Britain’s Oxford University has begun studies on organic materials found in prehistoric Iranian sites.
According to CHN, some 14 samples of coals from prehistoric eras were submitted to the university for the purpose by Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO).
Commenting on the studies, head of the ICHHTO’s Archeology Research Center Hassan Fazeli-Nashali said that the remnants were submitted to the university to determine their antiquity with greater accuracy.
He further said that the findings of the studies will be announced this autumn.
So far a total of 14 samples of coals have been sent to the university and the remaining items will be submitted by March, he noted.
The project aims to seek answers to questions about the final stages of the prehistoric era in Iran, that is to say the period of transition from Admiralty-Metal Age to Iron Age as well as determining the subcategories of the latter.
Today, in view of cultural differences, Iron Age is classified to Iron Age I, II, II, he noted, adding that some even believe in the existence of Iron Age IV which dates back 550 to 150 BC.
However, at present the nomenclature of Iron Age IV is not used and it is considered the same as the Achaemenid period.
Oxford University studies include chemical-physical methods such as radiocarbon and potassium-argon (K-Ar) dating, Fazeli concluded.

Salman Mosque, a noted mosque in Tehran, which was in the final stage of registration on the national heritage list, was destroyed by the Center for Mosques Affairs to build a new mosque.
Announcing this, director of the center’s Public Relations Office Mohammad Zangoei told ISNA that the mosque had collapsed and some sections were unusable.
For this reason, the mosque’s Board of Trustees decided to demolish the mosque in cooperation with the locals in order to reinforce the structure.
Turning to the historical Shabestan (an area designed for sleeping and nocturnal prayers) of the mosque, which was registered by Tehran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department on the national heritage list, he said that the department has not notified the center of its registration.
Describing the mission of ICHHTO as identifying and safeguarding historical centers, Zangoei further said that all the institutes should collaborate with it.
Commenting on the location of the new mosque, he also said that certainly a mosque will be built in the same area.
However, an expert with Tehran Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department Mehdi Memarzadeh said that he has heard that the board of trustees has proposed a change in the new mosque’s application to commercial-religious purposes.
He further said that they were informed of the significance of the mosque and the Municipality was earlier notified about the value of the mosque.
Salman Mosque, which is located on Tehran’s 17th Shahrivar Street, was built by maestro Hossein Lorzadeh in 1947. It had no dome or minarets and its architecture bore resemblance to edifices of the Sassanid era.

Kurdish musicians playing the traditional instrument ’Tanbour’ will hold a festival in Dalahou, Kermanshah province on Thursday and Friday to mark August 11, the anniversary of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) ascendancy to prophethood, known as ’Mab’ath’.
Deputy head of Kermanshah Culture and Islamic Guidance Department for artistic affairs, Bahram Fazeli further told ISNA that eight ensembles, some comprising of women instrumentalists, as well as 30 soloists will perform in the event.
“The festival will be held with the aim of promoting provincial indigenous and traditional music as well as materializing the motto of ’National Unity and Islamic Solidarity’,“ he said.
Noted artists Ali Akbar Moradi and Arsham Khorsandpour will be on the panel of jury at the event, which is to host different ethnic groups and religions.
The two-day event will be held at Imam Khomeini Hall of Kerend city.

Iran’s young artists have made a remarkable progress in the past 20 years by attaining a level in which they are able to portray their own era and judge the world.
Expressing this, Aydin Aghdashlou, head of the jury for Damonfar First Visual Arts Festival said at the inaugural ceremony for an exhibit to mark the festival’s first anniversary in the main gallery of Niavaran Cultural Complex that the younger generation has found its proper status today and it is neither indebted to the distant past nor to the current trend or to the global art current. Current generation seeks to judge the world with the minimum impact, he noted, according to Iran Daily’s reporter.
“I had an ambiguous impression about young artists before the festival began but after the festival I came to the conclusion that the youth is well qualified to undertake the responsibilities entrusted upon them by veterans,“ he said.
Underlining that judgment should be based on realities, Aghdashlou further said that facilities are not that important despite their significance. “Facilities can help the artist not to waste his/her time and energy while, in itself, it cannot create art,“ he noted.
The painter further stated that despite their capabilities, there is still a long way ahead for the youth.
Addressing the same gathering, Hossein Khosrowjerdi, a noted artist said that the festival has led to an increase in the number of serious visual artists.
The exhibition to mark the first anniversary of the festival opened on August 6 and will continue until August 13.

Deputy culture and Islamic guidance minister for artistic affairs, Mohammad Hossein Eimani Khoshkhou, attended the last night of the recently concluded concerts by maestro Mohammad Reza Shajarian in Tehran’s National Grand Hall.
On the sidelines of the event, Shajarian and Khoshkhou discussed issues about music, including support for genuine Iranian music, said Public Relations Office of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry’s Artistic Affairs Department, Fars said.
The artist called on the ministry to provide music halls for prominent young bands to perform traditional Iranian music.
Shajarian further referred to the delay in constructing the national project of Bam Art Garden and the official voiced the ministry’s agreement to follow up the issue to complete and make the project operational in cooperation with Housing and Urban Development Ministry.

Noted film director Masoud Kimiaei withdrew his film ’Boss’ from the Iran’s Cinema House Festival thus depriving the 11th round of the event of the participation of a work by yet another well-known Iranian filmmaker.
Reacting to the Union of Film Producers’ decision to stay away from Cinema House festival this year, Kimiaei told the Persian daily ’Bonniefilm’, “I am not interested in participating at the event since I took part in the earlier rounds and saw what happened.
“Two years ago, everyone saw how my ’Decree’ fell into disfavor. It was not even nominated for any of the category.“
Another filmmaker Masoud Dehnamaki said that he will not submit ’Outcasts’ for participation in the event out of respect for the views of the producer.
Mehrshad Karkhani also followed suit and withdrew his film ’My Sin’ from the event.
Though opponents of the Union of Film Producers maintain that exclusion of 16 films will not harm this year’s festival, it seems that this will lead to a plunge in the prosperity of the event.
Commenting on the reasons for the decision to boycott Cinema House Festival, head of the union, Morteza Shayesteh told the newspaper that the bylaw of the festival changes each year.
The interesting point is that the organizers say each year they want to modify the procedure for holding the festival whereas the situation deteriorates every year, he said.
Complaining about the mechanism for selecting members of the Executive Board, he also said that those holding positions are in conflict with professional producers.
Stating that Cinema House Festival lacks a well-defined and regulated structure, he said that unless fundamental changes are made in its structure, the union will prefer to stay out of the festival.

A picture displayed at the exhibition.

Felestin Museum of Contemporary Arts in Tehran will host an exhibition of photos by a Lebanese artist featuring the 33-day resistance by that country against the Zionist regime.
Reporting this, Fars quoted Public Relations Department of Saba Cultural Artistic Complex as saying that the event titled ’Those 33 Days’ includes photos by Mohammad Mehdi Fakhreddin, a Lebanese artist, highlighting the epic and courageous resistance of the Lebanese against Israel.
The collection also comprises of 76 pictures themed brutal Zionist attacks, destruction of residential units, exodus, victims of war, celebration of national victory and the role and status of Seyyed Hassan Nasrullah, the leader of Lebanese Hezbollah in this great epic.
The photos have been classified by the artist himself.
The exhibit began with a ceremony attended by Fakhreddin on Tuesday and will continue for a month.
The event seeks to honor the sacrifices of the Lebanese nation against the Zionist regime, which depicted Islamic world’s pride and dignity in the region and the world.

Al-Hoda International Publications affiliated to Islamic Culture and Communications Organization has recently published a German translation of the Holy Qur’an by Rudi Paret titled ’Der Koran’.
According to IRNA, the holy Qur’an was first translated into German in 1772. However, well-known German poet Goethe described the work as naive and incomprehensible and hoped he would present an articulate rendering of the Holy Scripture himself.
In 1962, German orientologist Rudi Paret, who was familiar with Islamic texts and various interpretations of the Qur’an, managed to produce a quite fair translation.
The translation includes list of Arabic and German phonetics as well as an introduction written by Iranian cultural attachŽ in Berlin.
The 604-page book is published in 5,000 volumes and its cover price is 80,000 rials.