The personality of the year 1396/2017 for “Preservation of Environment and Natural Heritage”

Posted on March 16, 2017

Contributed to WCHV by WCHV

Dr. Hossein Sedghi, a hydrologist, geologist, and university professor is selected as the personality of the year 1389, in the field of “Natural Heritage and Environment” for:
– His invaluable efforts in expanding education and awareness of the environmental and natural heritage amongst the people in Iran.
– Training experts in the environmental fields
– Publishing many articles and papers and participating in interviews relevant to the natural heritage.
– Giving timely warnings and notice of changes related to the preservation of Iranian heritage and environment to the authorities and activists.

In the current critical and ever worsening conditions of natural and environmental heritage of Iran, and while most of the activists are either completely absorbed by the governmental agencies or have chosen to be silent, Dr. Hossein Sedghi is one of the rare activist in the field who has continued his activities in both informing the public and also the authorities regarding the damages that are being inflicted to the Iranian heritage. With the courage and honesty that is expected from a distinguished expert, and with keen and educated observation, Dr. Sedghi has warned and explained about the catastrophic conditions that have developed in Uromieh, Khuzestan and many other parts of Iran.

Happy Nowruz – March 20, 2017

Posted on March 15, 2017

Contributed to WCHV by WCHV

Nowruz is first day of Spring and the beginning of the Iranian year. Nowruz is celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, on 20th March or the previous / following day depending on where it is celebrated. Nowruz is celebrated and observed by Iranian people as well as several other countries across Asia including Afghanistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Tajikistan and many more. The new year starts at the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day or exactly when the Earth has completed one cycle around the Sun.

The celebration has its roots in Ancient Iran. Due to its antiquity, there exist various foundation myths for Nowruz in Iranian mythology. The Shahnameh dates Nowruz as far back to the reign of Jamshid, who in Zoroastrian texts saved mankind from a killer winter that was destined to kill every living creature.In the Shahnameh and Iranian mythology, Jamshid is credited with the foundation of Nowruz. In the Shahnama, Jamshid constructed a throne studded with gems. He had demons raise him above the earth into the heavens; there he sat on his throne like the sun shining in the sky. The world’s creatures gathered in wonder about him and scattered jewels around him, and called this day the New Day or Now-Ruz. This was the first day of the month of Farvardin (the first month of the Persian calendar). On Nowruz, families gather together to observe the rituals and celebrate the beginning of the new year.

In addition, it is believed that originally the celebration was the holiest Zoroastrian festival, and Nowruz is believed to have been invented by Zoroaster himself, although there is no clear date of origin. Since the Achaemenid era, the official year has begun with the New Day when the Sun leaves the zodiac of Pisces and enters the zodiacal sign of Aries, signifying the Spring Equinox.

International Nowruz Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution A/RES/64/253 of 2010, at the initiative of several countries that share this holiday (Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan.

First Day of Nowruz at Pasargadae – 2016

Posted on March 23, 2016

Contributed to WCHV by WCHV

Iranian people visiting Pasargadae on the first day of Nowruz (Iranian New Year).
Pasargadae is the tomb of Cyrus the Great (Unesco World Heritage List, 2004)

Photos courtesy of Farzad Arian

Happy Nowruz – March 20, 2016

Posted on March 18, 2016

Contributed to WCHV by WCHV

Nowruz is first day of Spring and the beginning of the Iranian year. Nowruz is celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, on 21st March or the previous / following day depending on where it is celebrated. Nowruz is celebrated and observed by Iranian people as well as several other countries across Asia including Afghanistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Tajikistan and many more. The new year starts at the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day or exactly when the Earth has completed one cycle around the Sun.

The celebration has its roots in Ancient Iran. Due to its antiquity, there exist various foundation myths for Nowruz in Iranian mythology. The Shahnameh dates Nowruz as far back to the reign of Jamshid, who in Zoroastrian texts saved mankind from a killer winter that was destined to kill every living creature.In the Shahnameh and Iranian mythology, Jamshid is credited with the foundation of Nowruz. In the Shahnama, Jamshid constructed a throne studded with gems. He had demons raise him above the earth into the heavens; there he sat on his throne like the sun shining in the sky. The world’s creatures gathered in wonder about him and scattered jewels around him, and called this day the New Day or No/Now-Ruz. This was the first day of the month of Farvardin (the first month of the Persian calendar). On Nowruz, families gather together to observe the rituals and celebrate the beginning of the new year.

World Cultural Heritage Voices

Ancient Nowruz artifacts from the Sassanian Dynasty – 224 CE to 651 CE.

Nowruz during the Safavid Dynasty circa 1501 to 1722 and 1729 to 1736.

Nowruz table ,and Persian New Year celebration in the White House

Nowruz Award for Dr. Abdolmajid Arfaee

Posted on March 18, 2016

Contributed to WCHV by WCHV

Dr. Abdolmajid Arfaee, is a unique expert of ancient languages of Akkad and Ilam and a researcher in the history of Ilam. He is one of the exceptional authorities and translators of cuneiform scripts in the world.
Dr. Arfaee is the recipient of “The Nowruz Prize” for the best personality of the year 2016, in the category of “Cultural Heritage”. He receives the award for:
– His lifelong perpetual efforts in support of preservation of cultural and historical heritage of Iran.
– Creating the first translation of the Cyrus the Great cylinder from its original language.
– His Collection of unique treasures of periodicals, magazines, pamphlets and books about the history of Iran and the world, and the texts of many ancient scripts on stone and clay, with the cooperation of Dr. Parviz Natel-Khanlari.
– Organizing a dedicated section of the Iranian National Museum to inscriptions and epigraphs.
– Reading and translating a large number of Persepolis clay inscriptions, as well as legal texts of Mesopotamia.
– And his unique collection of research and writings on Iranian history and culture.

Dr. Arfaee is one the most distinguished contemporary linguists and researchers of the Iranian history whose contributions to the field have not been appreciated adequately. He was the first Iranian to get involved in the saga of important Persepolis clay inscriptions that are the very documents, narrating the important aspects of Darius the Great era. Dr. Arfaee studied for eight years at the oriental section of Chicago University in order to read the Persepolis clay inscriptions. In Chicago, he worked under the supervision of Professor Richard Hallock, the famous authority on Ilam’s script and language. After the advent of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Dr. Arfaee was no longer allowed to continue his work on the inscriptions and could no longer work at the Iranian Center for Literature and Arts, together with other authorities like Dr. Parviz Natel-Khanlari. Even though he was separated from his field of work and research, he did not stop his work and efforts. For the last few years he has been engaged again in reading and deciphering the Persepolis clay inscriptions, providing the young generations with the proud history of their Persian ancestors.