TEHRAN (IP) - The closing
ceremony of the 13th International Festival of Razavi Book of the Year has been held to cherish the winners of the event.
The closing ceremony was held in Sheikh Tabarsi Hall of Islamic Research Foundation on July 20 with the custodian of Imam Reza shrine Hoj. Marvi, head of Scientific and Cultural Organization Dr Abdolhamid Talebi, and other cultural and artistic figures in attendance.
The latest round of the festival saw some 410 domestic and foreign works submitted to the secretariat from countries as different as Italy, Pakistan, Turkey, etc. Later in the ceremony, the 39 winners were announced in different sections, which included published books centering on Imam Reza’s teachings, Imam Reza’s life and conduct, pilgrimage, holy shrines, poetry, etc., unpublished books, and international books in foreign languages (English, Turkish, and Azeri).
According to the head of Scientific and Cultural Organization, the event propped up the dissemination of Imam Reza’s culture on national and international scales.
Talebi called promotion of Imam Reza’s culture a source of pride for all those involved in the event, pointing to the Imam’s central role in the transcendence of Islamic Iran’s intellectual discourse, culture and civilization.
Commending the rich legacy existing in Imam Reza shrine library, Talebi noted: “The festival is aimed at enriching this invaluable resource through identifying and cherishing Islamic scholars both at home and abroad.”
As for the special prize of the festival, known as Seraj Award, he explained the goal behind its design was alignment with the Leader’s insistence on the translation of religious works to other languages as well as identification of international publishers. The Organization of Libraries, Museums and Documents has run the festival since 2000.