Astan of Hazrat Abbas Holy Shrine Active in Promoting Islamic Culture

TEHRAN (IQNA) – The Astan (custodianship) of the holy shrine of Hazrat Abbas (AS) is very active in the development of the Islamic culture in Iraq and elsewhere, an official said.

Ahmed Bahrololum, head of the Astan’s Strategic Studies Center, Qom branch, made the remark in an interview with IQNA during the 34^th Tehran International Book Fair.

He said that the Astan has established 20 cultural centers in different parts of Iraq.

Since the 2003 overthrow of former dictator Saddam Hussein, the Astan has been developing its cultural activities, he stated.

It has published some 660 books on different subjects like Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), religious teachings, history, etc, he said, noting that some of these books are taught in Iraq’s universities.

It publishes 6 or 7 new titles on these and other subjects every month, he added.

“Recently, we have published many valuable books especially in the field of encyclopedias, such as the Encyclopedia of Islamic Heritage that took 8 years to compile.”

The Astan also organizes conferences and forums in Iraq and other countries featuring different aspects of the Islamic culture, according to Bahrololum.

Its other activities include holding charity events, building hospitals and schools and helping needy families, he went on to say.

Bahrololum further said that the Astan’s pavilion at Tehran’s book fair presented

The 34th edition of the Tehran International Book Fair was held at the Imam Khomeini (RA) Mosalla (Congregational Prayers Site) from May 10 to 20.

About 3,000 Iranian and foreign publishers took part in the book fair.

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