Senior Officials to Attend Launch of Mashhad, 2017 Cultural Capital of Muslim World
Hamid Gholami, an official with the organizing committee, told IQNA that the ceremony will begin at 9 am at the mausoleum of Imam Reza (AS) with recitation of verses from the Holy Quran by internationally-acclaimed Iranian Qari Hamed Shakernejad.
He said a large number of foreign guests from different Muslim countries will be present at the program.
According to Gholami, it will include unveiling an exquisite copy of the Quran and a special poster dedicated to renowned Iranian Qari Mohsen Hajihassani Kargar who died in a crush of pilgrims in Mina, Saudi Arabia during the 2015 Hajj.
Earlier, the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) announced that Amina al-Hajri, ISESCO’s Deputy Director General, will represent the organization at the ceremony.
The 7th conference of the ISESCO member states, held in Algiers in 2007, selected Mashhad as the cultural capital of the Muslim world in 2017.
Mashhad hosts over 27 million Iranian and some two million foreign pilgrims to holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) every year.
