Minister visits Iranian manuscript treasury in St. Petersburg
Continuing his trip to St. Petersburg as part of the second section of Iran Culture Week activities in Russia, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance visited the remarkable collection of Iranian manuscripts and artworks at the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences on Thursday.
According to IRNA, upon his arrival at the center in the city of St. Petersburg, Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili was warmly welcomed by distinguished Russian experts in the field of manuscript preservation, many of whom conversed in Persian.
The Iranian minister proceeded to visit various sections of the exquisite manuscript collection at the institute and signed the guestbook of this valuable treasury.
In a meeting with Iranian scholars and experts in manuscripts at the institute, Esmaeili acknowledged the significant efforts made by the center over the past two centuries, stating: “If it were not for the endeavors of this center, we would have been deprived of a significant portion of manuscripts and, in essence, an understanding of our past.”
Continuing his remarks, Esmaeili lauded the dedicated guardians of manuscripts as the spiritual protectors of the world today and remarked: “It is truly commendable that this center, with its 200-year history, continues to shine and operate despite the challenges it has faced.”
Esmaeili further referred to the preservation efforts taking place in Iran and said: “One of the personalities who played a vital role was the vigilant jurist, Ayatollah Mar’ashi-Najafi. With great determination, he rescued around 60,000 historical books in Iraq from looting and their sale to the English. Today, thanks to the efforts of that jurist, the largest manuscript library in the city of Qom remains active.”
Irina Fedorovna Popova, head of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences, also highlighted the achievements of this center during the session, accompanied by some Iranian scholars.
The first section of Iran Culture Week activities in Russia was inaugurated on Tuesday with the presence of the culture ministers of both countries in Moscow, while the second section continued as of Thursday in St. Petersburg.