Bushehr designated Iran’s Book Capital of the year

UNESCO or the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization in cooperation with Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, has selected the southern port city of Bushehr as Iran’s Book Capital for the solar hijri calendar year 1396 that starts on March 21. This is the third time an Iranian city has been selected as the book capital, as the government’s initiative to promote book reading. The previous two instances being the cities of Ahwaz and Neishabur.

The UNESCO goal is to encourage people to cultivate the culture of book reading. The title, however, does not include any financial awards. In the ceremony held recently, Bushehr won the titled, while the cities of Evaz, Zarand and Shahr-e Kord finished second, third and fourth respectively. Shiraz, the city of poets, was also among the top 10 Iranian cities where the culture of book-reading is widely prevalent. Among the villages noted for book-reading, Fahlian took the first place, followed by Khajeh Kamali, Gozir and Imamzadeh Bazm. At the ceremony Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri referred to Bushehr as a small Iran which shines like a gem. The name of Bushehr in historical books and documents has been mentioned as Ram Ardeshir, Abu Shahr, Bokht Ardeshir, Liyan and Reyshahr. Most of Bushehr’s people speak Persian with a local accent. Bushehr is a thriving port and is being industrialized at a rapid pace because of its being a major shipyard in addition to a leading centre of fisheries. The atomic power plant is situated nearby, thereby adding to the significance of Bushehr and its growing population of businessmen, industrialists, engineers, doctors, scientists, technicians and the like. The average altitude of Bushehr is 18 meters above sea level, while the hinterland is an arid area with hot climate.

It is believed that Bushehr was built by the Sassanid emperor Ardeshir and was named Ram Ardeshir, before gradually becoming Bokht Ardeshir, and then Reyshahr. It was connected through a road to Kazerun and Shiraz and from there the goods were transported to other regions. A millennium earlier in the Achaemenid era, the Lian civilization flourished here.

The present city of Bushehr has a 300-year history beginning with the waning period of the Safavid dynasty. The next king, Nader Shah Afshar, chose it as a base for the Iranian navy. It soon began to rival the famous Iraqi port city of Basra at the headwaters of the Persian Gulf. Esfand 18 is marked every year as Bushehr Day by the residents of this port city. The hot and sultry climate made it a centre for ice-making, and soon it became the primary centre of the lithographic printing industry to the extent that the people of Bushehr were the first in Iran to become familiar with magazine and other publications. It is also the first place in Iran where electricity was introduced by the British occupiers. Today the port of Bushehr has a population of over 200 thousand people, and has 13 active publishers. There are numerous bookshops as well as colleges and schools, which are of high standard in order to cater to the needs of the employees of the customs department and the atomic power plant. The city and its outskirts are the site of the Persian Gulf University, the Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, the Islamic Azad University of Bushehr, and the Iran Nuclear Energy College.

Moreover, Bushehr is a tourist city which attracts Iranians from all over the country, especially in the winter season when the climate is pleasant. During the annual Nowrouz holidays, people descend in great numbers. Because of this there is a flourishing hotel industry. Plus, the city and its environs are famous for their ingenious handicrafts. In view of these fact, booksellers and cultural planners should not miss this unique opportunity to make Bushehr a thriving city for the culture of book reading. It should be noted that book sale like any business needs strategy and planning. The industrial corridor of Assalouyeh, where as many as 70,000 foreign engineers and technicians are currently working in this industrial zone, makes the city and its surrounding villages important. This zone is where the nearby famous South Pars Gas field is located, where Iran has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure. The South Pars Gas field is the world's largest natural gas field. Bushehr is also connected to the Khark Island oil exporting terminal.

AS/ME