the efforts of the traditional media.“
The new award categories recognize “outstanding achievement in content for non-traditional delivery platforms“ of less than 20 minutes in length.
“Producers won’t just be able to take 10 minutes from a soap opera and say ’Here’s your program’,“ Mr Price said.
“The material has to be originally conceived and created.“