Iran Culture House, Mumbai Director Visits “Haste Likhit” Exhibition at St. Xavier’s College

Mumbai, September 10, 2026: Mohammad Reza Fazel, Cultural Attaché of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Mumbai, visited the “Haste Likhit” Exhibition of Manuscripts and Ancient Coins at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, on September 10, 2026.

The three-day exhibition, held from September 9 to 11, 2026, was organized in collaboration with the Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology and the institution’s research centre. The exhibition presented a diverse range of manuscripts, inscriptions, scripts and ancient coins, highlighting important aspects of India’s written, linguistic, historical and numismatic heritage. Students played an active role in preparing and presenting the exhibits under the academic guidance of Professor Dr. Anita Rane Kothare.

During the visit, Professor Rane Kothare welcomed the Iranian cultural representative and explained the objectives and significance of the exhibition. She expressed her appreciation for the cooperation and cultural support extended by the Cultural House of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Mumbai, including the presentation of two panels featuring the Behistun Inscriptions and a valuable book.

A dedicated section at the entrance of the exhibition showcased aspects of Iran’s cultural and historical heritage, accompanied by an acknowledgement of the Cultural House’s cooperation. The initiative reflected the shared academic and cultural interest of Iran and India in preserving their rich written and civilizational heritage.

The exhibition featured examples of writing and inscriptions associated with Old and Modern Persian, Urdu, Hindi, Modi, Ancient Egyptian and Hebrew, attracting particular interest from students and researchers of languages, manuscripts, archaeology and ancient civilizations. A supplementary booklet containing images and information about selected exhibits was also prepared for visitors and researchers.

The numismatics section displayed coins from different periods of Indian history, including items from private collections. Several Mumbai-based collectors participated in the exhibition and presented selected objects from their personal collections, with some being displayed publicly for the first time.

During the academic interaction, a digital copy of Indigenous and Local Games of Iran, a publication introducing 31 traditional games from different regions of Iran, was also shared with Professor Rane Kothare for the academic use of researchers and students of the Department of Archaeology and Indian Studies.

The visit provided an opportunity for meaningful interaction among cultural representatives, faculty members, researchers and students, while highlighting the potential for further academic cooperation in Persian studies, archaeology, manuscript studies, history, linguistics, folklore and cultural heritage preservation.