Oral History News – August-September 2025

Translated by Kianoush Borzouei

2025-10-13

According to the Iranian Oral History Website, the series titled “Monthly Reports” offers an overview of news related to the field of oral history as reflected in print and digital media. The following items summarize key developments from Auguest-September 2025.

◄ During the Twentieth Commemoration of the Literature of Jihad and Resistance, held alongside the national event “Azadegan of Iran” in honor of the country’s liberated prisoners of war—particularly the late Seyyed Ali-Akbar Aboutorabi-Fard, known as the “Seyyed of the Freed”—the Supreme Leader’s written note on the book Pasyad-e Pesar-e Khāk was unveiled on Friday, August 29, 2025, in Qazvin.

◄ In a note published by IBNA News Agency, Hojjat al-Islam Saeed Fakharzadeh, Director of the Office of Islamic Revolution Achievements, wrote:
“Pasyad-e Pesar-e Khāk, despite its multiplicity of narrators and numerous references, demonstrates the author’s conscientious adherence to the narrative tone of its storytellers, resulting in a cohesive and fluent prose that renders the reading experience both engaging and enjoyable.”

◄ The Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, speaking at the Fourth Ceremony Honoring Enduring Figures of Cultural Heritage, announced that “the oral histories of great figures in culture and art are being recorded and preserved to ensure their permanence in history.”

◄ The Director General of the Office for the Preservation and Publication of Sacred Defense Values in Qazvin Province, during a consultative meeting with poets and writers of the Sacred Defense, stated that the office has in recent years implemented serious initiatives for the recording, documentation, and publication of the province’s wartime oral histories.

◄ The launch ceremony for the book Organized Disorganized Boys—an oral narrative featuring the testimonies of twenty officials from Martyr Chamran’s Irregular Warfare Headquarters—was held on September 2, 2025, at the National Museum of the Islamic Revolution and Sacred Defense.

◄ The Head of the Women’s Seminaries of Alborz Province emphasized that oral history remains one of the neglected domains of cultural work, adding: “If we fail to document the detailed and human dimensions of the Revolution and the Resistance, others will narrate—and distort—them.”

◄ Sahar Daneshvar, a women’s studies researcher, told the IRIB that the role of women in publishing—particularly in oral history—has become increasingly prominent in recent years, both as authors and narrators, and as central figures within historical accounts.

◄ The Head of the Organization for Basij Construction announced ongoing efforts to record the oral history of Jihad in Ferdows, noting that the book “Ferdows Once Again” captures part of the area’s recollections, with preparations for the second volume already underway.

◄ The Deputy for Education at the Institute of Fiqh Heritage of Khorasan stated that the institute, through its focus on archival documents and the oral histories of Islamic scholars, is creating a new foundation for advancing seminary-based research in jurisprudence and biographical studies.

◄ The Office for the Preservation and Dissemination of Sacred Defense Values in Amol County reported that oral histories and memoirs of over 50 combatants and 90 parents of martyrs have been recorded by specialized working groups.

◄ The Director General of Sports and Youth in Qom Province announced the commencement of a comprehensive project to collect and compile the oral history of sports in Qom, emphasizing its national importance and urgency.

◄ The Acting Director of the Cultural, Social, and Sports Organization of Qom town announced the publication of five volumes of oral histories of Qom’s historic neighborhoods, including Masjed Jameh, Eshghali, Bāgh-Panbeh, Alvandieh, and Chehel-Akhtaran. He noted that these areas, long overlooked, are integral to the city’s historical identity and that their documentation marks “a step toward rediscovering the identity of Qom’s old quarters and transmitting it to future generations.”

◄ The Director General of the Sacred Defense Documentation Office of South Khorasan Province stated that over 1,800 documents related to the Sacred Defense have been collected, and work is underway on compiling the oral history of the people and governmental institutions of the province during the war.

◄ The Head of the Martyrs and Veterans Affairs Foundation of Kermanshah Province announced that the oral history of the province’s martyrs of courage—those who fell during the twelve-day war—will be documented and published by the end of this year.

◄ An Oral History Session was convened with the participation of directors responsible for archives, literature, and women’s publications at the Central Province’s Office for the Preservation of Sacred Defense Values.

◄ The Head of the Oral History Committee in Amol’s Office for the Preservation of Sacred Defense Values reported that, in cooperation with the Martyrs and Veterans Foundation of Amol, interviews have been conducted with 93 martyr families, encompassing 117 parents of fallen heroes.

◄ The Governor of Kermanshah Province, underscoring the need for a more comprehensive introduction of the province’s war memorials and oral histories, lamented that “the true significance of Kermanshah’s wartime role has yet to be properly conveyed.”

◄ A joint meeting between Islamic Azad University and the Khuzestan Water and Power Organization was held to formalize a research contract on the oral history of the organization.

◄ The Director General of the Sacred Defense Documentation Office of Yazd Province announced the recording of over 120 hours of oral histories of Islamic combatants in the province.

◄ The Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance remarked that the “Āshiqlār music” tradition represents “the voice of the people’s art—an art form that, throughout history, has preserved the oral culture of this land.”

◄ The President of the National Library and Archives of the Islamic Republic of Iran expressed appreciation to the Governor of East Azerbaijan for initiating the Oral History of Azerbaijan Project, aimed at documenting and compiling the province’s collective memory.