TEHRAN – Several scholars and artists who have worked on the Persian mystic and poet Jalal al-Din Rumi were honored at the Second International Conference on Rumi during a ceremony held at Tehran’s Shahid Beheshti University on Sunday.

Composer and tar virtuoso Hossein Alizadeh, Rumi expert Amir-Hossein Shah-Khalili, writer Hossein Vahidi, poet Aliqoli Mahmudi and publisher Hossein Elmi were among the scholars who were honored at the ceremony, Persian media reported.

“In this country, we have a great number of artists in whose names artists from other countries can be honored,” Alizadeh said before his performance at the ceremony.

“I am happy to be receiving an award, which is of high value to me, in my own dear country of Iran. I hope in Iran which has Rumi, Hafez, Khayyam and many other great poets and scholars, other foreign artists will be honored in their names,” Alizadeh added.

Alizadeh had declined to accept the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor award, the highest decoration awarded by the French government last year, stating that he needs no decoration and that he derives satisfaction from his good name.

Esther Kuisch Laroche, Director and Representative of the UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office who was also present at the ceremony expressed her happiness over attending the conference on Rumi.

She talked about the due attention UNESCO pays to poetry and literature, saying that UNESCO officials believe that poetry plays a significant role in establishing peace in the minds of people.

She also talked about the influence of Rumi’s poetry on the minds of people and art in the world of Islam.

Researcher Abdolkarim Govahi, Managing Director of Etelaat Persian Newspaper Mahmud Doai, and author and lecturer Mahdieh Elahi-Qomshei were also among the honorees.

Master miniaturist Mahmud Farshchian and Stage director Pari Saberi were not present to receive their awards.

Mahmud Farshchian is the creator of the masterpiece “Shams and Molana” and Pari Saberi directed “The Flying Shams” in Konya, home to the shrine of Rumi, on September 30, 2010.

Caption: Composer and tar virtuoso Hossein Alizadeh smiles as he receives his award at the Second International Conference on Rumi on September 27,2015.

Alireza Khazrai, ILNA


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