A total of 170,000 domestic tourists and 3,000 foreign tourists visited Bisotoun during Norouz holidays to mark the beginning of the new Iranian year in March.

Historic site of Bisotoun, Kermanshah province, is a source of pride both for the country and the province and is considered part of national identity, ISNA reported.
Expressing this view, district governor of Bisotoun, Noureddin Farzadipour voiced his dissatisfaction about the condition of the monument and called on cultural officials to make good on their pledges.
“Following the registration of the monument on the global heritage list, it was expected that better conditions would be available for tourists and the services offered at the site should be befitting for a monument of international standing. Of course, changes have been made compared to the conditions in the past,“ he said.
Describing the lack of a comprehensive plan as the main problem facing the edifice, he noted that unless a plan is devised and objectives are set, Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization cannot go according to a specific schedule.
“I feel that the monument is more in need of a dynamic management and the organization should pay more attention to this,“ he said.
Imamzadeh Baqer (AS) Mausoleum on the premises of Bisotoun has a special status in the province and among the pilgrims, he said adding that it is not in a good condition.
“We have been seeking a reconstruction permit for 21 years but we have faced obstructive regulations,“ he complained.
Noting that the number of tourists visiting the site has increased considerably, he stated that a total of 170,000 domestic tourists and 3,000 foreign tourists visited the site during Norouz holidays to mark the beginning of the new Iranian year in March.

Noted composer and conductor, Loris Tjeknavorian, said he will perform a symphony titled ’Messenger of Love and Hope’ concurrent with the anniversary of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) ascendancy to prophethood in Tehran’s Vahdat Hall.
Tjeknavorian told Fars that he will conduct Tehran Symphony Orchestra in performing his composition ’Messenger of Love and Hope’ from August 10 to 20.
Referring to the difference between this performance and the one that was performed in Fajr Music Festival, he pointed out that the presentation under the same title in Fajr in February included musical pieces by Tjeknavorian himself as well as other composers, but this time all the musical pieces are composed by him.
He however acknowledged that some changes might be made to the new performance.
’Messenger of Love and Hope’ deals with lives of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Imam Ali (AS), the first Imam of the infallible household of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as well as the third Shiite Imam, Imam Hussein (AS) and other Imams, he added.
“Since I was familiar with the biographies of the infallible Imams from my childhood, I began to make these musical pieces because I respected them,“ Tjeknavorian concluded.

Designer of the recently installed sculpture on Tehran’s Imam Ali (AS) Highway said the artwork is a kind of voluminous graphics.
Speaking to Fars, sculptor and graphic designer Dariush Mokhtari further said, “The sculpture is a voluminous graphics design, which has been created for the first time after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.“
The artwork, which was presented at the First Tehran International Sculpture Symposium, is 4.1 meters high and 2.5 meters wide. It is made of iron and turns brown when rusty.
The sculptor said that voluminous graphics is a common term in Europe and the US. However, Parviz Tanavoli is the only artist who has produced some voluminous calligraphy works before the revolution in Iran.
Mokhtari, who has been working on this branch of graphics for eight years, said, “This term has not received much attention among Iranian artists and I intend to promote it by presenting works in the field.“
The sculpture, resembling the word ’Ali’, was installed on July 12.

Prospects of fighting film piracy are promising, said the secretary of the Coordination Headquarters to Combat Piracy and Illegal Distribution of Cinematic Products, hoping that complete security will be restored to the producers and cineastes within six months.
Speaking to Fars, Ebrahim Daroughehzadeh added that the new law, whose first urgency has been approved by the Majlis, envisages tough measures and heavy fines for those involved in the piracy of films.
“Of course, we expected more than this since such acts are tantamount to stealing others’ properties and the Majlis as well as the Judiciary should take measures to prevent this,“ he said.
However, the present law is more progressive and better than the earlier one, he noted.
Commenting on prison sentences for offenders, he said, “In my opinion imprisonment is not that helpful.“
He noted, “If we can set heavy fines for each illegal CD seized in the shops, it will contribute more to uprooting the evil phenomenon.“
Daroughehzadeh, who doubles as the managing director of Visual Media Institute, recalled that in the past, no fines were imposed on those pirating films and even the CDs confiscated were returned to their owners. “Whereas, these CDs should have been destroyed because they in fact did not belong to anybody,“ he concluded.

While UNESCO’s new regulations stipulate national recording of spiritual heritages before their registration on the global list, no bylaw has been approved by the government to this end.
According to CHN, Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) plans to register spiritual heritage on the national list for the first time, however this requires a bylaw.
The cases include: Norouz (Iranian new year festivity), Iranian Radif music, Tazieh (passion play), migration of tribal people, Moazzenzadeh’s Adhan (call to prayers) and Ashura (the tenth day of the lunar month of Muharram when the third Imam of the infallible household of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Imam Hussein (AS) and 72 of his loyal companions were martyred in the plains of Karbala).
Speaking to the same source, Hosseinali Vakil Aliabadi, head of the ICHHTO’s Registration Office said, “We have two plans on the agenda. First to draw up the bylaw, and then to issue a directive on the process of registering the cases.“
He added that the bylaw is being prepared in cooperation with the Organization’s Legal Department and with the help of a number of experts.
“The concept of spiritual heritage must be defined in the bylaw and its applications specified,“ the official said, adding that the directive will be finalized within the next two weeks.
Vakil further said that once the bylaw is approved, cases of spiritual heritage will be registered according to priority and precedence.

Ali Akbar Sarkhosh

Veteran musician Ali Akbar Sarkhosh passed away at the age of 84 in Tehran on Wednesday.
According to ISNA, the artists died of old age as well as complications arising from kidney problems and lung infection.
Undisputed master of the traditional Iranian musical instrument ’Santour’, Sarkhosh was also proficient at playing violin as well as other traditional instruments, including ’Tar’ and ’Setar’. The artist, famous for his great skill in making musical instruments, was called ’Father of Tuning’ by late musician Abolhassan Saba.
Sarkhosh’s funeral ceremony was held on Saturday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Masjed Al-Reza, located on Niloufar Square, Sohrevardi Street.

Workshop of Iran’s University Theater Representatives and workshop of theatrical groups from China and Australia were awarded in the Ninth Sinaya Festival in Romania.
Theater director, Kiumars Moradi accompanied by several art and architecture students represented Iran in Sinaya Festival, ISNA reported.
Moradi said that representatives from 15 countries were quite intrigued about the way Iranian artists performed theater. “They [participants] asked bout the style of our theater and the way we put things together. They were also interested in the theme and topics of our plays,“ he said.
He noted that the audience was deeply interested in educational workshops in Iran and China as the two countries spotlighted cultural and indigenous issues.
Referring to another play presented by the Iranian delegation in the festival, Moradi said although many other delegations had performed ’Romeo and Juliet’ in the comic form, ’we centered it on contemporary love’.

Paintings by noted Iranian teahouse painter Hassan Esmailzadeh, known as Chelipa, have been gathered from different parts of the country.
Announcing this, his son Kazem Chelipa told Fars that nearly 80 paintings created by his father between 1941 and 2001 have so far been brought together.
Commenting on the establishment of a foundation named after maestro Esmailzadeh, he said, “We are awaiting the publication of a book featuring his works.“
Following the publication of the book, the entity will be launched in early autumn.
Once commissioned, the foundation will put all his works on permanent display, he said, adding that organizing different educational and research programs on teahouse painting and specialized meetings and holding commemoration ceremonies for veteran teahouse painters are also on its agenda.
The late Hassan Esmailzadeh was born in Zanjan in 1922.
He was a very proficient teahouse painter and a student of maestro Mohammad Modabber who had the experience of working with Hossein Qollar-Agassi.
Following these two artists, Chelipa was the oldest teahouse painter specializing in creating innovative scenes as well as drawing epic and religious paintings.
Following the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Chelipa extended teahouse painting to Revolutionary scenes and Sacred Defense Era (Iraq-imposed war of 1980-88) and mainly focused on public affairs and traditions.