TEHRAN -- Urmia, the capital of West Azerbaijan Province, will be playing host to the opening ceremony of the International Congress of Shams-i Tabrizi on today and the city of Khoy where the tomb of Shams-i Tabrizi lies will be hosting the closing day on Wednesday.

Director of the Iranian Academy of Arts (IAA), Ali Mo’allem Damghani is due to make the opening speech of the congress which this year is focusing on the “Cultural Connection of the Tombs of Shams and Hafez”, the Persian service of ISNA reported on Sunday.
Several other scholars are also scheduled to make short speeches at the ceremony.
Born in the city of Tabriz, Shams lived together with Rumi in Konya for several years, and has been immortalized in Rumi’s collection of poetry named the “Divan of Shams ad-Din of Tabriz”.
Unveiling a carpet tableau of the cultural connection of Hafez and Shams is also included in the ceremony on the opening day.
Master miniaturist Mahmud Farshchian has also created a special gift for the Tomb of Shams, which is scheduled to be unveiled on the opening day.
The academic section centering on “Literature and Mysticism” is to take place on the same day. Hassan Anusheh, Tofiq Sobhani, Aref Noshahi, Esmaeil Azar and Mohammad Fesharaki are among the scholars delivering lectures at the session.
The ceremony will continue with a concert by Rumi-focused Iranian vocalist Shahram Nazeri at the Shams Hall on Monday evening.
The congress will continue the next day in Khoy where several other scholars including Mir Jalaleddin Kazzazi, Karim Zamani, Manuchehr Jokar and Ebrahim Khodayar will speak briefly.
Esin Çelebi, a Molana Jalal ad-Din Rumi descendant, and Mevlana Museum Deputy Director Naci Bakirci are also invited to speak at the congress. Turkey’s International Mevlana Foundation is planning to present its medal to Nazeri during the program.
The congress will also include a ceremony for unveiling the Shams medal and its presentation to several scholars.
Nazeri will be giving his second performance at the tomb of Shams on the closing day.
The tomb of Shams is located in Khoy and is in the form of a 12-meter high cylindrical tower. The monument was erected by Shah-Esmaeil in the Safavid era.
Photo: A bust of Shams-i Tabrizi at his tomb in Khoy, West Azarbaijan Province