Arafat al-Ashiqin va Arasat al-Arifin is written in Farsi and contains the biographies of about 3,500 poets from Afghanistan, Iran and the Indian subcontinent. There are a number of manuscripts of the same work. The manuscript that is inscribed on the AsiaPacific Memory of the World Register is the earliest known and was written during the lifetime of the author, Taqi alDin Muhammad Owḥadī Husseini Daqāqī Balīyānī who lived from 1565-1630 AD. It is this manuscript that is used as the source for further reproductions. A reproduction with an extensive introduction by Dr. Katayoon Mazdapour is currently in print.

The author travelled to many different regions to collect information on the poets and the manuscript documents the famous poets of each period. It is an important source for understanding the evolution of Persian poetry in Iran, the Indian subcontinent and Pakistan especially at the time of the Safavids in Iran and the Gurkani kings of India. It also demonstrates the wide spread use and influence of Farsi in the Middle East. The manuscript is written in Nasta’ligh style with four straight columns and one column at 45 degrees (chalipa). It consists of 608 folios with 23 lines on each page. The paper is made of termeh and the manuscript cover is tanned ewe skin engraved by burning. The titles and marks are red.

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Avesta is the overall name given to Iranians most ancient collection of writings and composition. It is an Iranian encyclopedia and the holy scripture for followers of Zarathustra. Zoroastrians are spread throughout Iran and India. This book has survived for three millennia. The copy is the oldest, dated and the most complete copy of this text in the world and includes Vendidad, Visperad and Yasna. This edition was scribed in Yazd in the 1607 C.E. Given the fact that neither Avestan nor Pahlavi script is in current use, and the fact that the surviving texts in these languages are very rare, the present text is very important from the standpoint of linguistics and writing system research.

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As one of the most important scientific documentaries, The Soul of the Reef, with its good rhythm and precise audio/video synchronization, has a poetic look at the reefs. Without any narrations, the documentary makes all its viewers emotionally attached to the life of the reefs and worried about the factors threatening their lives. Enacting a law that forbids any damages to the reefs and using it for informing people of the region’s countries about the importance of the reefs are among the achievements of this documentary. In terms of theme and style, the documentary has won many national and international awards.

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The “collection of documents and images of Karbala”, is a compilation of authentic and diverse documents, which includes official reports and documents obtained from the Qajar Dynasty (Iran), the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) and the eras of monarchical and republic regimes in Iraq. This collection covers a time span of 1413-1777 AH i.e. 1191-1992 AD. Karbala is an important and historical city in Mesopotamia.

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The Al-Masaalik Wa Al-Mamaalik, Istakhri’s invaluable work, is one of the most important geographical books from the 4th century AH/10 CE, which presents an accurate description of the then socio-economic, cultural and political conditions of the Islamic lands –from India to Africa- supplemented by maps. The oldest known manuscript of Al-Masaalik, in its Arabic original, is kept at the Gotha library and, its oldest Persian translation, at Iran’s National Museum.

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