The central part of TehranÕs Municipality District 12 is home to a large number of historical monuments. (IRNA Photo)

TEHRAN, May 7-- Mayor of Tehran’s 12th Municipality District has announced that old and historical alleys in the capital’s central areas will be transformed into walkways with the aim of protecting the monuments.
Speaking to IRNA, Mehdi Nazem-Razavi said that the central part of the district is home to a large number of historical monuments dating back to 100,000 years ago, which are facing destruction due to the unchecked movement of vehicles and congestion.
He elaborated that in line with the plan, Sepahsalar, Saf, 15th Khordad and Lalehzar streets as well as Marvi Alley will be turned into walkways and movement of automobiles in those areas will be restricted.
Noting that the coverings of the streets will be changed, he said that some verandas will also be designed to improve the historical and tourism attractions.
“Establishment of tramway lines is on the agenda so as to control traffic jam in the areas,“ Nazem-Razavi said, adding that some 3.5 kilometers of the project has been implemented.
Elaborating on the time span for completing the project, he said that executive studies have been conducted and the tramways are expected to be operational by September.

TEHRAN, May 7--In the latest round of excavations in Minab and Roudan in the southern province of Hormuzgan, archeologists have come across 40 coins minted in the early Islamic era and 15 historical artifacts including agate, bracelets and bronze arrows dating to the first millennium BC.
Head of the excavation team, Siamak Sarlak told CHN that about 40 coins have been found in the Minab and Roudan region and that rust on the coins has made impossible to decipher the date, but, examinations have proved that they belong to the Ilkhanid to Safavid eras.
Several agate necklaces, bronze bracelets and pieces of potteries dating to the Safavid era have also been unearthed, he said.
In addition, archaeologists discovered the location of old Hormuz port near Hormuz Straits in the Persian Gulf.
The old port of Hormuz on the Persian Gulf was destroyed during Mogul invasion and was relocated by the then ruler of Hormuz. For seven centuries, old Hormuz port remained unknown. Some believed that Minab was in fact old Hormuz, but, archaeological studies indicated that Minab was only a part of the summer resort of old Hormuz for traders and fishermen, especially foreign merchants.
Meanwhile, a graveyard dating back to the first millennium BC was also discovered in the historical site of Minab and Roudan.

Mohammad Reza Mir-Tajeddini

TEHRAN, May 7--A member of the Majlis Cultural Commission has called on the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance to organize a film festival on the aspirations of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Mohammad Reza Mir-Tajeddini said that in view of the fact that the current Iranian year (started March) has been designated as the Year of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the aspirations of the great prophet should be publicized through sermons by religious leaders, reported Fars News Agency.
The lawmakers further said that cultural and social organizations, Education Ministry and Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) are expected to deal with the characteristics of the great prophet and introduce his eminency as a model for Muslims.
“Cultural organizations should undertake extensive activities to present the thriftiness and frugality practiced by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to enable the younger generation to know the great prophet’s views on different social and economic issues,“ he concluded.

MolaviÕs tomb in Konya, Turkey (ISNA Photo)

TEHRAN, May 7--Turkish publishers are collecting all the books dealing with the life and works of the well-known Iranian poet and mystic Molana Jalaleddin Rumi as part of the programs to mark the year 2007, which was designated as Molavi Year by UNESCO.
Director of Turkey’s pavilion at the ongoing Tehran International Book Fair Hayati Bayrak told CHN that the complete works of Molana Jalaleddin Rumi will be published in 2007.
In addition to this, he added that a one-week commemoration ceremony for the Molavi is held in Konya, where the poet’s mausoleum is located. Konya Municipality and Tourism Center have also drawn up a special program to mark the year 2007, he added.
According to Bayrak, all of Molana’s works including Masnavi Molavi, Shams Anthology have so far been translated and published in Turkey.
The Turkish version of Masnavi is currently available in the country’s pavilion in the book fair. Turkey is participating in the event for the first time by featuring 1,500 books published by 30 private and state publishers.
Commenting on the importance of the country’s participation in the event, Bayrak said that Iran and Turkey share numerous historical commonalities. “We intend to trade books with Iran,“ he noted.

The photos will be taken of the architectural features of buildings in the Caribbean. (ISNA Photo)

TEHRAN, May 7--Iranian photographer Kamran Adl has been invited to former French territories in the Caribbean as well as Martinique Island in northern France, to take photos portraying the architectural features of buildings dating back to the French colonial rule from 1920-1950.
According to ISNA, a French newsletter on ’Modern Architecture’ has planned to publish a series of books about French architecture and assigned the first volume to studies on Martinique Island.
The Iranian photographer will take photos of buildings of French colonial architecture within two months.
Architect Jean Dausset whose second book will focus on Guadeloupe Islands has undertaken to publish the collection.
’Modern Architecture’ is a longstanding and credible French newsletter.
Adl has so far taken pictures of Indian and Kuwaiti architecture for Agha Khan Foundation.

TEHRAN, May 7--Tehranis will be able to order books which they wish to borrow from libraries in the city via the Internet within two months, according to Fars News Agency.
Announcing this, head of Tehran Municipality’s Cultural and Arts Organization Ali Asgari said, “We are now involved in compiling information about books available in Tehran libraries and make it accessible on the Internet.“
Citizens can receive the books they have ordered at the doorstep once the project is complete, he noted.
Pointing to the plan to set up one library in Tehran per month, Asgari said that some 75 libraries affiliated to the organization are currently in operation in Tehran.
He also announced that Tehran Book Garden will be inaugurated in Abbasabad Hills by March 2008.
Referring to the start of the Librarians Plan in Tehran in June, Asgari added that under the project, librarians will visit private libraries which contain more than 5,000 books and arrange them free of charge.
If the owners of the libraries want to donate their books, other services will be offered to them, he concluded.

TEHRAN, May 7--Cities which have more historical edifices registered on the cultural heritage list of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) will receive more funds for maintenance of the sites, observed the head of the Cultural Heritage Department in Mehriz in Yazd province.
Mohsen Abbasi told ISNA that since 10 years ago when the office was set up in Mehriz, only 19 cultural heritage sites in the city were registered with ICHTO whereas in the past year alone, 22 more sites in the city were placed on the ICHTO list.
“Up to now, some 41 sites from Mehriz have been registered on the national heritage list. Some of them are tourist attractions. They need repair and maintenance. We welcome private investment in ancient buildings which can attract tourists,“ he said.
Abbasi said that the private sector has so far repaired Shah Abbasi hotel and turned Mehr public bath and Haji Hosseini House into restaurants and the old residence of the village headman into pilgrims’ rest house. They also repaired the public baths and underground water storages, he added.
He said that ICHTO has held a variety of exhibits in the city in the past year to introduce its cultural heritage to tourists. Special signboards have been installed in the streets to guide the tourists to the cultural heritage sites, he pointed out.
The amount of investment in this sector in Mehriz has increased dramatically, he said.
The organization, he stated, is currently conducting research studies on Pir-Naraki historical site and has planned to rehabilitate the site.
He said that an agreement has been signed with a consultant firm to take aerial photos of the sites and prepare them to host tourists visiting Mehriz.