The collection of the "Museum and Document Treasury" of the Central Library and Archives of Shiraz University was inaugurated in the presence of the Minister of the Interior.

According to the public relations of Shiraz University, the "Museum and Document Treasury" of the Central Library of Shiraz University was opened in a ceremony attended by Dr. Ahmad Vahidi, the Minister of the Interior, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Asghar Dastgheib, the representative of Fars, Dr. Mohammadhadi Eimaniyeh, the Governor of Fars, and a group of university students and cultural benefactors of the province. Additionally, in this ceremony, Professor Daryush Navidgoyi, a prominent publisher in Fars province and a donor of stone books and manuscripts, was appreciated for a lifetime of cultural services.

Paintings by Sohrab Sepehri and Nasser Oveysi among the works of the Shiraz University Museum

Dr. Farzaneh Afifian, the head of the Central Library of Shiraz University, stated that this library is one of the largest university libraries in the country and the largest repository of books under the supervision of the Ministry of Science belongs to this library.

She added: This library, with its valuable collections in Iranian studies, Persian, Arabic, and English books, children's collections, valuable research and artistic books, rare and valuable manuscript copies, and stone prints, is considered one of the prominent libraries in the country.

The head of the Central Library of Shiraz University announced: In this museum, which is now operational, works such as contemplative paintings of the prominent poet, Sohrab Sepehri, eye-catching paintings of the contemporary artist Nasser Oveysi, a special and valuable collection of manuscript copies, a unique collection of stone prints, a valuable collection of lead prints, an attractive selection of historical documents including manuscripts, wills, Quranic calligraphy, letters, telegraphs, etc. from the past century, an interesting selection of photos of Fars province, an old map of Shiraz and images of Shiraz University, precious manuscript copies and stone prints of famous Iranian poets, an excellent selection of the Quran with special calligraphy and valuable manuscript copies of the heavenly books Tourat, Bible, and Avesta, a rich collection of valuable books on ancient inscriptions and Iranian studies, a selection of valuable newspapers and magazines from the Qajar, Pahlavi I and II periods, a fascinating journey through the maps of Iran's borders from the Achaemenid to the Qajar period, photo panels of selected mosques in Iran and the world, and a small section of unique photos and negatives of historical works from Iran and the world in various subjects such as metalwork, ceramics, carpets, textiles, relief sculpture, miniature painting, historical sites, tombs, and architecture from the first millennium BC, Elamites, Achaemenids, Sassanians, Ashkanians, Sumerians, Assyrians, Safavids, Zandiyeh, and Qajar times have been collected and displayed.

She explained the process of establishing the "Museum and Document Treasury": The existence of two valuable collections of stone and lead books and the collection of about thirty thousand historical documents related to the history of culture and civilization in Iran dating back to the 1940s led us to think about establishing a museum within the Central Library of Shiraz University, and this was planned in Khordad 1401 (May-June 2022). Initially, we benefited from the collaboration of cultural heritage stakeholders and the National Library and private museums, and simultaneously, we undertook the deacidification and cleaning of manuscript copies and documents. In the next step, we worked on digitalization, categorization, and data entry of documents. Finally, in the autumn of 1402 (2023), we completed the construction and equipping of the Museum and Document Treasury.

The largest book repository in the country at Shiraz University

The head of Shiraz University also stated: With an area of 11,000 square meters, this library is the largest book repository in the country according to the IranDoc report.

Dr. Mohammad Moazeni continued: In the Central Library of Shiraz University, there are 160,000  Persian books, 95,000  Latin books, more than 30,000 valuable historical documents, 6,500 reference books, 12,000  children's and adolescent books, 3,200 newspapers from the Qajar period to the present, 26,000 manuscript and lead-printed titles, and 27,000 theses for master's and doctoral degrees. Therefore, this library is one of the richest libraries in the country. He mentioned that this initiative was carried out as part of a scientific program and precise work using the perspectives of various stakeholders. The head of Shiraz University further expressed appreciation to Professor Navidgoyi for a lifetime of efforts in the field of culture, especially books.

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