The Week of Islamic Revolution Arts, a cultural event organized by the Art Bureau, opened during a special ceremony in Tehran on Saturday.

Two photo exhibits were inaugurated at the Iranian Photographers Center (IPC), an affiliate of the bureau, as part of the event.

A big model of the book “The Revolution’s Art” written by Morteza Gudarzi-Dibaj on the history of art after the victory of Islamic Revolution was unveiled at the ceremony. The book is scheduled to be published by the bureau in the near future.

“A collection of about 1,000 artworks have been selected and studied in this book, reviewing the reasons behind the formation of the art of revolution,” Gudarzi-Dibaj told the participants.

The ceremony was followed by tributes paid to 11 artists of the art bureau who were honored in various national festivals over the past year.

The busts of poet Qeisar Aminpur (1958-2007) and scholar and Quran translator Tahereh Saffarzadeh (1936-2008) made by sculptor Ali-Asghar Yuzbashi and Malek Dadyar Garusian were also unveiled at the ceremony.

In addition, an exhibition displaying the treasure trove of the bureau including paintings, graphic designs, calligraphy works, sculptures and miniatures with the central theme of Islamic Revolution was opened.

An exhibition of cartoons by Masud Shojaei Tabatabai is also underway in the Abofazl Aali Gallery of the bureau. / Tehran times /

The first motorcycle stunt riding event of 2016 was held on Iran’s Persian Gulf island of Kish, marking the first such event held in the free trade zone.

The event called “Top Rider” had over a dozen motorbike stunt riders showing off their skills to crowds of locals and tourists alike in the past couple of days, Mehr News Agency reported.

During the event, activities such as track racing and death-defying jumps were performed by Iranian professional bikers. Bikes used during the event included Kizashi and KTM, to name a few.

In one scene, a motorbike went head to head with a mock police car evading capture by doing stunts around the mock patrol car.

The event was recorded by video-enabled drones and broadcast on large outdoor screen.

Iran’s free zones, especially Kish, are making efforts to broaden their appeal to tourists as part of the latest economic plans laid out by the administration of President Hassan Rouhani. /financialtribune.com/

Within the 13-day Noruz holidays (March 20-April 1), 1,331 multiple births, including 628 twins and 25 triplets were reported nationwide, an official with the Civil Registration Organization said.

The most multiple births happened in Tehran with 217 infants, including 107 twins and one triplet, Fars News Agency quoted Ali-Akbar Mahzoon as saying.

He went on to say that, 40,945 births were registered during the same period.

Tehran, Khorasan Razavi, and Khuzestan provinces with 5,074, 4,092, and 3,129 births held the first three places over other provinces in Iran respectively, he added.  / Tehran times /

Iran will take part at the World Schools Futsal Championship which will be held in Zagreb, Croatia.

East Azerbaijan will represent Iran in the tournament.

Iran has been drawn in Group D along with Croatia B, France, Belgium, Kosovo and Cyprus.

A total of 24 teams are divided into four groups of six teams. / tehran times /

Iran Volleyball Federation has officially appointed Majda Leban Cicic as new head coach of the women volleyball team.

The Slovenian coach has penned a one-year contract with the Iranian federation.

She had reached an agreement with Iran in February.

Cicic will coach Iran volleyball team in the 2016 AVC Cup for Women which will be held in Vinh Phuc, Vietnam, from September 14 to 20.

“I am very happy to be here. It’s the first time I am in Asia. I want to help the Iranian girls develop, that’s why I am here,” Majda had already said. / Tehran times  /

President Hassan Rouhani praised Hamidreza Gongozehi, a teacher who lost his life to save three students.

On Sunday, Gongozehi who worked at a school in Khash village, southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province, throw himself under an unstable wall which was about to fall down to save three of his students.

“The memory of Hamidreza Gongozehi, a teacher who taught us all bravery and dedication by sacrificing himself would be eternal,” Rouhani wrote on his tweeter account on Monday.

Recent rainfalls had made the wall to start to crumble away and on the day of the incident the wind speeded the process and the wall finally collapsed.

He succeeded to save the students but sadly he himself lost his life under the debris of the wall.

/ Tehran times /

The vice president in women and family affairs, Shahindokht Molaverdi, here on Monday put emphasis on utilizing women’s capacities in implementing and promoting resistance economy.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an official decree in February 2014 called on the government to secure the utilization of the country’s resources, struggle to promote a knowledge-based economy, take efforts to increase energy consumption efficiency and boost domestic production as the requirements for the materialization of the resistance economy.

The department of women and family affairs has made immediate efforts in solving urgent problems of women in the previous years, Molaverdi said, adding, “several agreements have been signed in this regard.”

“We hope that the current year (1395, beginning March 20), to be the year of fulfilling the promised cooperation between the department and other executive organizations,” she added.

We also hope for achieving outstanding goals in empowering women and children this year and the coming year, the vice president noted. / tehran times /

Iranian artist, Ramin Shirdel is preparing to partake in the 7th edition of Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial, slated for April 6 to June 6.

An artist who utilizes words as a base for his works, Shirdel was invited to participate in a sub-section of the event, showcasing his art in a solo exhibit, Honaronline reports.

“The solo shows are designed to elevate the level of the biennial and also cover contemporary artworks. That is why organizers invited many artists working with different materials and styles to attend,” Shirdel said.

Shirdel will show his works along with artists including Richard Niessen from the Netherlands, El Seed from France, Ian Burns from United States, Abdulrahman Nugamshi from Saudi Arabia and others from South Africa, Egypt, Poland, United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, China, Lebanon and Finland.

In the artist’s words, “a dream, an image, a poem, a lyric, a landscape or a dialogue” in everyday life can spark his imagination. Such inspirations, combined with formal considerations of space, merge into an individualized style that takes into account the simultaneity of lived experiences that the artist renders through his mixed media artworks. “Working in assemblage creates a sense of dimensionality that alludes to built forms while allowing signifiers of language to come alive as tangible signs.”

Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial in the UAE is seen as one of the important events in the region. It aims at revealing the power of the letter in bringing cultures together. It is an art that reflects the spirit of the place and the existence.

The event is a celebration of Arabic calligraphy and its creators, and aims to make the world realize the beauty and authenticity of the Arabic letter. It introduces the features of Islamic civilization, as it is a major form of artistic expression in Islamic cultures, especially and particularly in religious contexts.

Born in Tehran, Shirdel, 34, holds a master’s degree in architecture from University of Tehran. He is a multi-disciplinary artist who works in different mediums of art. He is also an award-winning architect who has designed several local and international projects.

His art has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions at local galleries in Tehran. His works are housed in private collections throughout the Middle East, Europe and the United States.

/financialtribune.com/