Concurrent with the auspicious birth anniversary of Imam Ali (AS), first Imam of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) infallible household, 18 projects to reconstruct the holy shrine of the Imam were launched in Najaf, Iraq.
According to IRNA, Alireza Fadakar who is in charge of the Headquarters for Reconstructing Holy Shrines in Iraq, made the remarks in a ceremony to mark Imam Ali’s (AS) birth anniversary at the shrine on Saturday.
He said that part of the projects include the establishment and setting up 20 floodlights with a height of 27 meters and construction of installation channels as well as water, power and telephone networks.
Renovation and lightening of the ceiling of the holy shrine, construction of an auditorium as well as places for performing ablution are among the other projects launched on the day.
Due to the antiquity of the carpets in the holy shrine, an equipped carpet-washing system have been transported to the city from Tabriz and is now in operation, he said.
Fadakar further stated that installing surveillance systems and closed-circuit cameras and improving water supplying systems for the pilgrims are also on the agenda.
A total of 20 billion rials has been allocated for implementing the projects, he said, adding that the funds were procured from public donations.

Research Center for Protection and Maintenance of archeological sites will undertake a project to preserve, document and create replicas of inscriptions and rock carvings in the country, once necessary funds are made available.
Speaking to ISNA, head of Decorations Department of the center Hamid Fadaei further said that in view of the destructions caused by erosion and environmental factors, the need to safeguard rock carvings is strongly felt. Extensive research will be conducted on the artifacts and the erosion process, he noted.
Stating that special attention will be paid to documentation and creating replicas, he added that such works have not been dealt with seriously.
Using modern technologies, precise documentation can be undertaken to serve as a base for creating replicas or moulages for rock inscriptions and figures, he said. “Thus, we will be able to materialize one of the objectives of the project,“ he noted.
Referring to the large number of carvings, Fadaei pointed out that another objective of the project is to determine the priority of safeguarding the works based on the level of their erosion. Determining the accurate number of the carvings is also on the agenda, he noted.
To implement such a plan, a preliminary program was devised and a proposal was made to set up a committee to direct the project, he said, adding, “The plan was submitted to Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, but we have not received a response so far.“
Fadaei also said that documentation of the winged human figures carved into rocks in Pasargad has already begun. Following the documentation, a moulage of the work will be created so as to be able to relocate the original work to another place.

Majid Shah-Hosseini

Farabi Cinematic Foundation’s Board of Trustees appointed Majid Shah-Hosseini as the new managing director of the entity.
According to IRNA, the selection was made following resignation of Alireza Rezadad from the post.
Foundation’s Board of Trustees include Seyyed Mohsen Mohajerani, former acting head of National TV, Mohammad Rajabi, head of Economic Cooperation Organization’s cultural division, Seyyed Mahdi Shojaei, a writer, Seyyed Mahdi Khamoushi, head of Islamic Propagation Organization, Hassan Khojasteh, deputy head of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) Radio, Nader Talebzadeh, filmmaker, Majid Majidi, film director and Mohammad Reza Jafari-Jelveh, deputy minister of culture and Islamic guidance for cinematic affairs.
Majid Shah-Hosseini, 40, earlier headed Islamic Teachings Department of TV Channel One.
Although Shah-Hosseini has studied medicine, he has writing and directing TV series such as ’Cinema, Promised Land’ and ’Phoenix’ to his credit.
He is also a member of board of trustees of the Institute for Visual Media and a member of Youth Cinema Association.

Following an agreement with the police, Maestro Mohammad Reza Shajarian, finally managed to perform with his new band ’Ava’ at Tehran’s National Grand Hall on Monday.
According to Fars, the agreement was reached following numerous telephone conversations between police officers and organizers of the concert as well as the officials of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry.
This is while, organizers of the concert entered the hall a few hours before the performance to install technical facilities and sound system and design the stage.
Although the police had earlier demanded 300 million rials to provide security at the event, grounds for the new agreement is not specified yet.
The six-night event runs through August 6.

Religious singer Sami Yusuf has accepted the invitation by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) to take part in special programs on the occasion of the Eid-ul Fitr feast which marks the end of the Muslim fasting lunar month of Ramadan on October 13, IRNA said.
Yusuf is a British singer and songwriter of Azeri origin. Born in 1980, he learned the basics of music from his father who is an international poet and composer in his own right.
As a child, he began by playing different musical instruments and gradually took interest in singing and composing pieces. Yusuf has been trained by famous composers, namely the composers of the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Yusuf is well-versed in theory of music and is quite familiar with Middle East music.
This Muslim singer uses music to spread the message of Islam and encourage the youth to take pride in their religion and identity.

A cultural official said that the campaign to counter pseudo mysticism should draw a distinction in dealing with research works and promotional materials.
Speaking to Fars, director general of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry’s Printing and Publishing Department Majid Hamidzadeh added that one of the programs of Public Culture Council is to prevent the spread of fictitious mysticism.
However, he stated that the ministry has not been notified of any law to deal with it.
Commenting on the publication of books propagating imported and pseudo mysticism, he further said, “In the field of book, we are duty-bound to fulfill whatever has been notified to us by Cultural Revolution Council and other authorities.“
Asked about the criteria for specifying the books advocating imported mysticism, Hamidzadeh acknowledged that it is a bit difficult to determine the manifestations of imported mysticism.
However, the ministry will deal seriously with books trying to charge the Islamic educational system with pseudo mysticism, he noted, adding that research works on historical roots are distinct from propagandistic books.

Tehran province Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department’s Office for Legal Affairs is currently drawing up a complaint against those involved in the destruction of a Qajari building called ’Fakhrolmolk House’, which has been transformed into a green space.
Speaking to ISNA, head of the office, Kianoush Telko said that the house included internal and external sections. The external section lacked any historical value while the interior section, which is now part of a park, was so valuable that it was registered on the national heritage list in 2004, he added.
Apparently the Municipality was involved in the demolition of the monument, he said, adding that after conducting thorough research into the case, the office will lodge a complaint against it.
Fakhrolmolk House is located on Tehran’s Amir Kabir Avenue. Earlier, the house had residential and semi-museum application.

Jackie Chan’s new action comedy ’Rush Hour 3’ won’t be shown in China, an executive at the country’s leading film importer said Tuesday, amid a report officials were concerned about scenes involving Chinese gangsters.
“We think the market for the movie is relatively weak,“ said Xiao Ping, a vice president at state-run China Film Group’s import and export arm, reported Xinhua.com.
China limits the number of Hollywood films it imports each year, and Ping said ’Rush Hour 3’ was up against some tough competition.
China has already imported several Hollywood blockbusters, including ’Transformers’, ’Spider-Man 3’ and ’Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End’.
But Hollywood trade publication Variety reported on its Asian Web site Tuesday that Chinese officials believe ’Rush Hour 3’, which features Chan and Chris Tucker combating Chinese gangsters in Paris, is ’fundamentally anti-Chinese’.

Bahram Radan in a scene from ÔSantouriÕ

Despite conflicting news about the screening of ’Santouri’, directed by Dariush Mehrjouei, the film’s producer says its screening is shrouded in uncertainty.
Faramarz Farazmand told Mehr that since the screening schedules of cinema groups have been fixed until the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, ’Santouri’ would probably be screened on the occasion of the Eid-ul Fitr feast which marks the end of Ramadan on October 13.
Farazmand said, “If cinema officials cooperate and if proper conditions prevail, we hope to screen the film on Eid-ul Fitr.“
’Santouri’ was supposed to be shown by Qods cinema group on July 25. However, it was postponed due to unspecified reasons. Qods cinema group is currently screening ’Trial’ by Iraj Qaderi.