Hawzah News Agency (Mashhad, Iran) - A special opening program of “Mashhad 2017, the Capital of Islamic Culture” was held with the presence of Supreme Leader’s representative in Khorasan Razavi province and Mashhad’s Congregational Prayer Leader, Custodian of Astan Quds Razavi, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Minister of Health, Women and Family Affairs Deputy of Iranian President, Governor of Khorasan Razavi, Mayor of Mashhad, Deputy Secretary General of ISESCO, 200 delegates from Muslim countries, scholars from seminary schools, national elites and cultural activists, and other officials and managers of the country, in the vicinity of the Razavi Holy Shrine .

At the beginning of the ceremony, after the recitation of Holy Quran, and performance of Fadak al-Zahra international nasheed group, special praise of Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha (as) was read, followed by a video clip on the formation of Mashhad 2017 Staff Secretariat.

Awarding the Medal of Cultural Capital

In this magnificent program, attended by government ministers, provincial and national officials, the medal of the cultural capital, by Dr. Amina Al-Hajri, Deputy Secretary General of ISESCO, was awarded to A.R. Rashidian, the Governor of Khorasan Razavi, and then Mashhad 2017 stamp was sealed by Sayyid Reza Salehi Amiri, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance and some other high ranking officials.

During the ceremony, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance mentioned the holy city of Mashhad as the focus of the emergence of new religious discourse in the world and said, “Holy Mashhad, from the era of Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha (as) so far, has been the cradle of religious discourse, a forum for thinkers and religious scholars, and in 2017, the process will be incremented."

It should be noted, during the program, several books on the subject of Mashhad 2017 were unveiled.

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