Iran International Quran Expo begins today

Hyderabad: For the first time in Hyderabad, an International Quran Exhibition is being organised by the Consulate of Iran in Hyderabad, in collaboration with different literary and cultural organisations. The expo will be inaugurated by TS Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali at Salarjung Museum on Saturday.

Addressing a Press Conference at Media Plus Auditorium in Hyderabad on Friday afternoon, Deputy Minister of Culture & Islamic Guidance, Government of Iran, Prof Dr Abdul Hadi Fiqhizadeh announced that the exhibition would be held from June 22 to 24 at Salarjung Museum (Western Block Auditorium) from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm.

Agha Mahdi Mahdavipour, the representative of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatullah al Uzam Khamenei in India and Director of Salarjung Museum Dr Nagendar Reddy were also present on this occasion. "The exhibition will feature more than 100 masterpieces of Irani caligraphy of verses of Quran, including more than 1,400-year-old rare manuscript by Hazrath Ali and the grandson of Prophet Muhammed Hazrath Imam Hassan," said Dr Fiqhizadeh.

"The promotion and spreading the teachings of the Holy Quran have created a great unity among all the schools of Islamic taught living in Iran and also helped in combating vices and spreading the good and noble traits and manners among the masses of the country", said the Deputy Minister of Iran.

Highlighting the contribution of Iran, Consul General in Hyderabad Muhammed Haqbin Ghomi, Consul General of Iran said "The Islamic Republic of Iran now can be considered as the world centre for the translations and commentary of the Holy Quran.

From 1979 to 2019, the translation of the Holy Quran in 132 world languages have been accomplished and published in Iran. More than 30 crore (300 million) copies of the Holy Quran were published and distributed in Iran. The Holy Quran is 'the largest selling book in Iran,' along with its translations in different languages along with its exegeses (commentaries).

Iran has published 10,462 new books in 2018, of which 1,188 books were related to the Quranic sciences. During the last forty years, after the Islamic revolution 588 Tafasir (commentaries) and translations of the Holy Quran in 311 different world languages were published, while 16,467 scientific and scholarly journals were published. These include 275 specialized journals on the Holy Quran."

A whopping "80 lakh copies of these 275 Quran journals and magazines were published in Iran." He said, "Teaching of different calligraphy styles to inscribe the Holy Quran, the decorative and illumination art of the Holy Quran is taught in the fine art colleges and universities of Iran. These art works are regularly exhibited in Iran and different countries and will also be on display during the exhibition in Hyderabad."