TEHRAN – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has congratulated the Shahrestane Adab Cultural Institute on the 10th anniversary of the center, which was established to discover young promising litterateurs.

The Leader’s letter of congratulations was read during a celebration for the anniversary of the institute held in Tehran on Sunday.

“Firstly, congratulations on the 10th anniversary of Shahrestane Adab,” Ayatollah Khamenei wrote in the letter.

“Secondly, I am really pleased about the materials produced at the institute,” he added and extended his thanks to the people working at the center.

In the third part of his message, the Leader asked the center’s staff members to continue their efforts, observing technical standards and the Islamic Revolution’s values.

“Fourthly, in addition to the quantitative development, further improvements in quality are absolutely needed. This gives meaning to your job and the time you invest in it,” he noted.

“Fifthly, you are aware that many efforts are being made to separate art and artists from the Islamic Revolution’s concepts, and therefore you must do your best to refute these satanic efforts. You and your motivated and knowledgeable generation must play the role of a defender and aggressor on this front. I always pray for you dear ones,” he concluded.

Shahrestane Adab was founded in 2010 by a group of young Iranian poets in Tehran under the auspices of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization (IIDO) to discover and promote young literary talent, as well as to support literary creations on the Islamic Revolution.    

The celebration was attended by IIDO director Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Qomi, Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Abbas Salehi and a group of cultural figures.      

In a brief speech, Qomi called the establishment of the institute a great event, and said, “We are really proud of ourselves for this event and organizing such a celebration is certainly necessary.”

Poet Ali-Mohammad Moaddab is the director of the Shahrestane Adab Cultural Institute. He was nominated for the 2021 Islamic Revolution Artist of the Year award, which is given by the IIDO Art Bureau.

Photo: Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

MMS/YAW