Muḥammad Ḥasan Simsār is honored in an Evening Ceremony at the Centre for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia.

2/18/2025 11:51

Bukhara Magazine performed its 730th evening ceremony on Monday, February 12, 2024, in cooperation with the Centre for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia to pay homage to Muḥammad Ḥasan Simsār’s long-standing scientific services as the senior adviser to the department of art and architecture and member of the supreme scientific council at the CGIE.

CGIE: Bukhara Magazine performed its 730th evening ceremony on Monday, February 12, 2024, in cooperation with the Centre for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia to pay homage to Muḥammad Ḥasan Simsār’s long-standing scientific services as the senior adviser to the department of art and architecture and member of the supreme scientific council at the CGIE. 

The ceremony, which was conducted by ʿAlī Dihbāshī, the chief executive officer and editor-in-chief of Bukhara Cultural and Artistic Magazine, started with Kāẓim Mūsavī Bojnurdī’s speech: “The culture and civilization of our old country open the door to a delightful and lovely garden which catches the eyes and raises the spirits. The Art of Iran has been recognized in the world for many centuries and great museums and libraries of the world are at present adorned with a wide range of exquisite artworks of the Iranian master artists and craftsmen, including magnificent works of calligraphy and illumination to miniature paintings and book bindings; it would not be an exaggeration to say that hundreds of the world noted researchers have dedicated their lives to in-depth studies and analyses of the excellent examples of our national heritage.”             

The CEO of the Centre for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia added: “The Art of Iran is blessed with such spirituality which is intertwined with the Iranian spirit of the mind. Although its beauty is aesthetically indisputable, the reason behind its popularity all around the world lies with the fact that it goes hand in hand with the Persian literature. The Art of Iran has manifested the national unity of the Iranian people throughout the history and all the Iranian artists and craftsmen in every village, town and city have preserved the original style of the Persian Art while remaining loyal to their local motifs and designs. These local styles are interwoven into the Persian Art like the warps and wefts of a carpet and they are altogether the building blocks of a splendid structure known as the Art of Iran.”

He continued: “It is demanding and challenging yet pleasing and satisfying to research into this field and the life of a researcher who has a great love of the Persian Art is gradually influenced and ruled by it to a degree that his eyes will be able to see the underlying intricacies which are invisible to the eyes of the passing viewers. To live a life which is engaged with the Art of Iran is certainly worthwhile and one needs to have an indescribable love and enthusiasm for it. You must show your sincerity to enjoy prosperity. Professor Muḥammad Ḥasan Simsār is a shining example of what a great researcher should be. He has spent more than half a century of his fulfilling life in the garden of the Persian Art and yet he has not abandoned his attempts to study the major dimensions of the Art of Iran. His invaluable works comprise a rich part of the history of art and culture in Iran. Those who are familiar with this field are well aware that a proper and precise recognition of the different branches of the Persian Art necessitates a comprehensive knowledge of the Iranian history and culture. Professor Simsār has demonstrated his superior knowledge of the less explored areas of the deep sea of the history and culture of Iran and the Persian language through his publications.”

Mūsavī Bojnurdī pointed out: “For the Centre for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia, it is a great honor to have had the presence and cooperation of Professor Simsār for almost forty years, during which he has been calmly and humbly examining the artworks with his experienced eyes and searching the books painstakingly in order to find and introduce the Iranian artists and in addition, he has attempted to provide students and enthusiasts with his expert lessons and comments. Paying tribute to Professor Simsār is in fact paying tribute to the Persian Art and is a definite indication of the deep respect and gratitude which the professors, colleagues and enthusiasts here at the CGIE feel towards him and all our ancestors who created such glorious culture and art.”

Aḥmad Masjid-Jāmʿeī, the CGIE’s deputy director, Jebreil Nokandeh, director of the National Museum of Iran, Parvīn Thiqatulislamī, ex-director of Gulistān Palace Museum, Hayedeh Laleh, ex-director of University of Tehran Institute of Archelogy, Farībā Afkārī, library director of the Global Studies Faculty at the University of Tehran, Mehrdād Oskūyī, photographer, documentarist and researcher of the History of photography and Farībā Eftekhārī, deputy director of the department of art and architecture at the CGIE, were the other scholars who delivered a speech at this ceremony.

The ceremony closed with Muḥammad Ḥasan Simsār’s speech: “In return for your great kindness, I can only recite a line from a ghazal by Saʿdī Shīrāzī:

I am delighted but ashamed, elated but depressed

Owing to my inability to express my gratitude for your kindliness

I am extremely frail, I say I am unable to express my deep gratitude for your kindness, I say in all modesty that if I have had some achievements, I owe them to my companions’ assistance and the facilities and the ideal conditions I have been provided with at the centers I have worked at. I have worked with esteemed directors who were interested in researching into the Persian culture and introducing it to the world. Different institutes and centers such as the Cultural Heritage Organization, Gulistān Palace Museum, and above all, the Centre for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia have paved the way for me and the other scholars to produce some works and present them to the Persian culture. I sincerely hope that my insignificant services, which are considered significant in your opinion, could be taken into consideration as tiny sparks against the flickering flames of the Persian culture.”