Hyderabad 7th September : Digitalisation and conservation of precious Urdu and Persian historical manuscripts in the Telangana State Archives and Research Institute will be a priority in a joint Indo-Iranian initiative.The Telangana State Archives and Research Institute, Hyderabad on Wednesday signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regards with Noor International Microfilm Centre (NIMC), of Iran’s Culture House, New Delhi.
In the MoU, Iranian centre will handle the restoration, conservation, digitization and cataloguing of documents and manuscripts that are common to India as well as Iran.
This initiative will bring millions of historic documents to life and offer future generations the chance to see of the rich history of the state.
It could also be an source to scholars from different nations who regularly collaborate with Telangana State Archives for their studies on the medieval as well as modern-day the history of India as well as Telangana.
The whole procedure will take place free of cost to the government and completely paid for by the Iranian government, Telangana government officials said.
One of the most important archives of India The Telangana State Archives and Research Institute has an extensive collection of historical and rare records that date back to 1406 AD related to the Bahmani, Qutb Shahi, Adil Shahi and Mughal dynasties which ruled the region.
The Institute contains more than 43 million files, of which 80 per percent of the documents are in the classical Persian and Urdu languages, due to it being the official languages of the earlier dynasties of the Hyderabad Deccan region.
The records also contain original copies of gazettes, GOs, etc.of the unification of Andhra Pradesh from 1956 to the year 2014.
India as well as Iran have shared a history that has had a profound impact on both civilisations and cultures.The documents that are housed in the Telangana State Archives are important historic artifacts of each country.
It is therefore crucial to safeguard this important heritage that is shared by both countries, according to officials.
The MoU exchange ceremony was held in T-Hub Phase 2.0, in the presence of Telangana’s Minister of Industries and Information Technology, K.T.Rama Rao and Iranian Ambassador to India Dr.Ali Chegeni.
The event was attended by Telanagana’s principal Secretary ITE&C and Industries, Jayesh Ranjan Director of State Archives and Research Institute Dr.Zareena Parveen, NIMC Director Dr.Mehdi Khajeh Piri, and the Regional Director of NIMC for South Indian States, Ali Niroomand.
