TEHRAN -- Angel Orbetsov, a professor of history and Iranology at Sofia University and the special ambassador of the ministry of foreign affairs of Bulgaria on the East, says learning the Persian language in Bulgaria started in 1959.
Persian language and literature is taught in Sofia University as the oldest and most prestigious institution of higher education in Bulgaria, he told IBNA.
In the academic year of 1991/1992, Persian linguistics was established as the second major in the Center of Eastern Languages and Cultures (CELC) and “Faculty of Classical and Modern Linguistics” (FCNF) at Sofia University, he added.
Persian linguistics was then promoted to the main university field under the title of Iranian studies in the academic year of 1993/1994.
“Today, the chair of Iranian studies in Bulgaria is in three levels of bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate,” Orbetsov said.
The master’s program, introduced since the academic year of 2008/2009, is interdisciplinary and a combination of cultural and social studies of India and Iran. Meanwhile, doctoral studies are conducted in literature and linguistics, for which several Bulgarian and foreign PhD students have defended their PhD degrees.
Orbetsov said teaching Persian language is completely based on textbooks written by Bulgarian professors of the Iranology department.
The chair has published a Persian-Bulgarian dictionary of nearly 45,000 words, a two-volume Bulgarian-Persian dictionary of more than 50,000 words and a book of Bulgarian-Persian phrases.
The Iranology chair has a library with more than 2,000 volumes of books and an electronic library with nearly 30,000 titles.
“Today, more than 200 Iranian studies graduates are working in various fields and institutions, including the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior Affairs, and Defense, and in the fields of culture, science, tourism, and commerce inside and outside the country,” he said.
Orbetsov said about professors of Iranian studies in Bulgaria have also translated more than 50 titles and authored more than 20 titles, four of which have been published in Iran.
Thanks to the efforts of professors and graduates, Persian classical works such as “Rubaiyat Khayyam”, “Golestan of Saadi” and “Shahnameh of Ferdowsi” have been translated into Bulgarian.
Among the translations of contemporary Iranian literature, he mentioned the “School Principal” by Jalal Al-Ahmad and the poems of Nima Yoshij, Malek osh-Sho’ara Bahar, Parvin Etesami, Sohrab Sepehri and others.
The Bulgarian translation of the book “History of Iranian Art” by Habibullah Ayatollahi was also published in 2017 and has been made available to those interested in the history and civilization of Iran, he said.
The Bulgarian Iranologist said the publication of books and holding of festivals on books plays a prominent role in promoting mutual awareness among the people of different countries.
He said translation is an opportunity for broad layers of society to get to know the culture and way of life of the people and civilization of other countries.
“It is the best way to enrich knowledge, deepen understanding between people, avoid confrontation and prevent conflict,” Orbetsov said.
Still, cultural exchange has a much broader meaning and includes holding international scientific conferences, seminars and roundtables, film weeks and festivals, art exhibitions, craft markets, music events, etc., he added.
A very important dimension in cultural exchange, he said, is academic cooperation, which can have a strong impact on the fate of young people and, as a result, on the future development of societies.
“In this regard, the Iranology department has achieved many successes in recent years by holding five international conferences in Bulgaria,” he said, adding Sofia University has signed several contracts with Iranian universities, whereby Bulgarian students regularly visit Iran for cultural exchange and Persian language courses.
Orbetsov’s familiarity with Persian and Iran goes back to the 1980s when he was a diplomat in Iran and served in consular affairs.
He is the author of a number of scientific articles on the relations between Bulgaria and Iran and contemporary Iranian politics. His academic activities include teaching Persian language, lecturing on the history, diplomacy and political system of Iran in three Bulgarian universities, as well as authoring a Persian language textbook for Bulgarian students, translating an Iranian monograph on the history of Iranian art, and defending his doctoral thesis on the history of relations between Bulgaria and Iran, followed by the publication of a book on the subject.
The 30th book week of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the slogan “The future is to be read” started on Nov. 14 and ended on Tuesday, Nov. 21.