Mohammad-Mehdi Jafari received the honor for a Persian translation of the Nahj-ul-Balagha, and Mohammad-Hassan Semsar won the honor for his lifelong studies on Iranian architecture.

Children’s book translator Majid Amiq and expert on the history of Islam Ali Bahramian were the other honorees.

Speaking at the ceremony, Jafari said that he regards the Nahj-ul-Balagha as a hereditary issue and added, “My father was a scholar educated in Najaf. Although he died when I was a child, I saw the interpretation of the book among his books.”

The Nahj-ul-Balagha (“The Peak of Eloquence”) is an anthology of political discourses, sermons, letters and sayings attributed to Imam Ali (AS), which were compiled by Seyyed Razi (d. 1015).

Semsar also talked of his interest and activities in Islamic art and his articles published in different art magazines. He also said that he was the one who initiated the idea of converting palaces into museums after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Amiq said that he has studied English literature at the university and that he has always wanted to be perfect in his work.

“I wanted to be in love with what I do in the field of children’s books because those who are in love are much better,” he said.

For his part, Bahramian expressed his hope that he finds an opportunity to collect and publish what he has learned about the history of Islam.

Source: Tehran Times