Asia Newspaper Interview with Dr. Mohammad Sadegh Mahfouzi

The microfilm of exquisite works is provided to researchers

Asia newspaper interview with Dr. Mohammad Sadegh Mahfouzi, founder of the Anthropological Encyclopedia Center and the Museum of Manuscripts and Cultural Works on the sidelines of the unveiling of the manuscript:

What effect does the duplicate manuscript have on our cultural heritage, and what is your personal view and philosophy in collecting these manuscripts?

We usually unveil 4 to 5 times a year. One of them is in the holy month of Ramadan, and we congratulate the luminosity of this month and unveil a number of Islamic and Iranian books. Tonight, scientific books such as several volumes of medicine including the medicine of the Timurid period, the description of the dead and the famous books of Khwarezmshahi medicine, which was written around the 5th century AH, were unveiled. Books related to literature, culture and art such as Rumi’s Masnavi and Marqa’i by Darwish Abdolmajid Taleghani were unveiled, the first of which was written by Mohammad Ibrahim Qomi and the second by Nastaliq Darwish Abdolmajid Taleghani. Practical books were related to the history of Shiism. A rare book related to the early 6th century AH, written in 501 AH, is one of the treasures that is considered the ultimate Sheikh Tusi and is one of the unique books of the 6th century in jurisprudence, was unveiled in this collection.

Bihari Quran, which is from Biharistan, India and is unique in its cut, was also unveiled. There are also other works that are very rare and therefore received a lot of attention. These works are kept in my personal museum library and are also presented on the site. 11,000 volumes have been listed and presented on the site, and the rest are being cataloged. Many dissertations and books have been published in the margins of this museum and library, which have been made available to those who are interested.

Will the first unveiled works be available to researchers who want to complete their research in this field?

They will definitely be available. By visiting the site and requesting, we will make the microfilm available to everyone.

In our country, there are several museums and metropolises in the style of your museum, and what is the position of these libraries?

In the section of private libraries, the manuscript library of our collection and the library of Ayatollah Marashi are of special importance. And there is nobility in it, but unfortunately in the public sector, for example, Mota Reza Reza Abbasi, which is one of the valuable historical museums and heritage of the country, although a lot of efforts have been made by caring and expert managers, but in recent years It is due to the mistakes that have been made due to the unprofessional and unscientific actions of the directors of the Cultural Heritage Organization in recent years, which have caused irreparable damage to this collection. Of course, with the initial measures, the destroyed works of this collection can be restored and this valuable heritage can be preserved and protected in a more desirable way.

Why such disrespect for the most important cultural and historical organization of the country?

It is unfortunate that the cultural heritage of the country has been considered as a backyard by the government, as if this section does not need skilled and specialized managers, and damage has been done to this cultural heritage. I am not saying that the managers of that group were not good, justified and compassionate people. But the preservation of this heritage requires specialized and expert managers so that these damages do not occur. Many veterans and loved ones of the country’s heritage have been driven into seclusion.

Your Excellency, what do you expect from the new government that will soon take the helm of the country?

I hope that in the new government, which is called the government of prudence and hope, there will be peace so that the voters can make glorious, serious and constructive decisions. Of course, it should be noted that valuable things have happened in the field of culture after the revolution that should not be ignored. Fortunately, in recent days, we have seen that the literature of the officials has come out of the sharp and biting state and has entered the era of morality, literature and wisdom. Certainly, this promises bright days in the history of the country.