The Opening of "Rhythm and Verses… Masterpieces of Persian Calligraphy" Exhibition at the BA
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Alexandria—
His Honorable Datuk Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim, the Minister of Art, Culture, and Heritage in Malaysia, Dr. Yehia Halim Zaki, Head, BA Academic and Cultural Sector, and Dr. Khaled Azab, Deputy Director, BA Calligraphy Center inaugurated "Rhythm and Verses… Masterpieces of Persian Calligraphy", organized by the Calligraphy Center, in cooperation with the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM). The BA held a reception for His Honorable Datuk Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim and his wife, followed by the launch of the Exhibition's Catalogue, which is the first book published by the IAMM in Arabic.
At the outset of the ceremony, Dr. Yehia Halim Zaki, gave a speech on behalf of Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Library of Alexandria, in which he praised the spirit of cooperation in this distinguished cultural event, which displays the collection of the brilliance of Persian single folios. He added that the catalogue is a comprehensive artistic and historic memoir preserving a huge amount of manuscripts dating back to Iran in the 16th century to the 19th century. The exhibition integrates scientific and aesthetic values constituting a window on the Islamic civilization through the BA, a beacon of knowledge and a center for debate and dialogue.
Dr. Heba Nayl Barakat, who prepared the Exhibition catalogue, gave a speech on behalf of Mr. Mohamed El-Bukhary, Director of the IAMM, in which he much-admired the efforts undertaken by the Calligraphy Center and Dr. Khaled Azab, and he invited the Center to visit the Museum to strengthen the cooperation channels between the two institutions.
She then gave her speech on tangible and intangible heritage in general, in which she called for redefining "heritage" and its importance. She also spoke on the importance of separating between the different kinds of heritage. She focused on the importance of audio culture, as part of the spiritual and social heritage, which is lost due to negligence. She also shed light on the role of modern technology in protecting the human heritage from loss. Dr. Heba Barakat gave a presentation on the Persian art, in which she took the audience in a trip to Persia in the 16th century, after Iranians had entered Islam.
The ceremony was concluded by the speech of His Honorable Datuk Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim, the Minister of Art Culture and Heritage in Malaysia, who extended his thanks to the Islamic Art Museum in Kualalampur, and the BA, which he described as an esteemed organization located in a city known to be a cultural and historical center.
He added that arts in all its forms strengthens civilizations and enriches the human experiences. He said that artistic works should transcend concepts of ignorance and extremism through artistic exchange programs on the international level, and that the Exhibition is an example of constructive artistic cooperation, and will raise the awareness of the Library visitors on the importance of disseminating knowledge on Islamic art and raising it to the level of other arts in the world.
He concluded his speech by calling for recording and cataloguing all Islamic artistic works in the world through international programs, under the auspices of the UNESCO or any other organization concerned with the preservation of cultural heritage.