Majlis speaker Ali Larijani said, "In the current tumultuous political conditions, resorting to the holy Quran is an important matter which leads to the unity of Islamic sects".

IBNA: Larijani made his remarks at the unveiling ceremony of the oldest translation of the holy Quran into Persian held at the locality of the Islamic assembly (Majlis) yesterday (Sunday, February 5, 2012). The gathering was arranged jointly by the Majlis library, the Book House Institute and the Turkish Topkapi Palace Museum. He marked Quran as the single best means to make heartfelt bonds between all Islamic sects.

"When God remarked his the holy Quran as light, he meant that we should use the very book to find what the truth is and what the book is talking about," Larijani added.

"It is resorting to the holy Quran that makes Muslims' hearts closer together. Maybe today, the need for the book is much more than before for Muslims," he added.

The ceremony went on with Hujatoleslam Mohammad Ali Mahdavi Rad as the next speaker who asserted that Quran's primary and final message is guidance [for humans]. "A more detailed study of Quranic verses shows how they can be felt and used in all aspects of human life," he said.

Later in the ceremony, Ilber Ortayli, director of Topkapi Palace Museum, called for expansion of the joint meetings and conferences between Iran and Turkey and said, "For Turkish people Iran is like what ancient Greece was for Europeans, and it is venerated by Turks; throughout history, they have nurtured many Iranologists. Over 40% of our language is Persian and we owe our religion and language to Iranians."

He went on to say that unveiling the oldest Persian translation of the holy Quran is a great service to Iranian researchers.

"This is the first time that a work from the Sacred Trusts section of the library is being granted to an Iranian library," he added expressing hope that such transactions continue in the future.

Later in the ceremony, Emad Haeri, a researcher at Topkapi Palace Museum, delivered some details about the translation and said that the original copy of the volume is being kept at the trusts section of the museum. "This is an magnificent piece containing the Persian rendition of the Kahf (cave), Maryam, Taha, Anbia and Hajj chapters of the Quran. The date of the book's production is not yet known, but it is definitely one of the oldest translations of the holy Quran in Persian," he added.

He further added that this is the 8th volume of a collection, which is available in Topkapi Palace Museum. It consists of 238 pages. The book has once been repaired, he posited.

The ceremony wrapped up with the unveiling of the volume and praising select researchers of the Majlis library. Moreover, the registration certificate of Al-Tafhim Birouni copy in Memory of the World was granted to the library.

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