Iranian-Islamic Civilization Explored in Vienna

Date: 21 February 2026 - 21:59

News ID: ۱۴۸۸۶۲

VIENNA/TEHRAN — Scholars, historians, and Iranologists gathered in Vienna for the two-day conference “Iranian-Islamic Civilization: Identity, Components, and Historical Splendor,” exploring the enduring synthesis of pre-Islamic Iranian heritage and Islamic thought.
Hosted by the Cultural Attaché of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Austria, the hybrid in-person and online event brought together experts from Europe and Iran to examine the philosophical, literary, and institutional dimensions of a civilization that spans millennia.
Opening the conference, Reza Gholami, Iran’s cultural attaché in Austria and a professor of political philosophy and cultural studies, described Iranian-Islamic civilization as the product of a creative encounter: three thousand years of statecraft, advanced administration, philosophical inquiry, and continuous cultural production meeting Islamic thought to generate a distinctive, enduring synthesis.
He emphasized Iran’s influence in the development of philosophy, mysticism, Persian literature, and a cultural sphere stretching from Anatolia to South Asia, noting the civilization’s integration of reason, spiritual insight, and ethical governance.
The inaugural session also included the presentation of the first “Bert Fragner Award,” granted to Sibylle Wentker of Austria’s Academy of Sciences for translating and editing five volumes of Tārīkh-e Vassāf, a seminal chronicle of the Mongol era in Iran.
Wentker highlighted the text’s meticulous historiography, which blends political narrative with social analysis, and praised the conference for fostering dialogue between Iranian and European scholars.
Further sessions explored diverse aspects of civilization. Notable presentations examined the evolution of financial and insurance systems in Iran, the role of the Academy of Gondishapur in transmitting medical knowledge to the Islamic world, and the functions of Persian language and literature in sustaining cultural continuity.
Researchers analyzed the symbolic and social roles of women in Persian epics, the intersection of art and architecture, and the philosophical underpinnings of peace-oriented thought within the Iranian-Islamic intellectual tradition.
Panel discussions emphasized interdisciplinary scholarship, tracing the interplay between historical institutions, cultural identity, and intellectual traditions. Concluding remarks called for integrating Iranology and broader civilizational studies, promoting academic independence, and developing long-term research agendas to deepen global understanding of Iranian-Islamic civilization.