TEHRAN – The medal of the Islamic Culture Capital 2017 has been awarded to dotar virtuoso Osman Mohammad-Parast.

The master, who is a veteran folk musician from his native region of Khorasan in northeast Iran, received the medal from Khorasan Razavi Governor-General Alireza Rashidian, the Governor General’s Office of Khorasan announced in a press release published on Friday.

Mohammad-Parast mostly known as Osman Khafi has been playing dotar since he was 12.

Mashhad has been selected the Islamic Culture Capital for 2017 by the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), which selects the Capital of Islamic Culture every year for the Arab nations and the Asian and African regions.

RM/YAW