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Elah� Omidyar Mir-Djalali symposia and lectures to be offered at UCI Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture

$30k grant funds public symposia and lectures on ancient Iranian history, Persian language and literature

Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute has awarded a $30,000 grant to the UCI Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture to launch two symposia and lectures each year for three years, starting this fall. Named the Elahe Omidyar Mir-Djalali Symposium on Ancient Iranian History & Civilization; the Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Symposium on Persian Language & Literature; and the Elahe Omidyar Mir-Djalali Lecture, the academic events will be open to the public.

“We are thrilled that Dr. Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali via Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute has funded two symposia and lectures on ancient Iranian history and Persian language and literature to take place at the UCI Jordan Center for three years,” said Touraj Daryaee, history professor, center director and Maseeh Chair in Persian Studies & Culture. “This type of support enhances the Jordan Center’s commitment to being Southern California’s hub for scholarship and public outreach in Persian and Iranian studies.”

Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali, Ph.D. is the founder, chair and president of Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute, a private foundation that supports cultural and educational activities and helps nurture a new generation of educators to preserve the transmission and instruction of Persian language and culture. Founded in 2000, the Institute has awarded significant amounts in grants for the strengthening or establishment of academic Persian programs at some of the most esteemed universities in the United States and throughout the world. The Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali presidential chair in art history and archaeology of ancient Iran was recently funded via Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute as its first endowment to UCI.

“We are delighted to provide this grant to the Jordan Center for symposia and lectures that will complement the establishment of our new chair specializing in ancient Iran as well as support Persian Studies at UCI,” Mir-Djalali said. “It is our hope that the new symposia and lectures will attract scholars and students from not only the Orange County community but from around the world, who are interested in Persian culture, and we look forward to their successful implementation.”

The first symposium, titled “The Elahe Omidyar Mir-Djalali Symposium on Persian Language & Literature: Persian Literature Unbound,” will take place on Friday, November 10. A second symposium on food in ancient Iran will take place in May 2018.

For more information on the UCI Jordan Center, visit http://bit.ly/UCIJordanCenter
For more information on Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute, visit http://www.roshan-institute.org