Noted Iranian and Norwegian artists performed a concert on Molana Jalaleddin Rumi, well-known Iranian poet and mystic, within the framework of traditional Iranian music in the Norwegian capital of Oslo.
The concert, which included pieces composed by Javid Afsari-Rad, who also plays the dulcimer, was performed to the accompaniment of Salar Aqili as vocalist, Pejman Haddadi and Behnam Samani (on percussion instruments), Shahram Gholami (on the traditional Iranian string instrument Oud) and Fardin Lahourpour (flutist).
Several talented instrumentalists from Norwegian Philharmonic Orchestras accompanied the Iranian troupe on string instruments of violin, violin cello and contrabass, reported IRNA.
The event brought together hundreds of Oslo residents and Iranian expatriates in Jakob Church. The audience was struck by the harmony between Iranian and Norwegian instrumentalists at the event.
The performance was sponsored by the country's National Institute Riksscinen, which is one of the most important cultural centers in the country, particularly in the fields of traditional and folkloric music.
Director of the institute, Jan Loth said that he was sure that the program would play a vital role in introducing Molana and Iranian music to the Norwegians.
Afsari-Rad also said that despite the time constraints for conducting rehearsal, the program met his expectations.
Gro Lovdahl, a professional Norwegian violinist, described the composition of the concert's instruments as suitable and said that the artists managed to produce necessary sounds and present a beautiful work.
Prior to the concert, a meeting was held to introduce Molana in which well-known Norwegian poet Kittelsen Erling discussed the Iranian figure's poetical style.
Describing Molana as a unique personality in the world, he said that lofty concepts in his poetry are instructive for all humanity.

Iran was elected vice chairman the 17th UN World Tourism Organization’s General Assembly in Colombia.
Reporting this, IRNA quoted Public Relations Department of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHTTO) as saying that the event is underway in the Colombian city of Cartagena with the participation of 138 high-ranking officials.
The assembly was officially inaugurated with a speech by the President of the Republic of Colombia Alvaro Uribe VŽlez.
Iranian delegation headed by Hamid Baqaei, deputy head of ICHTTO will pave the way for further cooperation with member states in talks on the sidelines of the event.
The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), headquartered in Madrid, Spain, is a United Nations agency dealing with tourism.

Ameri House in Kashan

Chief of Central Asia Unit of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), at the head of a delegation, visited historical monuments in Kashan, Isfahan province.
Francis Childe, who visited Agha Bozorg Mosque, Khajeh Tajeddin Mausoleum and historical Ameri House in Kashan, said, "I was astonished to see the glory of historical houses in the city."
He assessed the trend of restoration of Kashan historical texture as satisfactory and voiced UNESCO's readiness to help include the city on the global heritage list, said IRNA.
Commenting on the objectives of their visit, he said, "Some 25 experts have traveled to the country to help Iranian experts promote tourism as well as protect and restore historical monuments."
Meanwhile, an educational workshop is being held with the aim of exchanging experiences about preserving historical textures pertaining to the reign of Mongolians and the Timurid dynasty.
Cultural experts from India, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and Pakistan are participating in the ten-day workshop which opened on Monday.
Kashan boasts over 1,200 monuments, of which 217 have been registered on the national heritage list.

Bahman Jalali

Photographs by Bahman Jalali, an Iranian photojournalist holding an exhibition in Barcelona, Spain, has been published as a catalog.
According to akkasee.com, the book includes nine sections with a preface by Catherine David, artistic director of the exhibition, in the first section.
The section also features 55 photos of Qajar architecture as well as photos of a famous photographer from Shiraz by the name of Bahram Chehrehnegar who died in 2001.
The second and third sections include a collection of fishing pictures in northern and southern Iran with a focus on Bushehr province.
'Khorramshahr, the city which was destroyed' and '1979 Revolution' are among the most outstanding sections of the collection.
The exhibition, which will run until December 9, has attracted the attention of world media to Iranian photos.
Meanwhile, two Iranian photographers are participating in the competition section of Molana International Photo Exhibition in Turkey.
Photos by Kaveh Baghdadchi and Ebrahim Bahrami were featured in the exhibition's 'World Religions' category.
Selected works will be put on public show today in a ceremony to commemorate Iranian poet and mystic Molana Jalaleddin Rumi.

Aref Music Band Group conducted by the renowned Iranian musician Parviz Meshkatian performed a concert titled 'Phoenix' in Interior Ministry's Auditorium to the accompaniment of Hamid Reza Nourbakhsh as the vocalist.
According to MNA, the 16-member band performed pieces composed by Meshkatian in a scene decorated with 16 cypress trees behind each instrumentalist.
In the first section of the program, several pieces based on poems by Houshang Ebtehaj, pen-named Sayeh, Hafez and Mohammad Reza Shafiei-Kadkani, Meshkatian were performed while the second section featured performance of the song 'O, Spring' by Sayeh to the accompaniment of Navid Afqeh on the traditional instrument 'Tonbak'.
Excellent performance by the band aroused the feelings of the audience as they warmly applauded the band.
Enthusiasm of those present in the auditorium drew the band to the scene to perform the piece 'O, Iran' to the accompaniment of the audience.

The book 'Travelogue to Iran' by the Chinese novelist and former Minister of Culture Wang Meng was unveiled in a ceremony at the Iranian Embassy in Beijing Wednesday.
According to IRNA, a number of Chinese cultural officials and enthusiasts in Iran attended the ceremony, which was sponsored by Iran's Cultural Office in China.
Wang Meng, who is currently head of Statistics and Cultural Studies Committee of Chinese Political Advisory Council, visited Iran in 2006 and the outcome of this visit was a 200-page illustrated book 'Travelogue to Iran'.
The first edition of book, which was published by a Chinese publishing house called 'Friendship', has also dealt with the historical attractions in Iran, notably the monuments in the picturesque city of Isfahan as well as the daily activities of the Iranians.
The book features more than 400 pictures of natural landscapes, relics as well as cultural and social manifestations of the nation.
Addressing the ceremony, which was also in honor of Wang Meng, Javad Mansouri, Iranian ambassador to China described the book as a valuable and precious work.
Stating that Iran and China both have ancient civilizations, he further said that throughout history the two nations have been sources of noteworthy services to humanity.
Stressing the need to develop a proper understanding about nations, Mansouri also said that Meng's book can serve as a window to enthusiasts in Iran.
The book indicates the extent to which the writer has been inspired by rich Iranian culture.
Iran's cultural attachŽ, Mohammad Javad Aqajari also said that the book is a step towards developing cultural communications between the two states.
Mansouri also presented a gift to Meng in recognition of his efforts.

Association of the Eastern US Muslims reviewed the poetry and thoughts of Molana Jalaleddin Rumi, well-known Iranian poet and mystic in a ceremony attended by Abdelkarim Soroush, noted Iranian researcher on Molana's works.
According to MNA, Fatemeh Keshvarz, instructor of literary studies at Washington Saint Louis University and Hossein Kamali, instructor of history at Columbia University, were also present at the event, which was held in the premises of Association of East American Muslims.
Soroush also discussed Molana's thoughts in an address titled 'Spiritual Garden'.
Keshavarz talked about Molana's thought in the world while Kamali delivered a lecture themed 'Molana's Poetry, Flowers From Molana's Garden of Knowledge'.

Short stories by contemporary American writers translated by Asadollah Amraei have been published in a book titled ’The Man I Killed’.
According to Fars news agency, the book includes stories by Woody Allen, Jason Brown, William Labchuk, Bernard Malamud, Tim O’Brian, Richard Ford, Richard Brautigan and Rick Demarinis.
The book published by Afraz Publishing House contains 24 pages.
Earlier, the same publishing house released a collection of stories titled ’Middle Woman’ featuring works by Latin American writers.
Ofoq Publishing House also printed the novel ’The Sea’ by John Banville, translated by Amraei.
’The Sea’ is the story of a self-aware, imperfect man attempting to reconcile himself to the deaths of those he loved as a child and as an adult. The central figure in the novel, Max Morden, an art historian in his sixties whose wife had recently died of cancer, retreats to the seaside village of Ballyless where he once spent a holiday as a child and alternately narrates the memories of his life with his wife and that summer holiday.