The Middle Eastern and African Division of The Library of Congress presents
April 5th, 2012
A Nowruz Display
Welcome to the African and Middle Eastern Division and to its Reading Room where Nowruz and the arrival o
f Spring is being celebrated this year with a special display of textiles and material culture from Kurdish lands, Iran and Central Asia. The items on display have become part of the Near East Section's collections over the years and all the Kurdish clothes and textiles are a gift from the Fallah - Moradian family i n California.
The Near East Section's staff has arranged this display withthe help of the Interpretive Programs Office at the Library.
Nowruz is an age old tradition celebrated in lands spreading from western China to the Cau
casus, Anatolia and beyond. It's a tradition based on celebrating the rebirth of nature and honoring the arrival of spring each year as earth's new cycle of life begins. Starting in ancient Zoroastrian Persia, the tradition of celebrating Nowruz continues to this day to be the most important annual festival. Symbols of Spring are etched with rich color in floral and animal motifs seen in the material culture of the regions that once was in the realm of the Persian Empire.
The display today vividly showcases in textiles, ceramics, clothing and
material culture the effective use of the flower, the symbol of spring and the longing for Spring's arrival.
The Near East Section retains custody of materials in over 40 languages of the area known as the Near East, including the countries and peoples of the Caucasus and Central Asia. The main linguistic groupings- Arabic,Armenian, Central Asian, Georgian, Iranian languages, Persian, Turkic languages, Turkish and Armeno Turkish -form the basis of a vital research center on all things Middle Eastern. Its specialists are available for br
iefings, for rapid and long-term reference and research assistance, and for detailed bibliographic and subject analyses.
I hope you will enjoy this year's display and will return to our reading room to use
If you wish to know more about these programs
this photo is in Library of congress
and the activities of the section and the Division you can access our home page at :its many resources for your own research and enjoyment. The African and Middle Eastern Division holds many noon programs and lectures in the Reading Room which are open and free to the public.
www.loc.gov/rr/amed
Mary-Jane Deeb, Chief African and Middle Eastern Division
The African and Middle Eastern Division
The Library of Congress
The Thomas Jefferson Building Room LJ220, Washington DC, 20540
For Information contact: Hirad Dinavari
(202) 707-4518 or
hdin@loc.gov
