Tehran Celebrates 75 Years of Persian Calligraphy

Date: 10 October 2025 - 21:22

News ID: ۱۴۴۴۶۵

TEHRAN -- In a carefully choreographed intersection of tradition, reverence, and national identity, the 75th anniversary of the Iran Calligraphers’ Association was marked on Friday, in a formal gathering at Soureh Hall in Tehran.
The event—organized in collaboration with the Visual Arts Center of the Art Bureau—honored not only the longevity of an institution, but the living heritage of Persian calligraphy as both artistic practice and cultural philosophy.
The presence of master calligrapher Gholamhussein Amirkhani, whose six-decade career has shaped the contours of Iran’s calligraphic discourse, set a tone of intergenerational continuity. In a gesture both symbolic and ceremonial, Amirkhani’s latest book, published by the Calligraphers’ Association, was unveiled during the event, further solidifying his role as a living archive of the art form.
The ceremony also served as a platform for state-sanctioned recognition. Awards of distinction was conferred across diverse yet interconnected categories: Alireza Hasheminejad in the field of research; Reza Yasavoli for publishing and reproducing calligraphic works; and Hussein Elahi Qomshe’i, the philosopher-poet, for the spiritual dimensions of calligraphy.
These honors articulate the medium’s multiplicity—calligraphy here is not only aesthetic but epistemological, liturgical, and material.
In a poignant nod to the tools of the trade, the family of the late Abolfazl Nazmparvar, a revered maker of traditional calligraphy instruments, was also acknowledged.
The recognition underscores the tactile and artisanal nature of calligraphy as a holistic practice, where ink, reed, and parchment remain as vital as the hand that moves across the page.
Adding to the commemorative layering, certificates of ostadi (mastery) was granted to 35 individuals who have attained the highest rank in the national calligraphy guild system—an act of institutional legitimation that continues to define the pedagogical and hierarchical structures within the field.
The ceremony culminated in the opening of Iran-e Man (My Iran), a group exhibition centered on the theme of homeland and the epic legacy of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh. Installed in the upper galleries and the House of Photographers, the exhibition inaugurated Calligraphy Week—positioning the letter not just as line and form, but as cultural territory.