Iranian Cultural Heritage News Agency, Iran
April 15 2006

Caspian Sea Neighbors to Study Norouz

Scholars from 10 countries will discuss Norouz and common culture
during Caspian Sea Common Cultural Heritage Festival which is to
start work today.

Tehran, 15 April 2006 (CHN) — 32 Iranian and foreign scholars will
give presentations on `the state of Norouz in Iran and neighboring
countries’ during the Caspian Sea Common Cultural Heritage Festival
held in the Iranian northern province of Mazandaran from 15-19 April
2006.

`During this festival, papers submitted by scholars from 10
participant countries with a focus on Norouz, common folkloric
culture and art including music, architecture, and handicrafts will
be analyzed,’ said Delavar Bozorgnia, Director of Cultural Heritage
and Tourism Organization of Mazandaran Province. He further added
that 68 papers from Iranian and 32 from foreign scholars had been
submitted to this festival before the deadline.

Pointing to the fact that this festival has been largely welcomed by
domestic and foreign intellectuals, Bozorgnia added, `Among the
prominent participants are head of Iran-French Research Institute,
President of Armenia’s College of Eastern Studies, head of National
Museum of Armenia, two outstanding Ironologists from the Republic of
Azerbaijan, Iran’s master of literature Dr. Mir-jalaleddin Kazazi
along with a number of other Iranian and foreign scholars.’

`Topics covered by these scholars include Norouz in Iran’s Neighbor
countries especially Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan, and
also similarities in the visual art and common traditional musical
instruments particular of these countries, commonalities in
handicrafts and architectural styles of Iran, Uzbekistan and Turkey,
and many more,’ said Bozorgnia about the papers which will be
presented during this festival.

The first round of the International Festival of the Common Heritage
of Caspian Sea Regional Countries will start its work today in the
city of Sari and will end on 19 April 2006.