A noted researcher has called on officials to support translators of the holy Qur’an.
Qamar Arian told ISNA that Qur’an translation which is a very difficult task requires time sand further effort.
Given the problems facing the sector, it is necessary for officials to encourage researchers on the holy Qur’an as well as the translators, she said, adding that to understand the holy book, good translations are needed.
Stating that Persian translations by Abdelmohammad Ayati and Bahaeddin Khorramshahi are desirable undertakings, she further said that renderings should be fluent enough for children and youth to understand easily.
“Of course, we should remember that the Qur’an is a revelation and reading Persian version is not the same as reading the original,“ she said, adding that no matter how articulate a translation is, it is still necessary to read the Qur’an in Arabic to benefit the most from it.
Arian further said that despite efforts in the field, since some of the translators do not have a full command of Arabic, they cannot present a good work.
Writer of ’Islamic World’ and ’Image of Jesus Christ in Persian Literature’ also said that it is essential for a translator to know Arabic language well and be familiar with Islamic tenets.
He/she should also have a background in modern sciences, she concluded.

A scene from ÔRostam and SohrabÕ puppet opera

The puppet play ’Macbeth’ is the latest work which Aran Group conducted by Behrouz Gharibpour has been rehearsing with marionettes for the last three months.
According to Mehr, Gharibpour said that Tehran ranks third in the world in terms of facilities for performing puppet operas, following Salzburg and Vienna.
He noted his troupe performed puppet opera ’Rostam and Sohrab’ in Prague, which was acclaimed by most of the artists and puppet show experts from 40 countries.
Describing performances with marionettes as the most complete of plays, Gharibpour said, “I have performed several plays in this style since 1980, when I was the director of puppet section, but it did not herald a trend in the field due to its weaknesses and complexities.
“But later I performed this using the style which was in vogue during the Qajar era (1792-1925) with the aim of introducing traditional Iranian puppet show with the use of marionettes.“
Since then, marionettes were produced in the country. “At first, we tried to employ local craftsmen in making marionettes but this encountered delays. Thus we were obliged to place an order with an Austrian group,“ he said, adding “Later, we thought about commissioning a workshop and made 88 marionettes for ’Macbeth’.“
Gharibpour further said that he staged ’Rostam and Sohrab’ puppet opera with the assistance of Roudaki Foundation.
’Macbeth’ is an opera which no group has so far ventured to perform, he said. The move is goal-oriented and this is aimed at conveying the art to the coming generations, he concluded.

Head of Traditional Arts Research Center has announced that the Persian Gulf carpet will be woven after taking into account the historical maps of Iran’s southern waterway.
Abdolmajid Sharifzadeh said that preliminary talks on weaving the unique carpet have already been conducted and the creation of the carpet has also been approved by Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, CHN reported.
However, he noted that consent has not yet been given on the final map to be used in the Persian Gulf carpet and craftsmen have been asked to choose one of the historical maps after reviewing them.
“We have also taken into account the views of different people. We have discussed the issue with experts, including Dr. Pirouz Mojtahedzadeh, who is an expert in geopolitics, to help us in selecting the best map of the Persian Gulf,“ Sharifzadeh said.

Persian language and literature will officially be taught in Pakistan’s Peshawar University following efforts by Iranian Cultural Office and Islamic Sciences and Oriental Studies Faculty in the city.
According to Fars, the issue was approved in a session attended by representative of Iran’s Cultural House and officials of the universities. The proposal was made by Iran’s Cultural Office with the aim of promoting education in this field alongside other Islamic and humanity courses.
It was also agreed that Peshawar University will place on its agenda courses in Persian language at the doctorate level in the current year.
Iran’s Cultural House, on the other hand, announced its readiness to send instructors to the university and compile suitable textbooks for the courses.
Commenting on this, head of the office, Masoud Eslami said that Qurtaba University of Science and Information Technology, a private institution, also launched Persian language courses for students at the doctorate level last year, which were warmly welcomed.
He further said that one of the positive aspects of the agreement was that it made Persian language course compulsory at the post graduate level.
Given the talks with the education secretary of Sarhad province, Persian language courses will be conducted in a limited manner in some of Pakistan’s high schools, he said.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Culture Office will soon organize a ceremony to commemorate the eight-hundredth birth centenary of Molana Jalaleddin Rumi, well-known Iranian mystic and poet, in Peshawar.

TehranÕs old texture

Mayor of Tehran’s District 18 has said that renovating dilapidated structures of the city is a priority for Tehran Municipality.
Ali Akbar Anjomani noted that Tehran Municipality’s District 18 is ready to offer services and facilities, including discount on premium for building an extra storey, CHN reported.
He noted that the citizens who reside in dilapidated structures should destroy, renovate or reinforce their buildings.
“Municipality as a social institution cannot administer the city without the cooperation of the citizens,“ he added. Anjomani asserted that the municipality’s revenues are limited while its expenditure is infinite.
“We need to establish a balance between incomes and expenses with the help of citizens. It is only then we can cut the costs and provide the most favorable services to citizens,“ he noted.

A film will be produced on the lifetime of contemporary Iranian writer Sadeq Choubak. According to ISNA, the film will focus on slides, photos, documents and interviews with Choubak’s friends as well as critical views about his works and life in Iran and abroad.
Preliminary works on the film have been undertaken by Jameh-daran Publishing House, which had earlier released software on another contemporary author Sadeq Hedayat.
The film will also introduce some of the author’s books which are likely to be issued publication permit.
’The Monkey Whose Master Was Dead’, ’Puppet Play’, ’The Last Light’ and ’The Patient Stone’, are some of Choubak’s books which have not yet received a publication permit.
Reprinting of his other books, including ’Mahpareh’, ’Tangsir’ and ’First Day in Grave’, are shrouded in uncertainty.
Choubak, best known as a naturalist short-story writer, died in 1998 in Berkeley, California.

Animation ’Raven Day’ by noted Iranian filmmaker Abdollah Alimorad is participating at Anima Mundi International Animation Festival of Brazil.
Public Relations Office of the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA) said in a news release faxed to Iran Daily that the festival which is currently underway at Rio de Janeiro moves on to Sao Paulo from July 11-15.
The festival covers five categories and Alimorad’s 20-minute animation is competing in the fourth category with films from England, Japan, the US, Spain, France, Germany, Brazil and South Korea.
Written by Ebrahim Forouzesh, ’Raven Day’ is about a greedy raven which steals whatever it finds, ranging from keys to coins and jewels. The raven becomes problematic for the people until one day when it steals the precious jewels of the king.
The film won a golden plaque at the fifth International Animation Festival in Tehran and it also participated in the competition section of a Japanese event.

Renaissance artist Raphael’s painting has sold for more than $37.3m at an auction in London.
The portrait, of Florentine ruler Lorenzo de’ Medici, had not been seen in public since 1968, BBC reported.
When it was last sold, the art world was divided over its origins and it sold for just $325.
But experts now agree it is genuine--Christie’s auctioneers describing it as the most important Renaissance portrait to be sold at auction for a generation.
The portrait was commissioned by Pope Leo X after he arranged a marriage between his nephew, Lorenzo de’ Medici, and Madeleine de la Tour d’Auvergne, a cousin of Francois I, King of France.
The couple had never met, and so Raphael’s paintings were to serve as an introduction--in a Renaissance version of the blind date.
In his portrait, Lorenzo is seen dressed in a gold tunic and fur-lined cape, resplendent against a rich green background.
The Pope’s introduction seems to have worked--the couple married in 1518 and had a daughter, Catherine de’ Medici, who went on to marry King Henry II of France.
The sale has broken the record for a price paid for a work by Raphael.