KARACHI: A three-day Iranian cultural exhibition began at the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi’s Ahmed Pervaiz Gallery on Tuesday evening to mark the 42nd anniversary of the Iranian Revolution.

The three-day event is being organised by Khana-i-Farhang, the Iranian cultural centre, in collaboration with the Arts Council.

Giving details of the event to Dawn, the public relations officer at the centre, Najmuddin Mousavi said, “Every year Khana-i-Farhang holds cultural events such as programmes on literature and art. This particular event that opens today contains an exhibition and screening of films. It will continue for three days.

“The exhibition has on view photos, handicrafts and books on art and tourism. As far as the films are concerned, we have selected some new movies. So they don’t include the known film-makers such as Majid Majidi’s films. They will be shown in the auditorium,” he said.

Khana-i-Farhang has organised a three-day event in which Iranian films will also be screened

Despite the fact that there aren’t a very large number of exhibits on display, moving around the venue reveals how rich Iranian culture is. There are delightful images adorning the walls of the gallery of picturesque places in Iran; and on one side of the wall, calligraphic work can also be seen.

The books tastefully placed on tables are both thought-provoking and informative. For example, one titled Maan (Mother) by Syeda Azam Husaini, translated into Urdu by Mohammad Bashir Aalmi, is a first-hand account of a woman who lost her dear ones during the Iran-Iraq war. Then there’s Nature of Iran by Bijan F. Dareshoori and N. Kasraian which people who like to travel will find quite interesting.

Inaugurating the exhibition and speaking to the media, the Consul-General of Iran, Ahmed Muhammadi, briefly talked about the art created in Iran. He also invited his Pakistani brethren to visit his country so that they could experience Iranian culture.

Director general of Khana-i-Farhang Bahram Kian said Pakistan and Iran shared a lot of values and cultural aspects.

Arts Council president Ahmed Shah said Iranian civilisation was one of the greatest civilisations of the world.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2021