Iranian and foreign investors are to invest  333 million US $ in Hanzai Region of the southern province of Kerman, according to the director general of provincial Cultural Heritage Department.

Mahmoud Vafaei further said that the investors intend to launch Ski piste and rest-cum-recreation compounds over an area of 1,100 hectares.

“An Iranian investor and Omani investors have started the projects or are in negotiations. A number of Italian investors have offered to construct hotel in Kerman but talks are underway with Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization.”

Kerman is Iran’s largest province, he said. It boasts seven globally registered heritages and five dossiers awaiting global registration, he added.

It has significant sites such as Lut Desert, Meymand Village, Bam Citadel, Shazdeh Garden and an ancient aqueduct, he pointed out.

Also, 80 percent of the registered section of Lut Desert lies in Kerman Province, he added.

“Currently, we have registered 700 heritage sites in Kerman Province on the National Heritage List, while 7,000 others have been identified.”

An Iranian investor and Omani investors have started the projects or are in negotiations. A number of Italian investors have offered to construct hotel in Kerman.

Excavations, he noted, are to be conducted over an area of 400sq.kms. in Halilroud and Jiroft region. Konar Sandal ― a Bronze Age archeological site situated just south of Jiroft ― is very famous in light of excavations conducted earlier.

“We predict that the number of domestic tourists visiting Kerman reach 40,000.

“We intend to celebrate the inaugural of the 100th local guesthouse in the near future. This means that Kerman target tourism villages could accommodate foreign tourists and sell handicrafts. This will boost rural jobs and empower villagers.”

Vakil Caravanserai in Kerman can be turned over to the private sector, he said, adding there are several caravanserais which have been transformed into rest-cum-recreation centers.

There is a caravanserai in Anar Region which has been converted into an entertaining complex, he added.

Kerman is a secure tourism region, he said, adding foreign tourists can directly travel to Lut Desert.

Paragliding as a recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders is widespread all over Kermanshah province.

Photo: Navid Mohammadi, Mehrnews

Legendary vocalist master Mohammadreza Shajarian, who was known as Iran’s king of song and once called himself the “son of Iran”, died on Thursday at 80 at Tehran’s Jam Hospital years after suffering from kidney cancer.

It was deeply shocking for his fans and the Iranian music community when the icon of Persian traditional music appeared in a video in the early days of Noruz, the celebration of the Iranian New Year celebration, in March 2016, wishing a happy New Year for Iranians and announcing that he was suffering from chronic kidney cancer.

The two-time Grammy Award nominee called the disease “a 15-year-old guest” that is “friendly” with him and added that he would soon return to the stage, a dream that would never come true.

He soon left the country for Sacramento, California to receive treatment for the disease and returned home in September that year to resume his medical treatment in the country.

His fans were shocked several times over the past few years each time they heard that their beloved, highly popular artist was admitted to the hospital. In post-revolution Iran, no other artist could capture the hearts and souls of his people as much as him.

His popularity was not just limited to his art. His strong affinity with the people over the course of his lifetime made Shajarian their beloved artist. He was never once apathetic about the pain and suffering they went through.

For example, shortly after the devastating 2003 earthquake in Bam, Kerman Province, which claimed tens of thousands of lives and flattened the town, Shajarian and his group, composed of his son Homayun, tar virtuoso Hossein Alizadeh and kamacheh master Kayhan Kalhor, organized benefit concerts titled “Compassion for Bam” to raise funds for the victims of the disaster.

The Bam Art Garden was born out of the rubble of the earthquake based on an initiative from Shajarian and his friends.

“I was like a drop that fell from the cloud, heading to the sea,” Shajarian once said during a celebration to mark his 73rd birthday in September 2013 organized by his friends and a number of Iranian art elites, including vocalist Shahram Nazeri, filmmaker Masud Kimiai and writer Javad Mojabi.

“For me, the people of Iran and the world are the sea. And from childhood, I learned from my parents to share my happiness with others… I follow the way that people are going and the people are my most important asset. Today, many people live inside me and I live for them. Because I believe that life finds its mean with ‘you,’ therefore, I have tried to do my art for humans and humanity.

“We should first abandon our evil ways and wickedness to enable ourselves to live with others and hold meetings with them; meetings with others have always been important for me and I have tried to ignore my personal pride for the sake of national pride and culture.

“Life is difficult when we are under others’ steady gaze and spotlights, but today, the present the people give us is for having always loved them; I have tried to share my happiness with others and have regard for their concerns.”      

Born in the religious city of Mashhad, Shajarian began his vocal career from childhood with his father who taught him Quran recitation. His recitations of the Holy Quran were aired by Mashhad Radio when he was only 12.

At the same time, he was also pursuing a career in vocal music. 

In his early twenties, he left his hometown to pursue his singing career in Tehran. His father wanted him to respect his family’s reputation for their affinity with religious figures, so his singing was aired by Tehran Radio under the alias Siavash Bidgani.     

Tar virtuoso Ahmad Ebadi, who was one of Shajarian’s close friends, met his father later, convincing him to allow Shajarian to sing using his true name.

His collaborations with Golha, a professional music program of Tehran Radio that had many top musicians, in 1972 opened a window of opportunity for Shajarian. He started a friendship with many elites of Persian traditional music who played a key role in the development of his virtuosity.

As he was completing his education with the top maestros such as Framarza Payvar, Nurali Khan Borumand and Abdollah Davami, he also pursued his Quran recitations professionally. In 1978, he finished first in Iran’s nationwide Quran competition. In summer 1979, he took second place in the recitation category of a Malaysian Quran contest.

He split from Golah, and consequently, radio in early 1978. “At that time, the program was not in harmony with my feelings. I felt that the radio’s policy was being made by cabarets and cultural triviality.”   

His friends in the Sheida and Aref music ensembles also separated from the radio in protest at the killing of demonstrators on Black Friday on 8 September 1979. They teamed up to produce some protest songs, which were released in album series named Chavosh.    

The epic song “Sepideh” (“Dawn”) composed by Mohammadreza Lotfi with a poem by their close friend Hushang Ebtehaj, who is also known by his pseudonym “Sayeh”, become a smash hit that Shajarian performed with the Sheida ensemble at National University in Tehran in 1980. “In Memory of Aref” and “The Soul of the Beloved” were among the albums Sheida recorded with Shajarian.

In 1980, a recitation of an invocation, known as “Shajarian’s Rabbana”, that he improvised for his students was recorded at Iran’s national radio. The divine recitation, which is composed of four verses of the Holy Quran, opens with a prelude featuring verses of a mesmerizing Rumi poem promoting the fast during Ramadan. 

In 2017, the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization registered “Rabbana” on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

In his works, he began to perform in dastaghs and gushehs, the totality of melodies of the Persian traditional music system, which were sinking into oblivion at that time. This trend was highly inspiring for his pupils, helping save these unique systems.

In the 1980s, he pursued a teaching career in music courses, one of the outcomes of which was that his son, Homayun, is now a popular vocalist of the new generation.

His collaboration with Aref, which was led by eminent composer and santur virtuoso Parviz Meshkatian, resulted in the creation of “Injustice”, “At Presence of the Beloved”, “The Dome of the Sky” and several other albums, which are considered an unparalleled treasury of Persian traditional music.   

He worked with many musicians and finally in 2008, founded his own group Shahnaz named after his master and tar virtuoso Jalil Shahnaz. His daughter Mojgan and composer and tar virtuoso Majid Derakhshani were among the members of the ensemble, along with whom he embarked on a world tour in 2010, using his innovative instruments, including the sorahi, arghanun and barbad.        

Shajarian was also quite agreeable to the innovations made by his son, Homayun, in the traditions of Persian song.

“Despite objections from those who are adherents of Persian traditional music, they [Homayun and his colleagues] are not in the least incorrect. However, they should beware of deviations. They should follow their own path based on the culture of their society; they should never go beyond due bounds in modernity, letting the next generation try their new items,” he once said in an interview.      

He was nominated for a Grammy Award in Best World Music 2004 and 2006, and was the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a UNESCO Golden Picasso Medal in 1999. He was also decorated with France’s Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in June 2014.

Shajarian was also known for his skills in Persian calligraphy, and showcased his works in several exhibitions.

Once in an interview, he called himself “son of Iran” and added, “My vice is among the ancient vices of Iranians who wanted to be remembered for the type of people they were; people of humanity, love, peace and purity.

“We have no other message for the world than that of friendship, love, life and happiness. And if we complain it is to rid ourselves of social problems so our people can live.”

Shajarian married Farkhondeh Golafshan in 1961, but divorced her in 2000. He is survived by his widow, Katayun Khansari, and his sons Homayun, Farzaneh, Afsaneh and Mojgan from his first marriage, and Rayan, another son from his second marriage.  

FM Zarif offers condolences over Iranian legendary singer’s departure

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a message expressed condolences over death of Iranian legendary singer Mohammad Reza Shajarian.

“Maestro Shajarian was a great & true Ambassador of Iran, her children and—most of all—her culture,” Zarif wrote in his Twitter account on Thursday.

“I extend my deepest condolences to Iranians across the world and partcularly to his loved ones” he added.

“From God we come and to Him we return.”

Tributes pour in for world-renowned Iranian vocalist

United Nations, diplomats, Iranian and foreign ambassadors and embassies in separate messages late on Thursday offered condolences on the demise of the veteran Iranian singer Maestro Mohammad Reza Shajarian.

UN representative office in Iran said in a message that the demise of the great Iranian vocalist Mohammad Reza Shajarian caused deep grief and sorrow.

“We on behalf of the UN family in Iran express condolences to Shajarian’s family and all his lovers in Iran and world. May the departed soul rest in peace,” the message said.

Iran’s Embassy in Zagreb in a tweet also extended condolences to the honorable and culture-loving compatriots, as well as lovers of Iranian culture and art, the death of the great Iranian vocalist and the internationally acclaimed figure.

Meanwhile, Swiss Embassy to Iran expressed sincere condolences on the demise of Maestro Mohammad Reza Shajarian. “Switzerland will cherish the memories of his concerts in Lausanne and Zurich.”

The British Embassy in Tehran also extended condolences to all his fans on the departure of one of the most prominent figures in Iranian traditional music of the last century.

Iran’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Republic also paid homage to the late vocalist on his Twitter, expressing deep regret over the loss of “a towering figure in international music”.

Sadeq Hosseini, Farbod Khalili: As of the filming of this report, three months have passed since the coronavirus outbreak went from a news story on TV to an everyday reality for Iranians. Schools were closed, businesses shut and people sent home self-quarantining. In the meantime, while urban life as we all knew it, was almost put on hold, there were still some people who were busy working. Not for money. But for kindness and compassion. Thousands of Iranians volunteered to help their fellow citizens and provided these services:

Production and distribution of face masks and other protective gears
Disinfection of public places and cars
Distribution of essential food supplies and cash handouts
Volunteering at hospitals and other medical facilities

Tehran’s Autism Charity distribute over 80,000 packs

Since the early days of the corona covid19 pandemic, the Shokoufeha Charity for children with autism, In one of the Tehran’s eastern neighborhoods halted most of its activities and instead had these volunteers prepare and distribute for free sanitary packages.

Behrouz Khosravan CEO of Shokoufeh Charity for Autistic Children said: “The Charity was founded in 2017. It has taken 70 kids under its wings, providing them with food parcels and medicine. 30 kids receive monthly pensions while we provide rehabilitation services to 45 kids at the charity’s central branch.”

Director of Shokoufeh Charity added: “The activities of the rehabilitation center were halted soon after the start of the outbreak. Therefore, our psychotherapists and occupational therapists provided families of the autistic kids with educational content online. We also prepared sanitary packages and distributed them among the families. We have managed to distribute over 80 thousand packs among supported families and across the city.”
Haniyeh Abbasi is social worker in Shokoufeh Charity for Autistic Children said: “In early February 2020, after the outbreak, the charity decided to prepare and distribute sanitary packages that include a face mask, gloves and a hand sanitizer gel among the needy to help lighten the load for hospital staff and officials alike. We hope the recipients of these packages can use them in good health. We also gave these packages to the families of autistic children under the charity’s protection since most of them are financially challenged. So we decided we could prepare these packages with the help of donors to lighten the load for them.”

Hanieh mention that: “After outbreak we started to reduce the number of the classes and instead offered online sessions. We also pay their families some cash handouts every month to help them with their medical and other daily expenses.”

Retired teacher who is member of Charity member also said: “Whoever has to deal with autistic children inevitably becomes kind and compassionate. Therefore, all these people here have been doing voluntary work without ever once complaining.”

The volunteer who took the corona

Firouzgar Hospital has been one of the main coronavirus treatment centers in Tehran, and also where Meysam Ameri was working voluntarily until he contracted the disease.
Meysam Ameri is a 35-year old graphic designer working out of his home studio in north of Tehran. Since the early days of the outbreak, He began his voluntary work by handing out free face masks and gloves in Tehran subway, and disinfecting the Grand Bazaar.
In early April 2020, he volunteered to help the fight against coronavirus at Firouzgar hospital where he finally contracted the disease 20 days later.

Meysam recounted his story of joining Firouzgar Hospital:
It was 25 of us, men and women, who joined the hospital as the first volunteer group. We had an agreement to take care of all the things left unfinished after receiving initial training. For a while, we only did office work and disinfected the exteriors until we gained the trust of the hospital staff, and were then allowed in the Coronavirus ward after receiving appropriate training.
Aside from carrying out duties like taking test samples to the lab, and taking the results back, and going with patients to get CT Scans, we – as caregivers- also helped the patients getting to, using the toilet or changing their diapers.
We would form emotional bonds with patients to make their hospital experience and their battle with the disease more bearable. We would also help patients video call their family members. Other creative things we would do include giving them haircuts and even massage! We would also make fresh fruit juice. It was a favorite with patients and the medical staff alike!
We were later received training for some more technical nursing tasks like taking blood pressure and body temperature, and reading a pulse oximeter that monitors oxygen levels in the patients’ blood.
About 80 other caregivers joined us in the meantime. Still anyone who desired could leave. So on my last day at the hospital, there were about 20 of us volunteers there.
One other interesting thing we did was to throw a surprise birthday party for one of the nurses whose wedding had been cancelled due to the pandemic. We also held a ceremony to celebrate the birthday of Imam Mahdi on Mid-Sha’ban. Just like our other expenses like the cost of gowns and face masks, the cost of holding the event was paid through donations.

Meysam told us the hospital work was heavy and stressful. He would start working after performing his prayers at dawn, and would not go to bed until well after midnight. He believes his extreme physical fatigue contributed to his disease: One night, after twenty something days at the hospital, I realized I had a temperature and I was breathing heavily. At first, I thought it was just fatigue from working long hours. I went to the emergency department and underwent a CT scan just to realize my lungs were affected. I stayed there for three days until I could breathe easier. Then I spent 20 more days at home self-quarantining.
Coughing was not one of the symptoms. Instead, the symptoms were a high fever, and severe muscle and chest pains. Three weeks after the quarantine, my breaths are still short and heavy.
But none of these pains hurt Meysam as much as the pain of not seeing his family, he mentioned: I could not see any of my family members for 45 days, from the night I was admitted to hospital to the last day of my quarantine. I have a 9-month old son and a 5-year old daughter. My son had started crawling and grown his first teeth when I got to meet him again. Separation from my wife, kids and parents was my toughest experience.

Tehran municipality and volunteer work in Corona pandemic

Tehran Municipality, with extensive coordination, provided the possibility of volunteer groups. Groups that produced and distributed masks and hygiene items, groups that disinfected places, and groups that distributed food packages to the needy were able to provide their services with the help of the Tehran Municipality.

Pirouz Hanachi Tehran Mayor during the visiting thousands of food packages prepared for the needy said: All donors, volunteers, Tehran municipality and Basij forces are working to create a database so that the process of distributing food and health packages could be done fairly.

Faezeh Dolati is cultural deputy of Tehran 7 district municipality mentioned:
The municipality of borough seven, as one of the twenty-two boroughs of Tehran, provides various services to the citizens such as:
⁃ holding entertainment activities like street carnivals in the neighborhoods. In this way, people by respecting social distance, can watch and enjoy from their homes.
⁃ Managing and coordinating voluntary services, for example We produced around 2 million face masks with participation of local volunteers.
⁃ Preparing and Distributing nonperishable food packages for impacted families in collaboration with local businesses In order to participating in social responsibility.
⁃ Transforming neighborhoods centers into covid-19 service centers for monitoring and screening to help health care system
⁃ and finally, identifying vulnerable people and those who lost their jobs due to Corona virus crisis while distributing health packages

Mehdi Shirzad headquarters office of organizing social participation in Tehran mucipality about about Tehran’ voluntary work during the lockdown said: Fairly speaking, they did absolutely great with the fight against the coronavirus outbreak, and with collecting donations. So did mosque Imams and all who do social work there. Youth volunteer groups also helped a lot in the neighborhoods. This proved that urban crisis management is almost impossible without citizens’ help. The municipality’s most important achievement was the creation of a platform to connect NGOs to volunteers. So citizens can upload their resumes on this platform and then join events organized by NGOs, or even hold their own charity events.

Tehran Volunteer group preparing 3500 hot meals every day

Mostafa Foroutan who is Heydaraneh Campaign Manager said:
A number of Volunteer groups joined forces and created the Heydaraneh movement to be able to produce more comprehensive work during the coronavirus outbreak. In the beginning, like many other groups, and since we didn’t know how to exactly combat the virus, we began our activities by disinfecting public places, and later produced and distributed face masks.
In the next phase, and on the recommendation of hospitals, we started making a gravy-like puree from quail meat extract and medicinal herbs.
The movement also managed to prepare and distribute about 4000 essential food parcels for needy families.
We also collected donations for those directly impacted by the outbreak.

Hossein Bolandimonfared director of volunteer group that preparing food said: During the coronavirus outbreak, with the help of other volunteer groups, we have been preparing 3500 high quality hot meals every day.
Making fresh fruit juice for hospitals is another thing our group has done. A supervisor from the health ministry would oversee the whole process 24/7 to make sure the product meets health standards.
I should stress that we received an unprecedented amount of volunteer help for the supply, preparation and distribution of the meals. The level of participation was much higher than during the 2019 floods and Kermanshah’s 2017 earthquake.
Iranians have proven to be people of hard times. While people in other parts of the world were forming long queues outside supermarkets, and even seen fighting, Iranians were standing in line for voluntary work. This is really valuable that people care about one another in this situation.

The 6 months after the coronavirus pandemic, about 360 thousand Iranians have contracted coronavirus, and seven thousands -unfortunately- lost their lives. The first wave of the covid-19 is now behind us.
We, the people of Tehran, have brought this malicious outbreak under control for now, well of course, with the help of the government and municipality. The exact numbers are still to be fully worked out, but estimates show over half a million Tehraners have offered some kind of voluntary service during the first wave of the outbreak.

Iran is speeding up efforts for development of the renewable energy sector as latest data show that electricity generation capacity from renewables has reached 841 megawatts (MW).

The Ministry of Energy said in a report that renewable power capacity in Iran had grown by five times since 2013, when the current government took office, reported Fars News Agency.

It said a total of 120-megawatt renewable power plants are active in Iran, including 55 solar farms that generate more than three terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity and 19 wind farms with around 2.6 TWh of capacity.

Total capacity from renewables, including hydroelectricity, biomass and thermal waste recycling, is expected to hit 1,000 MW by March, said the report.

Scientific studies suggest that Iran can increase electricity generation from renewables to 80,000 MW, of which around 80 percent can come from solar energy.

The Iranian government has defined a target of 4,000 MW for 2021 when its current term comes to an end. An umbrella development document stipulates that Iran should generate 5,000 MW of renewable power by March 2022.

Increase in renewable capacity can allow Iran to free up a significant amount of natural gas burnt in thermal power plants and feed it to export pipelines.

Government estimates show that power plants consumed around 62 billion cubic meters of natural gas over the past Iranian year, ending in March 2019. That is nearly three times the current amount of gas exported from Iran.

Lut Desert is a resort to sun-loving tourists coming to Iran among the other well-known natural sight-seeings favorite place for foreign tourists.

The Lut Desert, has been put on the United Nations list three years ago and is capable of flourishing as a major Iranian tourist resort.

Iran’s Lut Desert was registered on United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) natural heritage list in 2016 when the 40th meeting of the body was underway in Istanbul.

It was the first natural resorts of the country on the list where Iran already had other 19 cultural heritage sites. The stunning desert lies on the southeastern Iran, straddling the country’s three South Khorasan, Sistan-Baluchestan, and Kerman provinces.

Spanning an area of 22,780 square meters, Lut is comprised of dunes, yardangs, nabkhas, hammadas, and basaltic plateau, each with unique spectacular landscapes that rarely can be find in other parts of the world.

Director of Global Heritage of Lute Desert base in South Khorasan Province, Zahra Rezaei, told IRNA that some 10,000 foreign and local tourists visit the various sites of the desert, and the nearby villages.

Various research projects have been funded to be conducted on the flora and fauna, as well as geology of the Lut Desert, she said.

The ecotourism is one market for the region that can be promoted as a result of presenting the desert to the world. The Lut Desert embraces one of the hottest places in the world, Gandom Beryan. Due to the extreme weather and lack of water, the desert is almost desolate, and therefore, it has remained almost untapped.

To reach the desert, tourists have to travel along date palm gardens in Kerman Province, and pass through yardangs, a phenomenon that is created naturally by unidirectional strong winds, that foster the illusion of abandoned castle debris to the viewers.

They will also be lucky to visit the galleries of multi-decade-year-old qanats that have been used for transferring water from underground to the surface; the mind-boggling innovation of Iranians in the ancient time to efficiently manage the scarce sources of water in the heart of desert.

With development of ecotourism residences in the villages around the desert, Lut has become a main attraction for international tourists. Visitors, at the residences, will also enjoy a totally different environment with new tasty dishes specific to the Iranian desert region.

Lying down on the moving sands for hours into the night, gazing at the magnificent view of the desert night sky dotted by stars is another joy that tourists can experience over their stay in Lut Desert.

Also:
Lut Desert
Dasht-e Lut Desert, Iran

IRAN: LUT DESERT
desert stars and solitude

Video on Youtube

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake hits the Iranian city of Malard in Tehran province.

According to the Seismological Center of the Institute of Geophysics of Tehran University, the quake hit on Wednesday at 23:27 local time (1957 GMT) at a depth of seven kilometers on the border of Tehran and Alborz provinces.

The epicenter of the tremor was located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of the capital.

The head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society said one person was injured in Malard.

The quake was also felt in the cities of Karaj, Qom, Qazvin and Arak.

“We are asking people to stay calm as the traffic itself could create problems,” the Iranian Red Crescent’s Mortza Redmare said during a televised interview.

The quake resulted in minor panic in Tehran province, prompting people to take to the streets and public places.

This comes as Iran is still reeling from a magnitude 7.1 earthquake, its deadliest in over a decade, which hit the western province of Kermanshah on November 11, killing more than 500 people and causing extensive material damage there.

Iran Paragliding championships starts with 120 participant in Veis Qarni paragliding site near Kermanshah.

About Kermanshah
The city of Kermanshah is the capital of Kermanshah Province, located in the western part of Iran. Kermanshah is the largest and central city in the west with a population about one million people. Kermanshah developed in the 4th century AD under the patronage of the Sassanid. The city is situated on the foothills of the Zagros mountain range, 525 km south-west of Tehran. It has many natural and historical sightseeing in the city and the towns around. The city enjoys a temperate climate and regular seasons. The people of Kermanshah are warm and friendly. The languages spoken by the people are Kurdish and Farsi. The beautiful nature, together with its people’s dialects and their spiritual and religious characters make the province substantially unique in the region. Kermanshah has a rich history of culture and civilization, possessing monuments illustrating its people’s values for life and humanity throughout historic and prehistoric periods.

The celebration of feast of Blessing of Grapes and Assumption of Mary was held on in Saint Sarkis Cathedral in Tehran.

The construction of St. Sarkis Church in Tehran began from 1964 and was complete by 1970. The church was built by Sarkisian brothers in memory of their parents.

At beginning the Tehran prelacy was located at conjunction of St. Mother Mary Church in central Tehran. In the early 1960s it was decided to change the site of the prelacy offices into new location. So therefore the bishop and committee members of the time requested to an Armenian benefactor Markar Sarkissian to help them in this cause. So the committee bought the land located at end of Villa Street (now called Nejatollahi Street). In 2006 Mr. Hrair Hagopian renovated the baptism pool and the church in memory of his beloved wife Vartoohi Davidian.

Armenians in Iran

Armenians can be found in almost every major city of Iran, engaged in a variety of professions and occupations, as university professors, physicians, high-school teachers, businessmen, engineers, skilled workers, truck drivers, artists, technicians, artisans, professional athletes, etc. Their traditional centers of Azerbaijan and Isfahan (since the 11th/17th century) have been overshadowed in recent years by the tremendous growth of the Armenian population in Tehran, where more than 66 percent of the entire community (estimated at 270,000 in 1977, see Nyrop, Iran, p. 152) resided in 1345 Š./1966 (Firoozi, The Population of Iran, p. 346). Three prelates with jurisdiction over the three district areas of Azerbaijan, Isfahan (including southern Iran and India), and

Tehran (including Qazvīn, Rašt, Mašhad, Bandar-e Anzalī, Hamadān, Arāk, and Kermānšāh) head the community. They are subject to the catholicos of Cilicia in Lebanon who nominates three candidates for each prelate post out of which one candidate is elected by the assembly of local representatives; then the elected prelate is officially appointed as such by the catholicos (Rāʾīn, Īrānīān-e Armanī, pp. 61-62). The Iranian community traditionally acknowledged the jurisdiction of the catholicos of Echmiadzin (Vałaršapat, the ancient capital of Armenia, now in Soviet Armenia) until the 1950s, when for political reasons he was replaced by the catholicos of Lebanon. This led to a split in the Armenian community, since a large number continued to follow the catholicos of Echmiadzin, who refused to relinquish the jurisdictional claim of his church over the entire Iranian community (Nyrop, Iran, p. 135).

Borujerd – A number of Iranian ninja women are training in a jungle in western province of Lorestan.

About Lorestan

Lorestān, also spelled Luristan, geographic and historic region, western Iran. Its name means Land of the Lurs and it extends from the Iraqi frontier and Kermānshāh and separates the Khūzestān lowland from interior uplands.

Extensive mountains stretch northwest–southeast; between the higher ranges are well-watered pockets with lush pastures. Oak forest covers the outer slopes, together with elm, maple, walnut, and almond trees. The Lurs are of aboriginal stock with strong Iranian and Arab admixtures, speak a Persian dialect, and are Shīʿite Muslims. Under the Pahlavis the Lurs were settled, and only a few retain their pastoral nomadism. Lorestān was inhabited by Iranian Indo-European peoples, including the Medes, c. 1000 bce. Cimmerians and Scythians intermittently ruled the region from about 700 to 625 bce. The Luristan Bronzes, noted for their eclectic array of Assyrian, Babylonian, and Iranian artistic motifs, date from this turbulent period. The bronzes were found mainly in tombs near Kermānshāh. Cyaxares, ruler of the Medes, drove out the Scythians in about 620 bce. Under Cyrus the Great, Lorestān was incorporated into the growing Achaemenid Empire in about 540 bce and successively was part of the Seleucid, Parthian, and Sāsānid dynasties.

Little Lorestān, the northern part, was governed by independent princes of the Khorshīdī dynasty, called atabegs, from 1155 to the beginning of the 17th century, when the last atabeg, Shāh Vardī Khān, was removed by the Ṣafavid ʿAbbās I the Great and government of the territory was given to the chief of a rival tribe, with the title of vālī; his descendants retained the title.

The southern part of Lorestān, or Great Lorestān, was independent under the Faḍlawayh (Fazlaveye) atabegs from 1160 until 1424; its capital was Idaj, now only mounds and ruins at Malamir (modern Izeh).

Lorestān proper stretches between the Dez valley (used by the Trans-Iranian Railway) and the Upper Karkheh River and northward toward Nehāvend. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy; crops include rice, wheat, barley, cotton, oilseeds, sugar beets, vegetables, and fruits. Industries produce cement, sugar, processed foods, carded wool, and ginned cotton. Iron ore and molybdenum are mined. Roads and railways link Khorramābād with Borūjerd and Alīgūdarz./ https://www.britannica.com/place/Lorestan