**The Awe and Excitement of the Members of the Mumbai Museum Association Regarding the Rich Cultural Heritage of Iran**

With the Guidance of the Cultural House of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Mumbai, the Mumbai Museum Association and the Margoon Tour organized a trip to Iran for a group of professors and enthusiasts in the fields of archaeology, history, and linguistics. Despite media campaigns against our country, this group visited ancient sites, historical monuments, and museums in Tehran, Kashan, Shiraz, Yazd, and Isfahan, expressing their astonishment at the cultural and civilization richness of Iran.

The ten-member group travelled to our country from April 15 to April 23, 2025. During their visits to ancient and historical sites, they acknowledged that the civilization and culture of Iran are of a high calibre and possess a complete richness that cannot be compared to any other civilization, each with its own unique wonders.

In addition to exploring ancient sites, the group became acquainted with Iranian cuisine, poets, scholars, and thinkers, as well as the handicrafts and arts of various regions in Iran, particularly carpets, kilims, and mina work. Throughout their journey, members sent beautiful images and videos of Iran to their acquaintances, friends, and colleagues, which sparked interest in travelling to Iran.

Immediately after returning to India, one of the group members, Dr. Anita Rane Kotare, the head of the History Department at St. Xavier's College in Mumbai, requested the establishment of a memorandum of understanding between the History Department and the Cultural House of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Mumbai. She also expressed hope that courses in both ancient and modern Persian language would be officially taught at the college.

Dr. Anita Ran Kotare is a distinguished figure, an archaeologist, professor, and head of the Culture and Archaeology and Ancient Indian History group at St. Xavier's College, which is the top college among those in Mumbai. Dr. Kotare has also served as the vice president of the Mumbai Museum Association and the president of the Local History Association of Mumbai.

Other members of this group included Mr. Mudit Jain, a member of the executive committee of the Mumbai Museum Association; Shailesh Shirsagar, a teacher of ancient Iranian languages; Ms. Nayanna Tedwalkar, an art historian, museum specialist, and expert in historical research and cultural heritage; and Ms. Sharmila Fadke, a writer, journalist, and art critic based in Mumbai.