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Nowruz

The Nowruz Award 2019 – Professor Seyed-Emami

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Professor Seyed-Emami is the recipient of 2019 “Nowruz Award for Personality of the Year in the Field of Environment and Natural Heritage.”

Dr. Kavous Seyed-Emami was a sociologist, environmentalist, university professor, co-founder
and director of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation. We honor Professor Kavous Seyed-Emami posthumously for his life of dedication and hard work on behalf of Iran’s natural heritage and his tireless efforts devoted to conservation and preservation in Iran. Professor Seyed-Emami is the recipient of 2019 “Nowruz Award for Personality of the Year in the Field of Environment and Natural Heritage” for:
– His comprehensive planned projects for the preservation of Iran’s natural and environmental heritage
– For his extensive work on implementation of projects for rare animal habitat projects in Iran and Asia focusing on protecting and saving them from extinction
– For his efforts to bring together international researchers and experts in the field of
environmental subjects and assist them in order to help Iran’s environment
– For organizing programs in order to inform and educate people about the environmental
issues in Iran and assisting artists to engage people about the environment.
– For his decades of tireless struggles, devoted determination and a dedicated life to
preservation of Iran’s natural heritage.

Bio
Kavous Seyed-Emami (1953–2018) was an Iranian-Canadian university professor and a prominent environmentalist. Professor Seyed-Emami was a Western-educated Iranian and returned to Iran after the Iranian Revolution and fought in the war against Iraq. He later started his academic career as the professor of Sociology at Imam Sadiq University in Tehran and a visiting scholar at the University of Lethbridge in 2017. He was one of the founders of the
Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation (PWHF), a private non-profit organization dedicated to the
conservation and preservation of wildlife in Iran, which he led before his death.

Professor Seyed-Emami was arrested by the Iranian government and in February 2018, Iran’s judiciary claimed that he committed suicide while in detention in Evin Prison, Tehran, because of the evidence against him in a spying case. This claim, including the alleged suicide, has been vehemently rejected by his family.

Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chrystia Freeland offered her condolences and stated that Canada expects” the Government of Iran to provide information and answers into the circumstances surrounding this tragedy.” She welcomed the return of Seyed-Emami’s sons back to Canada in March 2018 and asked the Government of Iran to lift the travel ban on Seyed-Emami’s spouse, Maryam Mombeini.

We honor Professor Kavous Seyed-Emami posthumously for dedicating his life to conservation and preservation of Iranian Natural heritage.

The Nowruz Award 2019 – Mr. Parviz Sayyad

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Mr. Parviz Sayyad, playwright, director, producer and actor of theater and cinema, is the recipient of 2019 “The Norouz Award for Best Artist of the Year in Theater and Cinema. He
receives this award for the following reasons:
– For his tireless decades of efforts and a life dedicated to Iranian cinema and theater both in Iran and in exile
– For his life time of artistic and creative ingenious on behalf of Iranian cinema and theater with exceptional artistic standards
– For creating lasting characters in Iranian cinema and theater
– For commitment to art and paying special attention to artistic values
– For his devotion to human rights and not forgetting human rights violations in Iran, and its
reflection on simple and popular drama.

Bio

Parviz Sayyad is unquestionably one of the best known Iranian actors and comedians of the
pre-revolution era in Iran. Even today, decades after the Iranian revolution, Mr. Sayyad is still a household name among Iranians. He is a showman, actor, talented comedian, director, screenwriter and producer of many TV shows and Iranian cinema. One of the most memorable characters he has played was actually created by him. The character “Samad”, a naive innocent country-boy, mischievous with a heart-of-gold whose views of life around him are simple, plain and to the point. Samad through his childish take on life, hinted at political/cultural issues of the time. The character Samad has been compared with Chaplin’s Tramp, and as a result, Mr. Sayyad is often referred to as Charlie Chaplin of Iran.

His first film, the comedic Hasan Kachal (1970), or “Hasan the Bald”, is well remembered. He later gained more fame starring in one of the oldest Iranian TV series “;OKTAPUS” playing the role of a well-mannered, diplomatic yet sneaky and soft-spoken board member. However, his real cinematic break came with one of the most famous Iranian TV series “Sarkar Ostovar” when he created and played the role of “Samad”.  After that, Sayyad went on to star in the famous “Samad” film series (somewhat reminiscent of the American “Ernest”series). His character, Samad (or Samad Agha, as he demanded others to call him), was a prominent comedic icon of Iran during the 1970s. His 1977 film Dead End was entered into the 10th Moscow International Film Festival.

Ancient defensive wall section surfaces during salvage excavation in Mytilini

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A section of the ancient defensive wall in Mytilini that extended out to the sea was discovered recently during a salvage excavation.

The excavation was carried out in a field lying in the northern part of the city’s ancient port known today as Epano Skala, where Navmachias Ellis and Kioutachias streets meet.

The wall consists of massive, ashlar blocks from local stone and dates to the 3rd century BC. It carries obvious repairs from the Roman era, archaeologists said.
Sections of the wall have been found elsewhere in the main town of Lesvos island: on the site of the ancient commercial stoa dated to Hellenistic times, where the ancient wall forms the north or long section of the stoa, and on the site of the modern waste recycling plant, during excavations to lay pipes.

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PHF announces: The Iranian New Year 1397 is named as “The Year of Iranian Women”

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PHFAnnouncement:

The Iranian New Year 1397 is named as

“The Year of Iranian Women”

Pasargad Heritage Foundation (PHF), observing its annual tradition, and on the occasion of “Nowruz” – the Iranian festival and celebration of the beginning of the Spring and New Year – has suggested naming the year 1397 (Iranian Calendar) as the “Year of Iranian Women”.

Every year, the selection of a name for the incoming year is enacted within the framework of preservation and guardianship of the tangible and intangible cultural and historical heritage of Iran.

The goal is to attract the attention of people to the unique values of Iranian culture that are based on reason and love – the very values that have greatly been neglected and experienced discrimination and enmity and are now openly exposed to degeneration and destruction.

This year, and upon the following considerations, PHF has named the year of 1397 as “The Year of Iranian Women”

– Iranian women are amongst those women of the world who continuously have guarded the cultural heritage of their homeland.

– For Years the Iranian women have preserved and transferred their national traditions, festivities, as well as their tangible and intangible heritage that are mostly declared forbidden by the current Iranian government to the next generation.

– Regardless of their personal religious beliefs, The Iranian women, whether Zoroastrian, Christian, Jew, Bahai, or Moslem, have played a major role in the transference of the non-religious and secular culture of Iran to the next generation.

– And during this past year, the Iranian women have introduced a rare tactic to obtain their freedom from oppression and compulsory dress-code (wearing hejab). The freedom (of a woman) to dress as she wishes has in fact been a part of ancient Iranian culture that was taken away by the invading Arabs and the imposition of their newly formed faith. The present movement of Iranian women to get back one of their human rights and to revive old Iranian traditions is of utmost significance. All through history, and whenever possible, Iranian women have struggled for their freedom to choose what to wear. They had enjoyed this freedom for 43 years (Between 1314 and 1357) and until the advent of the Islamic revolution. In this regard, their struggle could also be recognized as a cultural endeavor.

Along with naming of the year 1397, PHF would like to wish everyone a very joyous New Year and a happy great and beautiful Nowrooz.

Let us begin the New Iranian Year by appreciating the long and unstoppable struggle of the Iranian women for preserving their culture and gaining their freedom. Let us hope for a year full of happiness, peace and freedom for the people of Iran and the whole world.

Shokooh Mirzadegi

PHF Executive Director

www.savepasargad.com