TEHRAN – On Sunday, a delegation from Turkey paid a visit to the National Library and Archives of Iran (NLAI).

Derya Örs, the President of the Atatürk Supreme Council for Culture, Language, and History, had a meeting with NLAI director Alireza Mokhtarpur during the visit.

Örs expressed hope for wider cooperation in the fields of culture, language, written heritage, and archives between the two countries, which have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For his part, Mokhtarpur highlighted the cultural, linguistic, religious, and geographical similarities shared by both nations. 

He emphasized the significance of influential figures such as Rumi, whose works hold importance not only for Persian speakers but for all of humanity. 

Mokhtarpur stressed the importance of implementing the memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the National Library and Archives of Iran and the National Library and Archives of Turkey. 

Additionally, he expressed his hope for increased collaboration in book exchanges, particularly in the fields of Iranology and Islamic studies, between the two countries.

Fatemeh Sadr, the deputy of research and digital resources at the organization, highlighted the scientific and research activities of the faculty members in the fields of Iranology, Islamic studies, and artificial intelligence. 

She stressed the need for further collaboration in the areas of education, research, and digitization of resources.

The Turkish delegation consisted of the President of the Turkish History Association Yüksel Özgen, the President Directorate of State Archives Uğur Ünal, and the President of the Turkish Language Association Osman Mert.

The National Library of and Archives Iran (NLAI) is located in Tehran, Iran, with several branches scattered throughout the city.

The national library incorporates many different collections from older libraries, including many rare and valuable manuscripts. The central main branch is located in north-central Tehran. The library by itself is over 90,000 square meters, the largest library campus in West Asia. It encompasses five separate halls, each hall dedicated to a different faculty, including Humanities, Social Sciences, Law, Science and Science Education, and Health Studies.

SAB/