Preservation of Manuscripts; National Duty, Social Responsibility

IBNA History Service: The 17th Commemoration Ceremony for Supporters of Manuscripts, with the motto “Yesterday’s Heritage, Today’s Thought,” will be held in Bahman 1404 (January-February 2026). As this event approaches, we conversed with the executive secretary of the conference, who has been one of the honorees of this ceremony in past years, about the importance of manuscripts and holding a ceremony for their supporters.

Hooman Yousefdehi, Director General of Manuscripts and Rare Books at the National Archives and Library of Iran, holds a Ph.D. in Persian Language and Literature and is a researcher of history and literature, a textual critic, and a winner of the Book of the Year award in the field of text correction.

Manuscripts; The Brilliant Legacy of Our Ancestors

Yousefdehi said: Manuscripts are considered a common national heritage, a document of identity and civilization of nations, among which Iranian-Islamic manuscripts hold a special place. These manuscripts are the result of the lives and efforts of great figures of science and literature and book art artists of Iran and the Islamic world, and they are considered the brilliant record of our ancestors in most scientific fields prevalent in past historical periods.

The Status of the Commemoration Ceremony for Supporters of Manuscripts

The executive secretary of the commemoration ceremony for supporters of manuscripts then elaborated on the event’s role in preserving this cultural heritage, adding: Identifying, collecting, preserving, and publishing manuscripts related to Iran’s cultural sphere, regardless of the script and language they are written in, is a national duty and a social responsibility for all citizens and all private and public institutions of the country.

He continued: This national heritage, wherever it is kept in the world, is considered a cornerstone of our culture within the vast expanse of Iranian culture and a unifying factor for our nation.

Yousefdehi emphasized: The Commemoration Ceremony for Supporters of Manuscripts is an effort to promote and publicize this national duty and social responsibility.

The Importance of Holding an Event for Supporters of Manuscripts

The Director General of Manuscripts and Rare Books of the National Archives and Library of Iran spoke about the importance of holding an event for supporters of manuscripts, saying: We live in an era where, with changing lifestyles and significant cultural and technological developments, attention to subjects like manuscripts has gradually diminished. Events like the Commemoration Ceremony for Supporters of Manuscripts serve as a reminder of the importance of preserving written heritage and the necessity of correcting, researching, and publishing these works, and are a way to keep such efforts alive in the realm of science and culture of this land.

Attracting Public Attention to the Issue of Donating and Endowing Books

The executive secretary of the 17th Commemoration Ceremony for Supporters of Manuscripts, reviewing the 16 past editions of the event, said: The first “Commemoration Ceremony for Supporters of Manuscripts” was held in 1379 (2000) and continued annually until 1393 (2014), and then biennially until 1397 (2018); from the 14th edition, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and unsuitable conditions, we experienced a hiatus for several years.

He emphasized: This ceremony is one of the most important cultural events in the country at the national level and has consistently attracted more attention, and fortunately, it has had a significant impact on promoting all fields and activities related to manuscripts; from correction, printing, and publishing to librarianship, cataloging, and restoration, etc. This ceremony has drawn public attention to the issue of donating and endowing books, both manuscript and printed.

Yousefdehi continued: Another important part of this ceremony is the honoring of special figures in each edition, which results in the introduction of great personalities in the field of manuscripts to the general public, accompanied by the publication of a collection of articles in their name and memory; in fact, it both introduces national and renowned figures in this research, scientific, and artistic field, and leads to the offering of a valuable, influential, and lasting scientific and cultural product.

A Different Experience for the 17th Edition

Regarding the most significant difference in holding this edition of the commemoration compared to previous ones, he said: “Well, the holding of this ceremony was accompanied by a long hiatus until, under the new management of the National Archives and Library of Iran, with the attention and follow-up of Dr. Gholamreza Amirkhani and other managers of the organization, it was decided to revive this ceremony. Therefore, to cover this long hiatus, it was decided that for the 17th Commemoration Ceremony for Manuscripts this year, a 6-year period from 1397 (2018) to 1402 (2023) would be considered, and published works and activities carried out in the field of manuscripts during this period would be reviewed, and from next year, the ceremony would be held biennially as before.”

He explained the difficulties of holding this edition: The multitude of works published over the 6-year period and the limited time for call for submissions, review, and judging made the task seem impossible; therefore, in this edition of the ceremony, “Manuscriptology and Textual Research Articles,” which were numerous and widely dispersed, were excluded from the review criteria. Nevertheless, overall efforts have been made to consider the quantitative and qualitative enhancement of the 17th ceremony in other aspects.

Yousefdehi continued: Another difference between the 17th Supporters Ceremony and previous ceremonies is that in the past, several editions of the ceremony were organized by the Library, Museum and Document Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and several editions by the National Archives and Library Organization. This year, for the first time, these two national and governmental institutions are jointly organizing this ceremony, which is a different and valuable experience.

Regarding the cooperation between the two institutions, he explained: In the initial meetings and in the ceremony’s policymaking council, the method of task division was reviewed and approved. The scientific committee, chaired by Professor Ali Bahramian and comprising renowned and recognized scientific personalities, will identify and conduct the initial review of publications and activities, and finally, the final review and scoring will be carried out by the judging panel. The executive committee, consisting of the secretary and four members, will follow up on the process of holding the ceremony by inviting real and legal personalities from both institutions. Fortunately, the normal course of holding the ceremony is progressing regularly according to the executive calendar, and we hope that the 17th Commemoration Ceremony for Supporters of Manuscripts will be held more splendidly than in the past.