TEHRAN – Honoring the martyrdom of Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, all the events planned to commemorate the national Cultural Heritage Week have been canceled.

According to the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Ministry’s announcement on Monday, all the programs in celebration of the national Cultural Heritage week within the country are canceled until further notice.

Every year, special events are arranged to commemorate Cultural Heritage Week, that commences on International Museum Day [May 18] nationwide.

As always, this year’s cultural events were underway since Saturday morning, which was the very first day of the national Cultural Heritage Week, featuring a wide array of programs, with museums taking center stage more than ever.

Arranging 14 provincial exhibits displaying more than a hundred rarely-seen relics, borrowed from National Museum of Iran, was considered as one of the most significant measures to commemorate cultural heritage across the country.

Moreover, every province has ramped up every effort to set up varying events, where provincial cultural heritage and tourism capacities be presented to enthusiasts.

“Each and every Cultural Heritage Week related events are postponed till further notice,” the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts made public on Monday morning.

In a tragic helicopter crash on Sunday, Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, alongside other officials, lost their lives on route to the provincial capital city of Tabriz.

The incident occurred as a result of dense fog in the region, which also made conditions difficult for rescue teams, the TV said.

“Ayatollah Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi has left an unforgettable portray of serving people for Iran’s history,” Ezzatollah Zarghami, the cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts minister tweeted on Monday.

“President Raisi was a true patron of the country’s cultural heritage sphere,” Ali Darabi, the deputy minister, stated on Monday, expressing condolences for the martyrdom of the president.

XF/AM