TEHRAN – The expansion of relations between Iran and the University of Vienna was discussed during a meeting in Vienna on Monday.
The meeting was held at the Iranian cultural attaché’s office between Markus Ritter, the dean of the newly established department of Islamic art history at the Institute of Art History at the University of Vienna, and Iranian cultural attaché Alireza Malekian, the Persian service of IRNA reported on Tuesday.
Ritter said that he will lead a group of students during a visit to Iran this year and added, “We also plan to hold an exhibition of photos in Vienna dating back to the Qajar era.”
“Iran is a forerunner of the art of photography among the Islamic nations and has a rich collection of photos, which is unique in the Middle East,” Ritter stated.
He said that Iranian architecture and painting are taught at the department of Islamic art history and added, “We have the honor of establishing the first department of Islamic art history in our university among the German-speaking nations.”
The department is ready to grant admissions to Ph.D. students if Iran provides scholarships to them, Ritter said.
Malekian said that Iran is ready to help the department boost its capabilities.
Ritter is a historian of Islamic art working at the Institute of Iranian Studies, Centre for Studies in Asian Cultures and Social Anthropology, Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna.
He has taught at different universities in Germany and Austria. He is also the co-founder and vice-president of the Ernst Herzfeld Society for Studies in Islamic Art and Archaeology.
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