TEHRAN — After an eight-year interruption, Iran is preparing to revive its national ceremony honoring scholars, researchers and institutions working to preserve, document and advance the study of the country’s manuscript heritage.
The 17th National Ceremony Honoring Supporters of Manuscripts will be held September 7 at the National Library and Archives of Iran, jointly organized with the Library, Museum and Documentation Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly.
Held under the motto “Yesterday’s Heritage, Today’s Thought,” the ceremony will recognize work produced over six years, from 2018 to 2023, according to Reza Shahabi, a deputy at the National Library and Archives of Iran.
The ceremony recognizes contributions to preserving manuscripts, safeguarding collections, improving access to handwritten texts, producing critical editions and conducting research in textual studies, codicology and related fields.
The event dates back to 2000, when it was launched by the Library and Documentation Center of the Iranian Parliament. Its first eight editions were held there before the ninth edition moved to the National Library in 2008.
The previous edition was held in 2018, with the ceremony subsequently intended to take place every two years. The 2020 edition was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, while subsequent circumstances prevented its revival until now.
For the 17th edition, organizers examined works published between 2018 and 2023 across eight categories, including manuscript outreach, theoretical studies, critical editions, manuscript cataloguing, graduate theses in textual research and codicology, short manuscript treatises, social-media activities and literary and artistic works.
A scientific committee, assisted by university scholars and specialists in the field, evaluated the works and selected winners and commendable achievements for recognition.
The ceremony will also continue its tradition of honoring one distinguished figure whose career has made an outstanding contribution to manuscript cataloguing and codicology. This year, the special honor will go to Ali Sadraei Khoei, in recognition of his years of work in manuscript cataloguing.
Preparatory work for the current