The Persianate Society: A Realm of the Culture and Civilization (First Session)

On May 10, 2025, the Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies hosted a gathering of distinguished scholars from India, Iraq, and Sulaymaniyah. This session, held in collaboration with the Tehran International Book Fair, opened a dialogue for exchanging perspectives on Persian language and culture, as well as the ancient cultures of Iraq and India. 

The guests of this session included: 

- Dr. Kawthar Muhammad Amin, Director of the Endowments Library of Sulaymaniyah; 

- Mr. Abdulwahab Al-Radi, President of the Iraqi Publishers Union and Director of the Baghdad and Najaf Book Fairs; 

- Dr. Syed Akhtar Hussain, Professor of Persian at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Founder & Director of the Indian Institute of Persian Studies (IIPS). 

After a brief introduction of the institute by Dr. Ghayoomi, Director of International Scientific Cooperation, Dr. Moinzadeh, the deputy for Research, opened the session by welcoming the guests. Dr. Afrashi moderated the meeting. 

Dr. Seyed Akhtar Hussain highlighted the cultural bridge between Iran and India through book fairs and the participation of Indian publishers in these exhibitions. He noted that, historically, many Iranian poets migrated to India, where they were highly revered. Today, he stressed the need for further efforts to promote the Persian language for future generations. 

Mr. Abdulwahab Al-Radi, President of the Iraqi Publishers Union, mentioned that 38 Iraqi publishers had come to Tehran for the book fair. Holding a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Literature, he has 40 years of experience in publishing and is an organizer of the Baghdad and Najaf Book Fairs. He proposed expanding scientific and cultural cooperation between the two countries through Iraq’s Ministry of Culture and praised the significance of such book fairs in Tehran. 

Dr. Kawthar Muhammad Amin, Director of the Sulaymaniyah the endowments Library, stated that the library holds historical books and 4,000 manuscripts, 10% of which are in Persian. She noted that most of these books are printed in Iran and made available in Sulaymaniyah. The library maintains strong ties with Najaf and Baghdad, operating under the Endowments Ministry, and has undertaken extensive efforts to restore manuscripts. She expressed joy that many global publications are translated and available in Iran. 

Faculty members present at the session also spoke on the cultural ties between Iran, India, and Iraq. Dr. Dalvand suggested establishing connections with Iraqi and Sulaymaniyah libraries through the institute’s portal. 

Another topic of discussion was teaching Persian in Iraq and India, during which books published by the institute for Persian language instruction were introduced. 

The session concluded with a proposal to expand academic cooperation through future memorandums of understanding.