Iranian provinces to celebrate Cultural Heritage Week in Tehran

TEHRAN,May 17(MNA) – The traditional art and culture of the Iranian provinces will be introduced during the festivals that have been organized for Iran’s annual Cultural Heritage Week at Tehran’s Sadabad Palace Museum. The festivals are scheduled to open on May 18, which is also International Museum Day. Each province is due to introduce its heritage through performances of rituals, local customs, and exhibiting ancient arts and handicrafts, director of East Azarbaijan Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Department Torab Mohammadi told on Tuesday. East Azarbaijan Province will also be setting up two pavilions where its local art and culture will be displayed, Mohammadi added. Unique traditional performance art of Ashiqlar along with performances of local games is arranged for the week. An Ashiq, also spelled Ashik and Ashug, is a mystic troubadour or traveling bard, who blends together instrumental and vocal music, dance, poetry, and storytelling in his performances. The art of Ashiqlar or Ashiqs, mostly performed by men, is more common in Iran’s northwestern provinces of East Azarbaijan, West Azarbaijan, and Ardebil. Historical monuments, museums as well as tourist sites of the province are also to be introduced in the exhibit arranged during the week, he added.