On the sidelines of the specialized meeting of the International Iranology Conference, focusing on “Iranology and Tourism,” which was held on Sunday, November 15, 2025, with the aim of examining various aspects of Iranology, the role of intangible heritage, the place of literature and culture in tourism, and the importance of cultural diversity in tourism development, with the presence of international professors, researchers, and activists at the University of Science and Culture.
About 50 Iranologists from various countries visited the knowledge-based companies active in the field of soft technologies at The Soft Technology and Cultural Industries Park and held discussions with the managers of these companies. Also, at the end of the program, they became acquainted with an aspect of Iran’s cultural heritage through a Shahnameh reading ceremony.
At the beginning of the ceremony, Dr. Seyed Saeed Hashemi, Dean of the Faculty of Tourism at the University of Science and Culture, emphasized the necessity of paying more attention to intangible cultural heritage and utilizing the capacity of Iranology in producing scientific content for the development of creative tourism. He considered tourism and Iranology as two interconnected fields, stating that without a proper understanding of Iran, discussions about tourism are meaningless.
Subsequently, Dr. Mohammad Hossein Imani Khoshkhoo described tourism as “the path to civilization” and announced: The topic of “civilizational tourism” will soon be presented and approved by the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution. The head of The Soft Technology and Cultural Industries Park considered the creation of civilizational tourism tours as a way to introduce the younger generation to Iran’s ancient heritage.
Also, Dr. Manouchehr Jahanian, a faculty member of the university, introduced Iranology and tourism as two complementary fields and said: Utilizing cultural and historical knowledge of Iran can create high added value in cultural tourism. In the scientific part of the program, speeches were delivered by Iranologists from Armenia, Pakistan, and several other countries, and two specialized panels were held focusing on literary tourism, cultural heritage, and Iranology education.
At the end of this event, guests visited the achievements of creative companies at The Soft Technology and Cultural Industries Park, and the program concluded with a Shahnameh reading as a symbol of Iran’s intangible cultural heritage.
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