Ancient city of Meibod in Yazd

YAZD, Aug. 27--Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department in Yazd province has once again proposed the establishment of an international research center for adobe structures in Meibod.
According to CHN, the proposal was first made two years ago at the Ninth International Conference on Preservation and Studies of Adobe Architecture in Yazd and it received a favorable response from the International Center for Renovation and Maintenance of Cultural Heritage Sites (ICROM) and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).
Confirming this, Head of Yazd Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department Seifollah Azizi renewed the proposal for Meibod to serve as the venue for international center for adobe and said, “We have suggested to the organization that Englishmen Airport in Meibod is a suitable location for setting up the center and we are now awaiting a response.“
Putting the area of Yazd’s historical texture at 2,800 hectares, Azizi further said that the province houses three historical cities of Yazd, Ardakan and Meibod. Meibod historical texture was the first to be registered on national heritage list while texture of Yazd which is the most well-preserved was registered this year as No. 15
Establishment of such a center will facilitate the use of international know-how in safeguarding the invaluable textures.
Experts also believe that since Iran is located on a fault line, setting up the center will provide an opportunity for international involvement in the reinforcement of adobe structures.
Following the selection of Iran to house the International Research Center for Adobe, the two cities Yazd and Meibod announced their readiness to become the seat of the center.

TEHRAN, Aug. 27--Illustrations depicting ascension of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) compiled from lithographic books are currently on display at the Holy Qur’an Museum.
According to Fars, this is for the first time that illustrations of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) are being featured as part of the agenda for the ongoing Message of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Festival.
The illustrations have been compiled by Iranian researcher and illustrator, Ali Bouzari, from old texts maintained at Iran’s National Library, Astan-e Qods Razavi Library, as well as libraries in Germany, Britain and France.
The illustrations are taken from 140 tableaux compiled from 17 lithographic prints about the ascension of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Some 60 tableaux are on display at the Message of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Festival which is underway in Tehran’s Holy Qur’an National Museum until August 31.

Bisotoun is famous for its archeological sites.

TEHRAN, Aug. 27--United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has said that the construction of Harsin Industrial City near Bisotoun archeological site should conform to regulations, reported CHN.
In a letter, UNESCO’s Center for International Heritage sought explanation from Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization about the construction of Harsin Industrial City in the vicinity of Bisotoun archeological site.
With the lapse of one month since the registration of Bisotoun on the list of global heritage sites, serious challenges have cropped up relating to construction and development activities in the area by Polymer Petrochemical Company and Kermanshah Industrial Satellite Cities.
The government has approved the construction of Harsin Industrial Satellite City in an area of 90 hectares near Bezanabad village.
Harsin Industrial Satellite City is only three kilometers away from Bisotoun industrial city.
Part of UNESCO’s letter reads, Bisotoun was registered as a global heritage site at the 30th international intergovernmental committee meeting held in Lithuania in June.
It added that according to UNESCO convention, any construction in Bisotoun archeological site that could pose a threat to the site should take place in coordination with UNESCO’s international center.
Bisotoun is famous for archeological sites such as prehistoric caves, a temple belonging to Median Era as well as bridges and edifices from the Sassanid Era.
Bisotoun is the eighth Iranian historic monument to be registered by UNESCO on the global heritage list after Persepolis (Fars province), Choghazanbil (Khuzestan), Takht-e Soleiman (West Azarbaijan), Naqsh-e Jahan (Isfahan), Bam Citadel (Kerman), Pasargad (Fars) and Soltanieh Dome (Zanjan).

TEHRAN, Aug. 27--First Tehran International Poster Triennial will be held by Today Posters website in 2007.
Announcing this, Ali Vazirian, a graphic designer told Fars that since the first biennial of typography of poster was held successfully in Artists House in November, the website decided to organize the first International Poster Triennial with the aim of forging a deep cultural bond between the artists and promoting this branch of art in the contemporary world.
Stating that the event is the first of its kind in the country, he further said that the exhibition will be held in thematic and free sections.
The first section has been called ’Book and Recognition for Peace’ while the second will focus on cultural, artistic, political, social and religious posters, Vazirian said.
Commenting on the awards of the exhibit, he said that the prize of the event includes 10,000 dollars in cash as well as diploma of honor. Three young artists will also be honored.
Announcing that the second Poster Typography Biennial is scheduled to be held in October 2007, Vazirian stated that the entries for the first typography exhibit will be published in a book by Nashr-e Shahr Publishing House.
Commenting on the reasons for holding the event once every three years, the graphic designer said that triennials are currently in vogue throughout the world. “In order to evaluate a large number of works with high quality, the exhibit will be held every three years,“ he said.

TEHRAN, Aug. 27--The film ’Workers Are Working’ directed by Mani Haqiqi received the top prize at the Indonesian Film Festival.
According to ISNA, the film had earlier won the Founders of Michael Moore Festival award.
Two Iranian films ’A Woman Faraway’ directed by Ali Mosaffa and ’Workers Are Working’ by Mani Haqiqi were screened in the first round of Asian film festival Jogja-Notpak in Indonesia, wherein the latter won the top prize.
The festival was held in tsunami-afflicted area as part of the efforts to uplift the spirit of the people.
’Workers Are Working’ won the prize for the best screenplay at the international section of International Fajr Film Festival, plaque of honor at the ninth round of Zanzibar Film Festival and the award for founders of the second film festival Traverse City in the US, which is organized by Michael Moore.
The film, which is based on an idea of noted Iranian film director Abbas Kia-Rostami, narrates the story of four friends who encounter a strange boulder in a mountainous road.
Three main roles of the film are acted by Mahmoud Kelari, Ahmad Hamed and Omid Rouhani, who are just familiar with cinema.

TEHRAN, Aug. 27--Marcel Khalifa, who was named UNESCO artist for peace in 2005, is preparing a special artistic program based on the works of contemporary Palestinian poet, Mahmoud Darvish, reported CHN.
Khalifa is a renowned musician of the Arab world who tried to establish a new artistic expression in Arabic traditional music.
The program will be held in San Diego Center for Psychology and Neurology Studies in California, USA.
Artists who will accompany Marcel Khalifa are Peter Herbert, Rami Khalifa and Bashar Khalifa.
Khalifa’s artistic program is slated for October 22.

YINCHUAN, China, Aug. 27--The Muslim farmer from the northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region had never thought in his wildest dream that he could become discoverer of the so-called ’national treasure’, excavation of which was televised live to all Chinese people by the China Central Television (CCTV) on Saturday afternoon.
According to Xhinhua.com, Ma Yun had been catching hedgehogs on a hill of the Lingwu Cityin April 2004, when he came up with a ’brown stone’, the diameter of which is some 20 centimeters. He believed that the stone resembled an enormous ’limb of some animal’, but none of his acquaintances he dragged to the spot was convinced, until five months later he contacted the Lingwu Bureau of Cultural Relics and was told the ’stone’ could be something more precious: fossil of dinosaur.
“We make this live broadcast because the fossils are so precious,“ said Xu Xing, 37-year-old archaeologist and researcher with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), who was invited as guest by CCTV.
Discovery of the species in Asia could support the Continental Drift Theory, according to which the African, American and Asian continents used to be connected, Xu said.