Iran officials to mark "Mashhad Cultural Capital"

A number of Iranian officials and foreign guests have been scheduled to take part in a ceremony marking Mashhad as the Islamic Culture Capital for 2017.

A large number of senior officials from Iran will be in the Iranian holy city of Mashhad on January 24 for the event, beginning at 9am local time (0530 GMT) at the mausoleum of Imam Reza (AS), said Hamid Gholami, an official with the organizing committee.

The event starts with recitation of verses from the Holy Quran by internationally-acclaimed Iranian Qari Hamed Shakernejad,  the official also said.

The ceremony includes the unveiling of an exquisite copy of the Quran and a special poster dedicated to renowned Iranian, Qari Mohsen Hajihassani Kargar, who died in a crush of pilgrims in Mina, Saudi Arabia, during the 2015 Hajj event.

The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) Deputy Director General Amina al-Hajri will also be present at the ceremony.

Mashhad was selected as the Cultural Capital of the Muslim World for 2017 during the 7th conference of the ISESCO member states in the Algerian capital city of Algiers in 2007.

Every year, Mashhad hosts over 27 million Iranian and some two million foreign pilgrims in the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS).

The ISESCO is a specialized institution of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the fields of Education, Science and Culture.

AI/AG