(Photo by Marzieh Mousavi)

Air Pollution in Tehran and Alborz provinces

Nodooshan to Publish Shahnameh Stories

Arts & Culture Desk

Acclaimed Iranian literary figure Mohammad Ali Eslami Nodooshan will publish his writings on ‘Shahnameh’.
“I have written a research preface to some of the stories in Shahnameh (Grand Book), a magnum opus by Abolqasem Ferdowsi.
‘Keikhosro and Siavash’, ‘Kaveh and Fereidoun’, ‘Zahhak’, ‘Bahram Gur’ and ‘The Third Yazdgerd’ are among the stories, he said.
The book will be soon published by Kalhor Publications.
After graduating from high school in Yazd and receiving his BA in Law in Tehran, he set off for France to continue his legal studies and to take his MA and PhD. Afterwards he returned to Iran and began teaching Literature and Law at the University of Tehran.
Nodooshan is the author of about 45 books on culture, society and literature. His versatile writings often reach over themes from “Morality and Literature” to “Dialog Among Civilizations”.
His works include ‘Don’t we forget Iran’, ‘Good Traits of Human Rights in South Countries, a Reassessment’, ‘The Stories’ Story’, ‘On Rostam and Isfandiar in Shahnameh’ and ‘Life, Elan and Decease of the Chivalrous in Shahnameh’.
Nodooshan has given lectures at 40 universities in over 20 countries, including Canada, all are published in both English and French. He recently published his autobiography, an unorthodox event in Persian writing.

In Tehran Galleries

An exhibition of paintings by Samira Noparast is currently underway at Tehran’s Etemad Gallery.
The gallery is located at #4, Boukan St., off Sadeqi Qomi St., near Yasser Square in the Niavaran neighborhood. The show features Noparast’s latest works in a collection entitled ‘The Repetitive Squares’ until January 15.
Taraneh Ebrahimi has put her latest paintings on display in an exhibition at Golestan Gallery, Mehr News Agency wrote.
The exhibit runs until January 9 at the gallery located at #42, Kamasaii St. in the Darrous neighborhood.
Works of photographer Sina Borumandi and painter Mansoureh Vakili are currently on display in a joint exhibition at Aan Gallery.
The exhibition runs until January 16 at #40 Seoul St., off Vanak Sq.
A collection of calligraphic paintings by Bahram Hanafi is currently on display in an exhibition at the Mah Gallery.
The exhibit runs until January 15 at the gallery located at 89 Golestan St., off Africa Ave.
Homa Gallery is currently playing host to an exhibition of photos by Sadeq Tirafkan.
The gallery is located at #8, 4th Gharbi Alley, Sanaei St., Karim Khan Blvd.
An exhibition of sculptures by Delbar Shahbaz is currently underway in an exhibition at the Seyhoun Gallery.
The exhibit entitle ‘When My Dreams and I Were Lost over a Day’ runs until January 8 at the gallery located at 11 Fourth Alley, off Vozara St.

Rumi in The Passage of Time

A session on the renowned classical Persian poet Molana Jalaleddin Rumi was recently held in Tehran’s Book City Institute.
The session, titled ‘Rumi in the Passage of Time’, was held in a joint effort with Yunus Emre Cultural Institute in Tehran and with the attendance of Adnan Karaismailoglu of Kirikkale University in Turkey, Iranian scholar Tofiq Sobhani, the cultural deputy of the Book City Institute Ali Asghar Mohammad Khani as well as a group of Rumi lovers, IBNA said.
Mohammad Khani started the session saying that 2013 is the year of Iran and Turkey’s joint cultural cooperation. He added, “Some 800 years ago Rumi stepped into Turkey, however we should think why today’s world still needs his thoughts. On the other hand Iran and Turkey enjoy several historical and cultural commonalities including Rumi.”
He also announced that during spring 2013 the session of ‘Saadi and Yunus Emre’ will be held in Tehran and Shiraz and Turkey.
the noted poet and his works, Adnan Karaismailoglu of Kirikkale University in Turkey said, “In Anatolia, Masnavi is being read since the time of Rumi. Currently the work is read in different cities of Turkey as well.”
“The sessions indicate the Turkish people’s interest in Rumi and they are a symbol of Iran and Turkey’s joint culture.”
Iranian scholar Tofiq Sobhani said, “Rumi was a universal figure who invited mankind to unity, peace and friendship.”

5 Provinces to Host Fajr Theater Festival

The 31th International Fajr Theater Festival will be held in five provinces as well as in Tehran.
Tehran, Golestan, Fars, Semnan, Alborz and Kohgilouyeh and Boyer Ahmad provinces will host the event from January 15-19, IRNA wrote.
Director of poster section of the 31st International Fajr Theater Festival Ebrahim Hosseini said that this round of the festival is one of the best editions in terms of the quantity and quality of the entries for the poster section.

Japanese Painting Moromasa Discovered in Edinburgh Library

A rare Japanese hand scroll painting, dating back to the early 1700s, has been discovered in the special collections of Edinburgh’s Central Library.
Gifted to Edinburgh City Libraries in the 1940s by a relative of Henry Dyer, a Scottish engineer who played a major part in the industrialization of Japan, the scroll has only recently been realized to be of particular significance, ArtDaily wrote.
Now Edinburgh City Libraries and National Museums Scotland have submitted a joint application to the Sumitomo Foundation for conservation funding with the result expected in March. Councilor Richard Lewis, the city’s Culture and Sport Convener, said: “For many decades this scroll has been held in the Central Library special collections without anyone realizing its true significance.
It is only through the passion of our library staff and the knowledge of National Museums Scotland experts that this beautiful work has been brought to light. If we are successful in getting funding to restore this painting to its former glory, then we are very much hoping that it can go on display to the public in Edinburgh at a later date.
“The scroll, by Japanese painter Furuyama Moromasa, is over 44ft in length and depicts an extended street scene in C18th Edo, or Tokyo, showing the shops and theatres and domestic detail of life at that time. Two of Furuyama Moromasa’s paintings are currently held by the British Museum, but this is thought to be the largest of his works discovered anywhere in the world. Dr Rosina Buckland, Senior Curator of National Museums Scotland’s Japanese collections, has worked with Edinburgh City Libraries to help interpret the scroll using her knowledge of the period.

Giant Rubber Duck Brings Festival to Life

A gigantic, bright yellow rubber duck floated into Sydney’s Darling Harbor as part of the Australian city’s annual arts festival, a celebration where high-art meets popular entertainment.
Each January hundreds of thousands of people attend theater, music, dance, film, talks and other events for three weeks, often braving sweltering summer temperatures and thunderstorms for their dose of culture, AP said.
The 2013 festival, which will present 92 events from some 750 artists from 17 countries, kicked off Saturday under bright sunshine, with thousands lining Darling Harbor for the entry of artist Florentijn Hofman’s inflatable duck.
“What makes Sydney Festival unique I think is this amazing blend of serious art and quirky and playful entertainment,” festival director Lieven Bertels told AFP. “And what better to celebrate that than with a really, lovely public art work such as the rubber duck.”
Bertels said the duck--a 15-metre high creation by Dutchman Hofman, models of which have appeared in other cities--appealed to the young and old, bringing back childhood memories for some.
“This is the Sydney duck and for him (Hofman) what’s important about it is that it is not just a playful thing but also one that connects,” Bertels explained. “Because his whole theory around this, which is quite beautiful, is that all these harbors are connected to the local seas, and all these seas are part of one big ocean. So he says, well, really the whole world is one big bathtub.
“And what better way to celebrate summer than to have a giant bathtub party?” Many Sydney Festival events, such as the duck’s arrival, are free and family-oriented to showcase the personality of Australia’s biggest city. This year the big attractions will be a sexy Latino circus show from Circolombia and soul singer Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, but the January 5 to 27 festival will also present an interpretation of Handel’s opera “Semele” and encompass an exhibition of works by painter Francis Bacon.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):

God is pure and loves purity.