Work to restore Jundi Shapur University, an ancient academy in the southwestern city of Dezful, has begun, ISNA reported on Wednesday.

Jundi Shapur, also spelled as Gundi Shapur, was one of the world’s birthplaces of knowledge and wisdom, which is a source of national pride and enthusiasm for Iranians. Sources say that Dezful was an intellectual center of the Sassanid Empire (224–651), which offered education and training in medicine, philosophy, theology, and science.

The university was home to a teaching hospital and also comprised a library and a center of higher learning. It has been identified with extensive ruins south of Shahabad, a village 14 km southeast of Dezful, to the road for Shush, in the present-day Khuzestan province.

The town fell into decline after the Muslim conquest of Persia (633–654), the city surrendering in 638, however, it continued to remain an important center in the Muslim period. Yaqub Layth Saffari, the founder of the Saffarid dynasty, made Jundi Shapur his residence three years before his sudden death. His tomb became one of the most prominent sites in the city. /T.T/

A workshop on agritourism is planned to be held in Pakdasht, near the Iranian capital, on the occasion of the national tourism week (September 27-October 3), Pakdasht’s tourism chief has said.

As part of the workshop, Pakdasht will be promoted as a regional agritourism center, and ways of opening more tourism farms will be discussed, Asadollah Tajik explained on Thursday.

Boosting agritourism could lead to economic prosperity for the rural areas, the official added.

Agritourism is a relatively new branch of the travel industry in which tourists stay with locals in rural areas. Farm/ranch recreation refers to activities conducted on private agricultural lands, which might include fee-hunting and fishing, overnight stays, educational activities, etc.

Agritourism and nature-tourism enterprises might include outdoor recreation (fishing, hunting, wildlife study, horseback riding), educational experiences (cannery tours, cooking classes, or tea or coffee tasting), entertainment (harvest festivals or barn dances), hospitality services (farm stays, guided tours, or outfitter services), and on-farm direct sales (u-pick operations or roadside stands).

Agritourism is a subset of a larger industry called rural tourism that includes resorts, off-site farmers’ markets, non-profit agricultural tours, and other leisure and hospitality businesses that attract visitors to the countryside.

Rural tourism is said to differ from agritourism in some ways. For instance, rural tourism enterprises do not necessarily occur on a farm or ranch, or at an agricultural plant. They do not generate supplemental income for the agricultural enterprise.

To cite an example, we could refer to saffron farms in northeast Iran that are going to fame as a new destination for agritourism. Iranian Saffron is known as the “red gold”, saffron is a magical ingredient in Persian culture, from aromatic foods and colorful desserts to physical and spiritual medicine.

Experts believe that agritourism pays special attention to the production sector, saying “For this reason, agricultural tourism is much more important and practical than other branches of tourism because it creates a new chain and diversity in the field of production and services.” /T.T/

Iranian short drama “Graveyard” was selected as best short at the 25th Religion Today Film Festival, the organizers announced in the Italian city of Trento on Sunday.

Directed by Ali Darai, this film is about one of the common topics, which has been spreading in Iran. It represents a story of a young mother who has lost her baby due to negligence. Furthermore, since the presence of the father is required to obtain burial permission in Iran, the young mother is striving to find her missing husband and, with the passage of time, she becomes more involved in a plethora of serious issues.

A jury comprising Iranian director Narges Abyar, Tsengel Davaasambuu from Mongolia, Micheal Madison from the USA, Patrizia Morgante from Italy and Godfrey Omodorion from Nigeria selected the winners in different categories.

“Darkling” by Serbian director Dusan Milic won the grand prize and the award for best feature film.

In this film, a letter written by a girl from Kosovo, dedicated to her missing father, is read at the United Nations, in which she publicly addresses the difficult life of the Serbs, especially those Serb children living in the enclaves.

The award for best documentary went to “Nascondino” (“Hide and Seek”) by the Italian filmmaker Victoria Fiore.

The film follows four years in the life of “Scugnizzo” street kid Entoni and his grandmother Dora among the narrow streets of contemporary Naples during a critical state crackdown on families of organized crime. As a balancing act between freedom and personal responsibility, they must weave for themselves a complex web of dreams and untruths to survive.

“Into Belief” by DJ Furth from China was named best short documentary.

It is a visually rich and sonically immersive documentary about the unique spiritual fabric and identity of southern Siberia — a vast region where shamanism, Orthodox Christianity and Tibetan Buddhism coexist in a singular fashion. The film is guided by the narration of local spiritual figures and laypeople as they explain their perspectives on faith, purpose and their close relationship with the beautiful but harsh natural environment./T.T/

Iran ranks fourth worldwide in the production of science in the field of traditional medicine, and the remarkable achievement will improve in the coming years, Nafiseh Hosseini Yekta, the director of the health ministry’s Persian medicine office, has announced.

Over 17,000 books have so far been published about Persian traditional medicine, which has been recognized by the World Health Organization, she noted.

She went on to say that there are twelve departments and eight faculties in the field of Iranian traditional medicine at the universities of medical sciences, where 400 people have so far graduated.

There are 11 climates in the world and 2,300 medicinal species in Iran, which can be used in the field of health tourism and nature therapy by using the knowledge of traditional Iranian medicine and improving education.

The revenue of health tourism in the world is about $200 billion, we can be competitive with other countries in this field at the international level, considering the high capacities of medicinal plants and traditional medicine, Diako Abbasi, head of health tourism organization said.

Prioritizing health maintenance

Iranian traditional medicine strongly focuses on prioritizing health maintenance and disease prevention over treatment.

It is one of the most ancient forms of traditional medicine. It is grounded in the concept of four senses of humor: phlegm (Balgham), blood (Dam), yellow bile (Safra’), and black bile (Sauda’). The concept of the four senses of humor is based on the teachings of Rhazes and Avicenna in an elaborate medical system.

So far, about 30,000 plant species have been identified in the world, with Iran’s share of about 8,000 species which is more than the whole of species found in Europe.

Currently, about 2,300 species of medicinal plants have been identified in the country, accounting for one-third of the medicines used in human societies, the share of world trade in these products is about $124 billion and Iran’s share is $570 million, which is only 0.5 percent of the total.

The per capita consumption of medicinal plants in Iran is about one kilogram of dried plants, in other words, 83,000 tons of medicinal plants worth 1.2 trillion rials (around $4 million) are consumed in the country, while in Europe this amount is 900 grams and in the United States is 2.5 kilograms. /T.T/

The 7,000-year-old Qoli Darvish Hill, which is situated in Qom province, is planned to be turned into an outdoor museum, the provincial tourism chief has said.

However, to turn the archaeological hill into a museum site, a proper budget is required, IRNA quoted Alireza Arjmandi as saying on Tuesday.

It is hoped that the funding will be raised and attracted phase by phase, the official added.

So far a proper budget has not been allocated for Qoli Darvish Hill, which is believed to be as important as Persepolis in Fars province, he noted.

By attracting the necessary funds, the archaeological hill will be introduced to the people of Iran and the world, he mentioned.

Dating back to the Iron Age, the hill is located southwest of the city of Qom. Archeological excavations, which began in 2002, showed that Qoli Darvish dates back six to seven thousand years ago.

The hill covers the land as big as 50 hectares. The discovery of historical elements of an ancient temple from the Bronze Age to the end of the Iron Age led to conclusions about the social classes and further anthropological research about those periods of history.

In recent years, domestic and foreign tourists can visit the ancient hill, which was inscribed on the National Heritage list in 2003.

Iron Age is the final technological and cultural stage in the Stone –Bronze– Iron Age sequence. The date of the full Iron Age, in which this metal, for the most part, replaced bronze in implements and weapons, varied geographically, beginning in West Asia and southeastern Europe about 1200 BC but in China not until about 600 BC, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Although in West Asia iron had limited use as a scarce and precious metal as early as 3,000 BC, there is no indication that people at that time recognized its superior qualities over those of bronze.

The country’s second-holiest city after Mashhad, Qom, is home to both the magnificent shrine of Hazrat-e Masumeh (SA) and the major religious madrasas (schools).

Apart from sightseers and pilgrims who visit Qom to pay homage to the holy shrine, the city is also a top destination for Shiite scholars and students who come from across the world to learn Islamic studies at its madrasas and browse through eminent religious bookshops.

The city’s antiquity goes back to the Sassanid era (224 CE–651) and several historical mosques, mansions and natural sceneries have been scattered across the city as well as towns and villages nearby. /T.T/

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has announced that Venezuela will manufacture four models of Iranian vehicles.

The Venezuelan President made the remarks at the Industrial Scientific and Technological Expofair Iran-Venezuela, adding that “these are vehicles that will allow economic savings for the population, vehicles with 7 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers and will be sold between 12 and 16 dollars.”

“Venezuela will assemble four models of Iranian vehicles in the country through the company Veniranuto,” he stated, according to the Europa Press news agency.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he said that “medical equipment for hemodialysis developed with 100% Iranian technology will arrive in Venezuela in the coming months.”

The exhibition kicked off this Thursday and will be open to the public until next Monday, September 19.

The event will be open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and different business roundtables will be held for Iranian and Venezuelan companies, with the aim of expanding trade relations between Venezuela and Iran. /MNA/

Iran and Qatar agreed to establish a joint transport office in order to develop transport ties in maritime, aviation, and transit sectors and to follow up on the removal of barriers.

Qatari Minister of Transport and Communications, Jassim bin Saif bin Ahmed Al Sulaiti, at the head of a delegation met with Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development in Tehran.

In the meeting, Iran and Qatar transport ministers agreed to establish a joint transport office in order to develop transport ties in maritime, aviation, and transit sectors and to follow up on the removal of barriers.

The two sides further discussed cooperation during the World Cup and the facilitation of Iranians’ residence during the event.

The representative of the Iran Ministry of Sport and Youth informed of the allocation of 7500 tickets on the part of Qatar to Iran for each match at the World Cup.

Iran’s exports from Bushehr and Deyr Ports to Qatar Ports have had a 20 percent increase during the first 6 months of the year, officials mentioned.

Previously, during the meeting of Iran and Qatar Ministers of transport in Kish Island on 10 and 11 April, the minutes of joint cooperation in six areas were signed between Iran and Qatar./MNA/

Iranian film ‘World War III’ by Houman Seyyedi has been chosen to represent Iranian cinema at the 2023 Oscars.

The members of the Iranian film committee picked out the film “World War III” as the representative of Iranian cinema at the 95th Academy Awards.

‘World War III’ is a 2022 Iranian thriller drama film co-written, directed, produced, and edited by Houman Seyyedi. The film stars Mohsen Tanabandeh, Mahsa Hejazi, Neda Jebraeili and Navid Nosrati.

Iranian film ‘World War III’ won two awards at the Orizzonti (Horizons) section of the 79th Venice International Film Festival in Italy.

The film is about Shakib, played by Mohsen Tanabandeh, a homeless day labourer who lost his wife and son in an earthquake and who now seeks comfort in the presence and service of Ladan (Mahsa Hejazi), a deaf girl. Shakib finds work as a builder on a construction site which is actually the set of a film about the atrocities committed by Hitler. /MNA/

The Chairman of Iran-China Joint Chamber of Commerce said that Islamic Republic of Iran will become the transit gateway of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Majidreza Hariri made the comments in an interview with Iranian media on Sunday afternoon and stated that the geographical location of Iran lays the ground for considering Iran as a western gate of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and can be a transit route connecting member countries of the Organization.

Stating that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was established with the military and security goals, he put the current number of its members at eight.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Hariri pointed to the trade relations of the member countries of SCO, and noted that Russia and China do their trade exchanges with their national currency, so that Iran can take advantage of this method and opportunity, because, this Organization provides a lot of potentials to create opportunities for cooperation.

India and China are recognized as highly energy-consuming countries, and Iran and Russia possess the largest fossil fuel reserves which will make energy transactions easier by establishing cooperation through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Hariri emphasized.

In addition, Russia and China have bilateral exchanges with each other, which provides the basis for the development of relations between the member countries, the Chairman of Iran-China Joint Chamber of Commerce added. /MNA/

Iranian freestyle wrestler Rahman Amouzad defeated American opponent John Diakomihalis to win gold medal in the final match of weight of 65kg in 2022 World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade of Serbia on Sunday evening.

Rahman Amouzad, in category weight of 65 kg, defeated his American opponent 13-8 in the final match of the 2022 World Wrestling Championships.

Yesterday, Amouzad defeated Jun Suk Yun from South Korea 8-1 in the first round of the competition and then he defeated Ismail Musukaev from Hungary 6-0.

In the semi-final match, Iranian freestyle wrestler Amouzad defeated Haji Aliyev from the Republic of Azerbaijan 9-2 and went to the final.

Last night, Kamran Ghassempour won the first gold medal in the caravan of Iranian wrestling team.

Iran became vice-champion in 2022 World Freestyle Wrestling Championships.

MNA/