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Iran's International Holy Qur'an Exhibition
Compiled by Ramineh Reza Zadeh
The Tenth Tehran International Qur’an Exhibition this year was held in the glorious month of Ramadan in Tehran on (10 Nov.-6 Dec.) by the cultural department of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in the “Center of Intellectual Education of Children”.
The Tenth Exhibition included different sections by Iranian and some foreign institutes in Qur’anic fields, and also different meetings and seminars held by Qur’anic experts.
International Section:
The international section of the 10th International Exhibition on the Holy Qur’an was held with the presence of more than 50 guests from countries such as Japan, Thailand, Bulgaria, Afghanistan, Russia, Syria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia, South Africa, Bangladesh, Egypt, Sudan, Turkey, France, Libya, India, Lebanon, Pakistan, Jordan, Malaysia, England, Tunis and Indonesia.
The activities of the International Committee of the 10th International Exhibition on the Holy Qur'an are carried out for the following purposes:
1- to identify Qur’anic achievements in the realms of research, scientific studies, cultural and art fields all over the world.
2- to work towards the exchange of experiences among the scholars, researchers and artists active in the Qur’anic realms.
3- to create links and relations between the Qur'anic figures and centers inside and outside the Country.
4- to gather the Qur’ans printed in other parts of the world with special, creative and unique patterns and designs
5- to supply and offer the researches, theses, research plans and scientific endeavors of other countries in the realm of Qur’anic sciences and knowledge.
The Programs of the International Section in the Qur’an Exhibition:
1- Congress on Dialogue in the Qur’an: One of the programs of the International Section was the holding of a 2-day congress entitled “Dialogue in the Qur’an” with the presence of national and international experts and scholars of Qur’anic sciences. This congress was held in commemoration of the “Year of Dialogue among Civilizations” and a number of domestic and foreign international figures were invited to this Congress.
In the margin of this Congress, two specialized round tables are managed entitled “ means of dialogue”. The subject matter of one of these round tables was “Art in the Qur’an” and that of the second was a “Study of the Status of Translation of the Holy Qur’an”.
2- Display of the Works of Art: The art and research works of foreign artists and researchers participating in the 10th International Exhibition on Holy Qur’an in the fields of scripture, gilding, handicrafts and innovative works were displayed.
3- Specialized Meetings for Introducing the Qur’anic Activities of Other Countries: Some programs have been envisaged in the International Section of the Qur'an Exhibition during which the foreign guests could contact the Cultural Qur’anic Associations in the Country and study the conditions for mutual relationships in Qur’anic fields.
Furthermore, it has been predicted to organized programs in the universities so that the foreign guests may deliver lectures in the field of Qur’anic sciences in the academic centers.
Association of Women Qur’anic Artists
Director of the committee on Qur’anic activities of women, Ms. Mina Khajeh-Nouri said grounds for the formation of an association of women Qur’anic artists have been prepared. She said the association comprising women who have created works in different Qur’anic fields would be held soon. She expressed hope that the association, which is a non-governmental organization, would start its activities at the 10th International Holy Qur’an Exhibition. She also said that the association of women reciters and memorizers of the Holy Qur’an would be established soon.
Publication Section of the Exhibition
In the Publication Section of the 10th International Exhibition on the Holy Qur’an in the Tehran Association for the Mental Development of Children and Young Adults located in Hejab St., Tehran , 15 special issues of Golestan-e- Qur’an weekly, 4 special issues for children and young adults, catalogues and brochures of the 10th exhibition, special posters in remembrance of the exhibition along with 4 postcards have been published and will be distributed during the exhibition.
Section on Children and Young Adults
The Children and Young Adult Section at the 10th International Holy Qur’an Exhibition was classified into six workshops.
These included three drawing workshops, one calligraphy workshop, one story-telling workshop and one workshop on Qur’anic knowledge. It should be noted that the drawing workshops contained drawings with crayons and watercolors and drawings on the wall. In the calligraphy workshop, children and youngsters practiced calligraphy inspired by Qur’anic values.
Regarding the story-telling section, stories depicted lives of Prophets Noah (AS), Joseph (AS), Yunus (AS), Ismail (AS) as well as Hazrat Ali Akbar (AS) which were performed in the year honoring Imam Hussain (AS). This method is more understandable for the children and the young adults and would be offered with ‘tazia’-style story-telling. As for extracurricular activities for the children and young adults in the exhibition, this year an 8-page bulletin were published four pages earmarked for children and four pages allocated to the youngsters.
The bulletin contains poems, stories, games and scientific topics.
The section notified the enthusiasts of Qur’anic cultural centers that this year's activities for children and young adults were to be broadcast on television.
600 Software Programs on Display at the Qur’an Exhibition - Tehran
More than 600 software programs about the Qur’an are on display at the computer section of the 10th International Qur’an Exhibition (IQE) in Tehran - IRAN.
Sayyid Mahdi Taqavi who is in-charge of the computer section of the Exhibition said, “This year 50 software programs about Qur’anic sciences are on display for the very first time. 38 software manufacturing companies, governmental institutes, and the private sector have put on display their latest achievements in the art and science of the Qur’an. Compared to last year’s, there has been a 20% increase.
He added, “Private sector companies have outnumbered other companies. Sadly, 15 companies couldn’t attain the standard level required and failed to obtain permission to attend the Exhibition.
Software programs about Imam Hussain (AS), software programs about the art and science of the Qur’anic services, live coverage of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Exhibition, and the commemoration of the Qur’an and artists available on the Internet, were among the line of works at this year’s Exhibition.
The Exhibition continued until the end of the holy month of Ramadan, 1423.
Carpet Tableaus on Display at Qur’an Exhibition - Tehran
A precious collection of 100 valuable carpet tableaus with relation to religion were on display at the 10th International Exhibition (IQE) in Tehran - IRAN.
About 1500 meters of space have been allocated to the Exhibition of the carpet tableaus that have been created by numerous Iranian Artists.
The Qur’an Exhibition continued until the end of the holy month of Ramadan, 1423.
First Comprehensive Data Bank on Holy Qur’an Established
The ‘Katibeh’ Center for Qur’anic Studies has launched the first comprehensive data bank on the Holy Qur’an. The director in charge of this research project, Mr. Rasoul Moradi says the data bank has been designed with an aim to find easy and quick access to research resources. "For the first time at this data bank, Qur’anic works in the fields of translation, interpretation, etc. have been classified and made available to specialized libraries as well as Qur’anic-cultural centers in the form of research indexing." In order to serve the purpose of training, memorization and recitation of the Holy Qur’an, the Katibeh Center for Qur’anic Studies offers each verse on a large pages on the back of which the translation of all the words cited in that verse is made available. There are other indexes, which offer the content of each verse, its full translation, individual translation of every word, similar verses, the place of the verse in the Qur’an, and its recitation interpretation. One can also have access to the Qur’anic verses in order of their revelation. These research slips have been prepared in Persian, English ind Arabic and translations into French, Turkish, Russian and German are also under way. The Katibeh Center for Qur’anic Studies also provides researchers with information on various interpretations of the Holy Qur’an from the time of the Prophet (SAW) until the present time. The Center will place all its information and achievements available to the public through the Internet and a local Qur’anic network.
Microscopic Qur’an to be Written by Iranian Artist
Verses of the Holy Qur’an written on a grain of rice, or hair were on display at the 10th International Qur’an Exhibition (IQE) in Tehran.
Raein Abar Khanzadeh, the artist behind these microscopic works said, “Since childhood I have been interested in microscopic writing. I started practicing microscopic writing at the same time. I heard an Indian artist had written Qur’anic verses on a grain of rice at last year’s exhibition, so I decided to follow in his footsteps. I started writing Qur’anic verses on grains of rice, lentil, and hair. The activity became so serious that I was encouraged to start writing a complete microscopic Qur’an.”
He added: I haven’t used any special tool for writing the book. I only use a narrow fine pencil and sharpen it with a blade and write the microscopic verses without the help of any magnifying glass.”
About a copy of a 10mm Qur’an that was written in Germany and ordered by an Iranian company, he said: “They spent a lot of money for such work which isn’t artistic and handwritten. I am doing the same thing without using any advanced tools or large amounts of cash.”
Khanzadeh was born in 1980. He has already written the first chapter of an 8mm by 5mm Qur’an, and will complete the rest by the end of March, 2003.
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