Chahar Taqi-e Niasar in Isfahan province

TEHRAN, June 21--Chahar Taqi-e Niasar, near Kashan in Isfahan province, is one of the most well-preserved historical monuments in Iran which was registered as a national heritage under No. 316 in 1938.
The monument was used in ancient times as an observatory to study the movements of the sun in the early days of the summer and winter, wrote the Persian daily Jam-e Jam.
In keeping with the tradition, each year, Niasar Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department organizes a ceremony to mark the observance of sun’s birth in the early days of the two seasons.
Some of the ancient customs which have survived to the present day include the summer festival which begins with the summer solstice and is also observed in the cities of Farahan and Arak, both in Markazi province.
Another feast, which has gone into oblivion and still remains largely unknown, is called ’Lotus Feast’--a reference to which was made in ’Asar-ul Baqieh’ by the well-known Iranian scientist Abu-Reyhan Birouni. The feast may have been linked to the blooming of flowers in the summer.
Parseh, an ancient Zoroastrian festival is the third event which is observed on the first day of Iranian month Tir (June 22) marking the beginning of summer.
This year, the ceremony to observe the sighting of the sun on the first day of summer will also be held in cooperation with Niasar Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department and Niasar Municipality.

Shazdeh Garden in Mahan, Kerman province

TEHRAN, June 21--An expert in gardens and landscapes of the Center for Research Studies affiliated to Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) has said that one of the goals of the center is to pursue the registration of ancient Iranian gardens on the global cultural heritage list.
Hamid Reza Jihani told IRNA that the group is currently preparing documents about Iranian gardens for submission to UNESCO for registration as world cultural heritage. Registration of historical Iranian gardens, as a lasting model for landscaping, is a valuable and significant move, he pointed out.
The expert said, “Given the large number of ancient gardens in Iran, the Research Center decided to register them stage by stage on the world cultural heritage list.
“Executive works for the purpose have been underway since last year and the group has compiled documentaries for submission to UNESCO.“
He said that preference has been given to Fin Garden in Kashan, Isfahan province and Shazdeh Garden in Mahan, Kerman. Documents on ancient gardens in other provinces will be presented to UNESCO later, he added.

TEHRAN, June 21--Three paintings by Iranian artists are being put on sale at the website of Khial Gallery.
According to IRNA, paintings by Parviz Kalantari, Hossein Mahjoubi, and Jamal-eddin Khorrami-nejad have been put on sale at the virtual gallery which enjoys international reputation.
Those interested can visit the website until June 23 and place their bids to buy the paintings.
The base price for the painting ’Passage’ by Kalantari has been put 7.2 million rials. The base prices of ’Movement and Life’ by Mahjoubi is 9.4 million rials and an untitled painting by Khorrami-nejad is 10 million rials.
It is common in Western states to place artworks on sale via the Internet. Sotheby’s and Christie’s are the world’s leading auction houses for artworks.

Morteza Goudarzi Dibaj

TEHRAN, June 21--The Arts Center is experiencing ups and downs and should undergo structural changes to keep up with the dynamism in the society, observed the head of the Research Center of Islamic Culture and Arts, Morteza Goudarzi Dibaj.
He told Fars news agency that the Arts Center began its activities in a specified direction with specific targets. He however acknowledged that there are reservations about the quality and speed of the works conducted by the center and that its performance in specialized fields has been variable.
Elaborating on the activities of the Arts Center following the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Dibaj said that during the leadership of the late Imam Khomeini, the society enjoyed identical and common atmosphere which was accurately reflected in the works of artists.
“In that period, which lasted for the first five to ten years after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the tone of the artworks represented popular and religious perceptions. Monotony was tangible in the society which normally should experience changes and diversity in opinions in the democratic process. Therefore, the current artworks are somewhat different from those created in the first decade after the victory of the Islamic Revolution,“ he pointed out.
Noting the commonalities in cultural works produced in different periods, Goudarzi Dibaj said, “Although the Arts Center had been slow in some specialized fields, in the past four years it embarked on research studies on Iranian arts and produced reference books which are of high quality and quantity.“
He said that the Research Center for Islamic Culture and Arts is currently publishing a specialized bulletin called, ’Binab’ which is a turning point for the sector since it paves the way for undertaking different fields of research studies.

The artist has focused on simple forms and named the artwork 'Cariglimator' (a combination of caricature and gelim).

TEHRAN, June 21--New caricatures by Davoud Shahidi inspired by designs used in traditional Iranian gelims will be showcased here at Seyhoon Gallery in November.
The Persian daily Aftab said that in his works, the artist has focused on simple forms and named them ’Cariglimator’ (a combination of caricature and gelim).
The collection is colorful and the ambience is amusing. Mouse and cat, fish and spider are the main creatures featured in the caricatures.
Shahidi believes that the children will find the collection more attractive.
Presently, ten of his works taken from various periods of his career are on display in Tehran’s Man-e Honar Gallery.
Shahidi holds a PhD in architecture and has conducted research in the field of art a number of countries.

TEHRAN, June 21--An Iranian movie ’Album’ directed by Reza Heidarnejad is to be screened at Shanghai International TV Film Festival and on China’s national television, reported Mehr news agency.
’Album’ will be screened in the peripheral section of Shanghai Festival whose objective is to consolidate world peace, friendship and cooperation.
The Shanghai event has been divided into a number of sections including Magnolia Showcase Prize, international television programs competition, international market of movies and television series, international market of cinema, television and radio equipment, as well as Magnolia Television Complex.
’Album’ will also be broadcast on Chinese Television Network in the coming days.
It is among successful Iranian films and has been screened in several leading international festivals.
The film was awarded at Germany’s Schlingel Film Festival, Houston Film Festival in the US, Cyprus Film Festival as well as India’s Hyderabad Film Festival and Kerala Film Festival.
The 12th Shanghai International TV Film Festival began on June 17 and will continue until June 31.

HEFEI, China, June 21--Archaeologists in the eastern province of Anhui have unearthed 93 tombs dating back more than 2,200 years, reported Xinhua.com.
Archaeologists with the Anhui Provincial Archaeological Research Institute have excavated more than 600 relics including bronze, pottery, carved jade articles and colored glaze ware.
Located near Wanling Village in Qianshan County, the tombs were first discovered by a group of workers who were building a national expressway last October. Archaeologists began excavations last November.
The largest of the 93 tombs of the late Warring States Period (475 B.C.-221 B.C.) is eight meters long, six meters wide and 7.6 meters deep, with a five-meter-long passage leading to the coffin chamber. A coffin and an outer coffin were discovered in the tomb chamber.
Archaeologists unearthed a large amount of bronze ware, including ding--a kind of cooking vessel--daggers, spears, swords and a whole set of horse-driven carriages, according to the archaeological bureau of Qianshan County.
Archaeologists identified the tomb owner as a noble man of the late Warring States Period.
An archaeologist of Qianxian County said that judging from the models of household utensils unearthed from these tombs, people living in the Warring States Period lived a similar lifestyle to today’s people living in the same region.
Unearthed relics provided material evidence for studying the burial rites and the culture in the region during the Warring States Period, the archaeologist said.