Nowruz Award 1404 – 2025

Dr. Mohammad Rahim Sarraf, archaeologist, translator, and university professor, has received the Nowruz Award for Personality of the Year in the Field of Cultural Heritage.

• A lifetime of dedication to preserving and promoting Iran’s rich history and culture;

• Years of teaching and mentoring numerous doctoral students in archaeology, which has left an indelible mark on the field;

• Significant contribution to excavations such as Bishabur and Hegmataneh Hill;

• Research on the Uraman reliefs, demonstrating commitment to uncovering and understanding Iran’s past;

• Authorship of invaluable books like “Elamite Reliefs” and “The Religion of the Elamite Tribe,” along with numerous scholarly articles, and translation of works like “Sumerian and Akkad” and “Ancient Mesopotamian Art,” which have enriched the understanding of the cultural and historical heritage of the region.

Dr. Sarraf stands as a pioneering figure in Iranian archaeology. As one of the last professors and archaeologists trained both within Iran and abroad during the Pahlavi era, he has dedicated his career to serving Iran’s rich cultural heritage and history. Many of the post-revolutionary archaeology masters and doctoral students from the University of Tehran were privileged to learn under his tutelage.

Despite the turmoil of the Islamic Revolution and the war, a time when many archaeologists left Iran, Dr. Sarraf chose to return upon completing his studies. He has stated, “During the revolution, I was torn between leaving or staying. But I remembered the students who are waiting for the return of people like me who have been sent abroad to study and to pass on the knowledge they have learned. And I decided to stay.”

Dr. Sarraf’s students describe him as a professor with unwavering ethics, patience, and an endearing demeanor.

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Mr. Cyrus Zare, restorer of historical monuments and activist for the protection of cultural heritage, received the Nowruz Award for the personality of the year in the field of restoration of historical monuments:

– More than forty years of restoration work in various historical heritage sites throughout Iran

– Supervising the Bam Citadel Restoration Group after the earthquake

– Organizing some museums, including the Siraf Museum and the restoration of pottery at The Persian Gulf Maritime Museum

– Collaborating in the production of the four-part documentary series “A Tour of Persepolis” with “Mohammad Ali Inanlu”

– Making documentaries to familiarize the younger generation with Iranian history and culture and advising them on making such documentaries.

Zare is one of the best restorers and activists for preserving Iran’s cultural and historical heritage after the Islamic Revolution. He was born in Marvdasht. And like most people in Fars Province, especially Marvdasht, he has been familiar with important parts of Iran’s historical and cultural monuments since childhood and has had a special interest and attention to them, so much so that if you ask him where he was born, he will simply say: “Next to Persepolis Cyrus Zare chose restoration work as a job at the age of twenty-nine, but over time he became deeply familiar with the values of cultural and historical heritage and, as he himself says, “fell in love” with this profession. Restoring these monuments was no longer a “job” for him, but a necessity to preserve the values of these treasures of his homeland. And after that, he devoted all his time to learning restoration work (from Iranian and non-Iranian masters) of this profession.

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Ms. Minoo Ejleh, publisher and civil activist, received the Nowruz Award for “Person of the Year in Publishing” in the field of publications:

• • Twenty-seven years of efforts in publishing books for children, women, and Iranian history abroad

• • Publishing books related to literature, the history of Iran, and Islam that are banned in Iran

• • Helping to publish the works of Iranian writers and artists in exile and registering them in collections for a free Iranian tomorrow

• • Helping to preserve the Persian language abroad through the publication of children’s books

Ms. Minoo Ajelleh is the first female Iranian publisher abroad. While many women have published their own works or their own publications abroad after the revolution, Ajelleh chose “Forough Publishing” as a career. She and her husband, Mr. Hamid Mehdizadeh, chose “Forough Publishing” not only as a profession with which to make a living, but also as a useful (and non-market) tool to help preserve the Persian language and to help reflect the knowledge and new ideas of freedom-loving and Iran-friendly writers. Together, they have been in charge of managing this publishing house for twenty-seven years, to the extent that some now know Ms. Ajelleh by the name of Forough. In addition to her duties as a publisher, Ajelleh has spent years collaborating and participating in programs and meetings organized in Germany and other European countries for “Books Without Censorship.”