A handwritten Qur'an in the National Library.

Some 21 handwritten copies of the holy Qur’an were unveiled in a ceremony at the National Library on Saturday, ISNA reported.
Addressing the gathering, Head of Documents and National Library Organization Ali Akbar Ashari described the manuscripts as the identity of the nation and said outsiders should not be permitted to fake these identities by misusing such documents.
“We should gather the works and make them available to researchers,“ he said.
Referring to a statement by the head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization that Golestan Palace Museum has many manuscripts but lacks funds to maintain them, he expressed the National Library’s readiness to keep them.
Ashari, who doubles as a presidential advisor, called on the government to provide necessary funds to buy rare handwritten works.
On the other hand, he also urged the public to deliver such manuscripts in their possession to the library which will register them in the name of their original owners.
The official further stated, “One of our main duties is to bring together Islamic works from around the country and the world.
“Fortunately, with the cooperation of reporters, we have managed to win public trust and in the last two years, we gathered a total of 22,000 copies from the people.“
This figure, he recalled, is significant compared to the 32,000 volumes collected during the 68 years of activities of the library.
“We have gained public trust as many collectors have submitted works in their possession to us,“ he noted.
Stating that handwritten copies are not loaned to anybody, he said, “Last year in Ramadan, we bought 57 valuable copies of the Qur’an, 21 of which will be put on publicly display.“
An expert with the library also said that the handwritten copies date back from the third century to the 13th century AH.

Latest excavations by an Iranian-British team at Gorgan Wall in Golestan province, have led to the discovery of 30 archeological sites belonging to the Ashkanid and Sassanid (226-651 AD) eras.
Announcing this, Hamid Omrani, director of excavation team told CHN that most of the Sassanid ruins are situated on the northern flank of the wall.
The joint team includes archeologists from Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handcrafts and Tourism Organization as well as the British universities in Edinburgh and Durham.
Gorgan Wall, the first historic wall in the country, is the second longest in the Asia after the Great Wall of China. It extends 200 kilometers in the southern coast of the Caspian Sea.
Many experts maintain that the wall was constructed concurrent with the Great Wall of China to prevent invasions by nomadic groups.

An earthquake that struck Bam, Kerman province in December 2003 led to the uncovering of fresh information about the Arg Grand Mosque challenging earlier theories, observed an archeologist at the site.
Speaking to ISNA, Isa Esfanjari, director of the team involved in documenting and safeguarding the mosque’s arch said that following the earthquake, notions about the mosque changed and findings obtained from earlier research assumed different dimensions.
In fact, the quake served as a kind of excavation indicating that the mosque was witness to other incidents in course of history, particularly with respect to its arch, and stories about it totally differed, he pointed out.
The archeologist further stated that fresh information revealed that the gateway used before the quake was not the original one; rather it was located just next to the present one.
The quake also led to the uncovering of vestiges of a minaret, which in turn, indicated that another minaret also existed beside the gateway and the arch, he said.
Of course, two other minarets on both sides of the arch existed before and were probably destroyed in an earlier devastating quake, he noted.
The destruction of the minaret was probably so extensive that the architect in charge of repairing the edifice may have abandoned plans to reinstall them, he said.
Finally, in parallel to the changes made in the mosque’s interior, the arch of the mosque also underwent alterations, he said, adding that of course the precise date of the undertaking is not clear but it is possible the arch was relocated during the Safavid era (1501-1722).
Following that period, the minarets which were repaired several times and covered with adobe, went into oblivion until the quake brought them to the surface again in 2003, Esfanjari concluded.

Museums will close two hours earlier during the holy fasting lunar month of Ramadan.
Announcing this, director general of museums at Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, Masoud Nosrati told IRNA that earlier, the working hours of museums were from 7:00 a.m. to 7 p.m. but in the holy month of Ramadan, they will open and close two hours sooner. That is, in Tehran they will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., he added.
He further pointed to the seasonal changes in museums’ working hours in the provinces and said that museums in Khuzestan province will close two hours earlier, that is, at 3:00 p.m. due to hot weather.
One of the major problems facing museums is the shortage of manpower since the increase in their numbers has not kept pace with the level of employment, Nosrati concluded.

Cultural heritage experts believe that Tarikhaneh Mosque in Damghan, Semnan province, which is considered among the oldest mosques in the country, can, along with the city, be nominated for global registration.
However, the mosque, which dates back to more than 1,200 years ago, has gone into oblivion.
Speaking to CHN, Zarrin-Taj Sheibani, an archeologist, said that there is no doubt that the mosque is qualified for global registration but the city itself and even Tappeh Hesar, the biggest mound in the region dating back to the pre-historic era, should be taken into account in this respect.
They should be viewed as a whole rather than individually, she noted.
Currently, the mosque is in a critical state and even emergency repair works have been suspended on the order of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, she said.
Sheibani said that if Tarikhaneh Mosque is viewed along with the city and Tappeh Hesar as an ecological model, one can pursue cultural and economic developments in the area from 5,000 years ago when urban settlement in the area began.
Sheibani, who has undertaken extensive studies on the mosque, further said that a plan to repair and continue scientific studies on the mosque was presented at the request of the Research Center for Historical Textures but the plan is still shrouded in uncertainty.
Meanwhile, Abbas Kashian, head of the provincial Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department said that although Damghan urban texture has not been approved as a cultural heritage site, some sections including the Bazaar regularly undergo restoration works. ’Tari’ means God in a local language while ’Tarikhaneh’ means House of God.
Damghan was an important city in the Middle Ages and the capital of the province of Qumis (Qoomes).

Plans are underway to determine the timetable for arranging displays of Iranian historical objects and museum items throughout the world.
Announcing this, first deputy head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, Hamid Baqaei told IRNA on Saturday that a comprehensive plan should be drawn up to display Iranian antiques worldwide since they are considered the best means of propagating Iranian culture.
Stating that he was recently in Mexico to inaugurate the ’Glory of Persia’ exhibit in that country, he noted that the event, held from August 3 to September 3, attracted 600,000 to 700,000 visitors.
Given that the same exhibit was well received in Mexico City last year, this year, it was also scheduled to organize the event in Puebla, which was once the capital of the country, he added.
Referring to his talks with that country’s minister of tourism, he said that some of the countries in the region are seeking to establish flights to Mexico. “Given the great distance between Mexico and Iran, the plan will help promote visits by Mexican tourists to our country,“ he said.
Stating that the Mexican minister of tourism as well as a number of private agencies have been invited to Iran, Baqaei further said that the Iranian Embassy has also been assigned to introduce a number of Mexican travel agencies to attract tourists to the country.

Some of the artifacts found at Shahr-e Sukhtah.

Director of Archeological Station of Shahr-e Sukhtah (Burnt City) in Zabol, Sistan-Baluchestan province has announced the implementation of a project to create a pottery bank in the ancient settlement.
Alireza Khosravi told IRNA that experts have recently begun classifying potteries at the site and said, “Based on assessments, over 4,000 cultural pieces and artifacts are buried under the city, which has a history of 5,000 years.“
Khosravi added that one of the major plans of the station is to identify satellite mounds, which are expected to number over 1,000 in the vicinity of Shahr-e Sukhtah.
The ancient city is located 55 kilometers from Zabol and ten seasons of excavations have so far been conducted at the site.