ISESCO Deputy Highlights Role of Mashhad in Development of Human Culture
Speaking at a program held Tuesday in the northeastern Iranian city to mark the launch of Mashhad’s celebration as the Asian region’s Islamic Culture Capital for 2017, Amina al-Hajri said the city has been a venue for development of science, literature, knowledge, arts, and culture.
She said the pilgrimage status of Mashhad is also of great importance as it is the second major pilgrimage site in the world with millions of pilgrims visiting it annually.
Al-Hijri said it was an honor for her to be present at the ceremony and address it and hoped that Mashhad will gain even more accomplishments as a cultural capital and a brilliant symbol of civilization and innovation.
Elsewhere, she noted that ISESCO has strict criteria for choosing cities as the cultural capital of the Muslim world and that Mashhad met all the criteria to receive the title.
A large number of Iranian officials and foreign guests took part in the ceremony on Tuesday.
It included 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.
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.
