TEHRAN -- The Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA) honored Iranian scholar Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel during a ceremony in Istanbul on Friday.

He was awarded by Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the Persian-Turkish website Trkhaber reported on Saturday.
An affiliate to OIC, the IRCICA held the ceremony to recognize him along with nine other scholars for their cultural services to the world of Islam.
The ceremony is held every five years and this is the first time an Iranian is among the honorees.
Former Majlis speaker Haddad-Adel is currently the director of the Cultural Committee of the Iranian Parliament. He also is in charge of the Iranian Academy of Persian Language and Literature. In addition, he is the executive director of the Islamic Encyclopedia Foundation, which has prepared the Encyclopedia of the Islamic World.