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University professor calls for joint Iran-Armenia cultural center
1394/02/24-10:52
Head of the department of Armenian language and literature at Tehran Azad University says Iran and Armenia would rather establish a joint center for mutual cultural exchanges.
Andranik Simoni made the call in a panel discussion on the existing cultural commonalities between the two neighbors that was held on the sidelines of the 28th Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF).
Early in the meeting, the university professor gave a brief history of publication in Armenia, saying a span of time from 1405 to 1460 A.D. is considered a golden time for Armenian literature.
According to the university professor a first book in Armenia was published in 1512 who added that that Armenia’s history of publication was addressed in a book, titled ‘500 years of print industry in Armenia.’
As for linguistic commonalities between the two nations, Simoni said Persian and Armenian have over 1400 general terms and up to 300 proper names in common with 570 Persian terms or proper names still in use in Armenia.
In the same vein, the linguistic department chief said many prefixes expressing negation in the Armenian language have been adopted from the middle Iranian language of Pahlavi.
The university professor said the Iranian culture covers a vast expanse in the region, stretching from Ural Lake at north to Yemen at south and from Nile River at west to Gang River at east. Simoni regretted however that meager works were made to study the cultural commonalities among the nations which live inside the vast land.
The university professor suggested the shortfall be mended by a cultural center, mandated by the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
“Iranians have already given a cultural loan to other nations in the course of history. Now is the time to take back the loan,” the professor maintained.
The 28th Tehran International Book Fair started work in Tehran on May 6 under the motto of ‘reading as talking to the world.’ It runs until May 16.
