TEHRAN -- The Iranian National Commission for UNESCO announced on Tuesday that over 100 cities are competing to earn the title of Iran’s Book Capital for the Iranian calendar year of 1396 (March 20, 2017-2018).

“Iran’s plan to choose a book capital every year was an imitation of UNESCO’s plan to select a city as the World Book Capital City that the organization initiated in 2001 in order to promote reading as a means of sustainable development and as a method for stopping the violence and ignorance,” the director of the Cultural Department of Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, Abdolmehdi Mostakin, told the Persian service of IRNA.   
 
He said that Iran meets all the criteria that UNESCO has defined in selecting the Book Capital.     

Iran’s plan to select a book capital annually was launched in 2014 in a collaboration between the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

The southwestern city of Ahvaz won the title in 2015 and the northeastern city of Neyshabur is currently Iran’s Book Capital.

The two centers also organize the Festival of Book Loving Villages and Nomads every year to promote reading among villagers and nomads. 

Mostakin also said that 1010 villages will take part in this year’s festival.  

Photo: People are seen in a file photo walking in front of the tomb of Persian poet and mathematician Omar Khayyam in Neyshabur, which is currently Iran’s Book Capital. (YJCIR/Mohsen Rahimi)

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