A Report on Holding a Workshop on Islamic Philosophy at the Vivarium Novum Academy in Italy

May 8-16, 2022

According to the schedule, on Sunday, May 8, 2022, at 16:30, I arrived at Villa Falconieri in Frascati, the current location of the Vivarium Novum Academy (Accademia Vivarium Novum), and was warmly welcomed by the President of the Academy, Professor Luigi Miraglia, Vice Chancellor for Education and Research, Professor Ignacio Armella and two other professors at the academy.

My program for teaching on Islamic philosophy (Appendix 1), which lasted from Monday morning, May 9, 2022, to Saturday evening, May14, 2022, included the following:

1. Key definitions and concepts (Monday 10- 11:30),
2. The main branches and approaches and their important representatives (Tuesday 10-11:30and 17:30- 19),
3. Al-Kindi and Al-Farabi (Wednesday 10-11:30),
4. Al-Ghazali and Ibn Rushd (Wednesday 17:30-19),
5. Ibn Sina and Suhrawardi (Thursday 10-11:30),
6. Mulla Sadra (Friday 10-11:30),
7. Ibn Arabi (Friday 12-13:30),
8. Recent trends (Saturday 10-11:30),
9. Conclusion (Saturday 17:30-19).

The above lessons were presented in PowerPoint format and in the context of about 300 targeted and highlighted slides in both English and Arabic. The content of the discussions was sent to academy officials at their requestbefore the trip; However, due to continues editing of them, I provided the final slides to Professor Armella every day to print them out for students and faculty. Many of the slides in the classroom were discussed, debated, and questioned with the participation of students from different countries and Italian professors interested in Islamic philosophy in the classrooms, indicating their interest in the topics (Appendix 2).

On Monday (May 9, 2022) and before the start of the class, the Academy Symphony Orchestra with the presence of students and led by Osbius Aaron Toth in honor of my presence, performed a few ancient pieces of music with group singing.

On Monday (May 16, 2022), a formal and at the same time intimate farewell ceremony was held in the presence of Professor Miraglia and Professor Armella and the students. On the same day, after saying goodbye to the academy and at the invitation of the head of the Iranian Cultural Counselor in Italy, Dr. Amini, I went to the counselor in Rome and was received by him and his esteemed colleagues and accompanied to the airport. I left Rome for Iran at 19.45 local time.

The interest of the Academy officials in communicating with Iranian universities, especially the Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies (IHCS), on the one hand, and the sincere efforts of the Iranian Cultural Counselor in Italy to establish communication between Iranian and Italian researchers and scientists, on the other hand, were remarkable and commendable.