TEHRAN -- Tehran's Al-Zahra University on Saturday awarded Professor Anne Marie Schimmel with honorary doctorate for her lifetime research studies on Islam and the Islamic culture.

Speaking in the award ceremony, Minister of Science, Research and Technology Mostafa Moin said that Professor Anne Marie Schimmel from Germany has set an example for dialogue of civilizations and cultures through relentless efforts she made for studying the Islamic culture and civilization.

"She spent has 80 years of her life studying the Islamic culture and has set a pattern for a successful understanding of cultures and civilizations," Moin said.

"Mrs. Schimmel came from the dynamic culture of Germany and got familiar with the Islamic culture and civilization and never felt a sense of alienation thus putting forward a new approach for cultural exchanges," the minister said.

Moin appreciated the depth of the understanding in Professor Schimmel's books on Islamic and oriental studies. She has adopted a unique approach in cultural studies, he said.

Chancellor of Al-Zahra University, Zahra Rahnavard awarded the doctorate to Professor Schimmel, IRNA reported.

Born on April 7, 1922 in Erfurt, Germany, Mrs.

Schimmel got her diploma at the age of 16 and accomplished her university studies at philosophical doctorate level (Ph.D.) at Berlin University three years later.

She served as lecturers at Ankara University 1954-1959. She wrote many books in English, Arabic and Turkish such as the 'mystical aspects of Islamic culture', 'calligraphy of the Islamic texts' and Shoukoh-e Shams 'magnificence of the sun'.

She is a contemporary historian, and well-known expert in the Islamic and cultural studies.