(Photo by Abbas Heidari)

Jashak salt dome is among the eye-catching spots in Bushehr province.

Persian ‘Tar’ Up for UNESCO Registration

Translated by Sadaf Pour Iliaei

Traditional Persian musical instrument ‘tar’ is planned to be registered on UNESCO’s list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Announcing this, Yadollah Parmoun, director of the Regional Research Center for Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in West and Central Asia, said that ‘tar’ is originated in Iran.
Parmoun mentioned the above statement following concerns regarding the registration of the art of Azerbaijani tar performing on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List, according to IRNA.
He said that the Azerbaijani tar is different from Persian tar in terms of form, size, number of strings, technique of performance and tones.
“The name of ‘tar’, along with other traditional instruments such as ‘kamancheh’ and ‘ney’, was included into the dossier of Iranian music ‘Radif’ when registered on UNESCO’s list,” Parmoun said.
This means that the original ‘tar’ is rooted in Iran, he said, adding that plans are underway to register it separately on UNESCO’s list.
Radif is a collection of old melodic figures handed down by the masters of traditional Persian music to their students through generations.
Parmoun is currently in Paris attending the seventh session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural of the UNESCO that began December 3.
Meanwhile, the Iranian ritual of Carpet Washing, held in Mashhad-e Ardehal near Kashan in Isfahan province, was registered on UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage List during the seventh session.
The ritual, held every second Friday of autumn by local people, is said to commemorate the passing away of a descendant of the fifth Shiite Imam Muhammad Baqer (AS), named Imamzadeh Soltan Ali.

IRIB Productions Well-Received in Azerbaijan

The popular Iranian television series ‘Mokhtarnameh’ and ‘Prophet Joseph’ have been warmly received in Azerbaijan.
Dubbed in Azeri, the series entered the list of hot films in Azerbaijan, Mehr News Agency reported.
According to the report, another Iranian religious and historical film ‘The Kingdom of Solomon’ ranked third in the list of the best sales movies.
‘Mokhtarnameh’ recounts the combative campaigns of penitents led by Mokhtar Abou Obeid Saqafi after the Ashura uprising.
‘Prophet Joseph’ chronicles the story of Prophet Joseph (PBUH) based on the Qur’an and Islamic traditions.
Both TV series have been distributed and screened in many countries so far. The films attracted a wide range of audiences in Turkey and Bosnia too.

LA Museum Features Iranian Photos

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in the United States has selected several works of Iranian photographer Newsha Tavakolian for its permanent show.
Tavakolian’s four works from her two series of ‘Listen’ and ‘The Day I Became a Woman’ have been selected for permanent collection of LACMA, Mehr News Agency said.
“For me she exemplifies a new generation of Iranian artists who are helping to reshape the medium of photography as a contemporary art form,” said head of the Middle East Art department at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Linda Komaroff.
Tavakolian is a self-taught photographer who began her professional work at the age of 16. Her works have been published by international magazines and newspapers such as the Time Magazine, Newsweek, Stern, Le Figaro, Colors, The New York Times, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, NRC Handelsblad and National Geographic.
Tavakolian’s ‘Hajj’ collection was displayed as part of the London’s British Museum’s Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam exhibition in January, 2012.
Her collection of ‘Mothers of Martyrs’ has been also presented at the first major exhibition of contemporary photography from and about the Middle East mounted in London.
The exhibition titled ‘Light From the Middle East: New Photograph’ was organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London that kicked off on November 13 and will run until April 7, 2013.

Italians Welcome Iran Pavilion

Iranian products presented at the 17th International Handicrafts Exhibition in Italy has been warmly received by Italian visitors.
According to IRNA, Iranian pavilions have been packed with visitors since the event’s opening day on December 1.
Iranian participants at the 17th exhibition have presented handicrafts, Persian rugs and carpets, miniature paintings, inlaid woodworks and different types of food to get the visitors acquainted with Iranian arts and culture.
Participants from over 110 countries are attending the event aimed at promoting original and authentic crafted products from across the globe expressing the creativity of the tradition and crafting culture of the region and its people.

‘Ghostbusters 3’ Closer Than Ever

Ghostbuster fans have waited for what seems like an eternity for a follow-up, but the spooky adventure comedy is on track for a third apparition 23 years after ‘Ghostbusters II’ hit the big screen.
Speaking with Esquire, Dan Aykroyd said that he and director Ivan Reitman are “closer than we ever have been” to getting the project underway, he noted via Yahoo UK.
One obstacle though is that Ghostbusters I & II star Bill Murray may be a no-show, though Aykroyd and Reitman are holding out that he may just come on board in the end.
“I’m not sure Billy [has to sign on] anymore, since he abrogated his rights by sort of saying, two years ago, ‘I don’t want to be involved,’” Aykroyd said according to Yahoo Movies UK. “The picture company I think had some clause in there that if he actually passed on the third of fourth offer, he no longer has a view of the franchise.”
But a ‘Ghostbusters III’ sans Murray will not be a mortal wound should the likely re-do go ahead. The creative team, he notes, will even leave a space should all work out in the end.
“We have to move on, but we’ll always leave a hole for him. He’s always there. He can always come back at any time and be rebuilt into it, as far as I’m concerned. That’s up to his lawyer and the picture company to work out, but creatively, he will always be a part of it.”
Continuing Aykroyd added, “If it does not happen, the life of Dan Aykroyd and his family and friends will be quite full without Ghostbusters 3.”

Maya Mural Paintings Found in Mexico

Underwater archaeologists of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH--Conaculta), recently explored three spaces, all abundant with Mayan culture materials: two semidry caves in Campeche and a cenote [A water-filled limestone sink hole] in Yucatan.
The cenote stands out since it contains particularly stylish ceramic that is calculated to have been elaborated about 2,300 years ago. This is unique in its type since it’s the only one that has been found in a cenote.
To Helena Barba Meinecke, responsible for all the underwater archaeology of the Yucatan peninsula, the detailed registry of the caves and the cenote, as well as the archaeological elements found in them, confirm the speculation that these places were used for rituals in the pre Hispanic era.

Cenote San Manuel:
The distinct characteristics of the pieces, located in the cenote San Miguel, make them stand out among the other discoveries. Access to this 20 meter (65.61 feet) deep body of water, is through the town well by rappel. The divers must not be in the water longer than 20 minutes, which is why a change of divers was required.
At least six hours of meticulous planning was needed to retrieve two Mayan pots, possibly dating back to 300 AD or 200 AD (during the Late Postclassic period). The cenote has an entry of about a meter in diameter.

Huachabi Cave:
The explorations of the Underwater Archaeology Atlas project, carried out during the first half of last November, continued in the semidry cave of Huachabi, Campeche, where the findings were of no less in importance.
This cave--with more than 500 meters (1640.41 feet) in length at its widest part, also has two slopes--is found inside the Miramar archaeological site, still unexplored in the Chenes region. Inside the cave, which one must rappel 20 meters (65.61 feet) to get through, there are nearly 50 spaces with offerings of distinct proportions.
Carbon samples were taken to estimated the approximate date while archaeologist Eunice Uc, investigator of the INAH Center-Yucatan, works on defining the ceramic types to provide an appropriate timeline; the context of the ceramic elements has been preliminarily supposed to date back to the Classic Mayan period (600-900 AD).

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):

To honor an old man is showing respect to God.