ECO Cultural Institute hosted a webinar on Kufic inscriptions in Yazd and Herat in association with Yazd University with the aim of introducing and recognizing the art of inscription in the ECO region.
According to the ECO Cultural Institute, in the webinar, Iranian and Afghan professors introduced and analyzed the inscriptions as architectural decorations of the historical monuments in the ancient cities of Yazd and Herat.
“Dr. Sarvar Bakhti, President of the ECO Cultural Institute, Dr. Ali-Akbar Sharifi, Dean of the Faculty of Art and Architecture, and Dr. Mohammad-Reza Owlia’, a faculty member of Yazd University delivered speeches,” the report says.
In his opening remarks, Sarvar Bakhti, thanked Yazd University and said: “Herat with its glorious history and culture is a manifestation of unique civilization of the region and Yazd as one of the ancient civilized cities of the ECO region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its architectural historical values and traditional texture. Thus exploring different aspects of civilization and art in each of the historic cities of the ECO region will make us gain better understanding of our commonalities; therefore, we welcome holding such specialized events as rigorous ways to familiarize with the art and architecture of the ECO region.
The next speaker, Dr. Sharifi, Dean of the Faculty of Art and Architecture of Yazd, said: “Calligraphy of the Islamic world has special aesthetic values that can be traced in different geographical areas of Iran and Afghanistan. A variety of geometric features and plant motifs can be seen in the Kufic script, Bannai script, geometric and knotted Kufic, and the best manifestation of Kufic scripts can be found in the tomb of Syed Ruknuddin in Yazd and in the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan.”
Dr. Owlia, in his turn, recited the verses inscribed in Kufic scripts in Farashah of Yazd and said: “when the inscription includes holy themes, the site is blessed with the holy words. Words that come from heaven to earth to make the earth heavenly. Located in 30 km from Yazd, Farashah Ghadamgah is a holy site.”
In the webinar Reza Abouei, Zahra Rashidi Jahanabad, Saeed Fallah, Prof. Nikmohammad Mostamand Ghuri discussed different aspects of Kufic inscriptions. It is noteworthy that the meeting moderated by Aliah Sadat Najafi Farashah and was widely welcomed by professors and scholars from different science and research centers.