Oral History News of December-January 2026

Compiled by Iranian Oral History Website
Translated by Fazel Shirzad

2026-2-12

Note: According to the Iranian Oral History website, its "Monthly News" series reports on relevant news from print and digital media. Below are highlights from December-January 2026:

►At the closing ceremony of the 18th Jalal Al-e Ahmad Literary Award, the book "Qasem" by Morteza Sarhangi, published by Khat-e Moghadam, was selected as the best work in the documentary writing section. This book, a work of contemporary oral history and memoir writing, narrates the life and activities of Martyr Haj Qasem Soleimani. It is not a classical biography but is structured around documented narratives, interviews, and reconstructed situations, aiming to provide a stage-by-stage portrait of General Soleimani's personal and social life.

►The project to compile and document the contemporary oral history of the Varamin Plain (covering Varamin, Pardis, Qarchak, and Pishva counties) was launched during Research Week. The project aims to record the influential social, cultural, and historical events and narratives of the region.

►A critique and review session was held for the oral history book "Alone between Sky and Earth," which contains the memoirs of Sacred Defense veteran Ahmad Abdolmohammadzadeh. Attendees included writers, professors specializing in Sacred Defense studies, and the Director-General for Preserving the Works and Publishing the Values of Sacred Defense and Resistance in Ardabil Province.

◄ Dr. Abolfazl Hassanabadi, speaking at a series of meetings titled "In Search of Mashhad's Lost Identity" (specifically the session on "Mashhad's Local History and Territorial Knowledge"), stated that Mashhad possesses the largest urban oral history archive in Asia, with over 15,000 hours of dedicated interviews. The event was held in cooperation with the Islamic Research Foundation of Astan Quds Razavi and the National Library and Archives of Iran, East Region.

►A meeting on "Assessing the State of Women's Oral History in Qom" was held at the conference hall of the management of Jamiat al-Zahra, with the participation of officials from Jamiat al-Zahra, the Islamic Revolution Documentation Center, and the Seminary Documentation Center.

►Coinciding with the inauguration of the international Tochal Ski Resort, the oral history documentary of Tochal was unveiled. It narrates over five decades of managerial, technical, and human experience of the complex. By compiling oral narratives and numerous interviews, the work depicts the formation, development, and transformations of Tochal, showing how one of the country's most prominent tourism and sports complexes was formed and progressed.

►The Commander of the Alborz Province IRGC, referring to the collection of over 4,000 wills and documents related to the province's martyrs, stated that this valuable collection not only preserves the oral history and identity of Alborz martyrs but also provides a rare opportunity to transfer the culture of sacrifice and resistance to the province's youth.

►The seventh session of the "Yad" (Memory) Oral History series was held at the Nagarestan of Imam Khomeini (RA) in Isfahan to honor Professor Hasanali Zehtab. Memoirs were shared by Seyed Mahmoud Mousavi, a veteran of the Islamic Revolution. Attendees included the Governor of Isfahan, the Deputy Political Governor, members of the City Council, cultural and artistic managers, and a group of Revolution veterans.

►The implementation of the valuable project "Documents of Honor," involving the recording of oral history interviews with veterans of Markazi Province, continues. The goal is to document and preserve the memories of sacrifice, dedication, and resistance of Sacred Defense combatants.

►The Head of the Islamic Revolution Documentation Center, in a meeting with the Director-General of Qom Province's Broadcasting, emphasized the necessity of media coverage for the "15th Oral History Conference," which focuses on culture and religion.

►General Raufinejad, Commander of the 7th Vali-e Asr Brigade during the Sacred Defense, emphasized during the unveiling ceremony of his oral history book that documenting the brigade's performance during the Sacred Defense will undoubtedly be useful and applicable for future generations.

►A conference for commanders of units and battalions of the Special 25th Karbala Division during the Sacred Defense was held at the Babolsar Cultural-Educational Complex, focusing on writing about battles, units, and collecting oral history.

►The oral history project of Ayatollah Seyed Ali Shafiei, a member of the Assembly of Experts and a well-known scientific and executive personality, remained unfinished following his passing after years of sincere efforts in the path of religion, the Revolution, and serving the people.

►Based on decisions by the scientific and executive committees of the 15th Oral History Conference titled "Oral History of Culture and Religion," it has been finalized that eight specialized pre-sessions will be held before the main conference. Four sessions have already been held in Qom and Tehran during December and January, titled "Jurisprudence and Oral History," "Hypothesis in Oral History," "Assessing the State of Women's Oral History," and "Digital Archives and Libraries in the Information Age."

►The Governor of Gilan, at a ceremony honoring veteran Gilani poet Zahra Siavash Abkenari, emphasized the importance of documenting the oral history of artists and intellectuals. He stated that narrating the lives of cultural figures is an enduring asset for Gilan's contemporary history and paves the way for producing distinguished artistic works.

►Ahmadreza Khazri, in a critique session for the book "University, Society, and Knowledge," stated that while Western scholars trace the genre of oral history in historiography back to 1948, he claims with evidence that oral history in Iranian-Islamic historiography dates back hundreds of years.

►The oral history book of the Sacred Defense, titled "Narrated by Hojj al-eslam  Abdullah Haj-Sadeghi" (the Supreme Leader's representative in the Qods Headquarters), written by Alireza Movahedi Alavi, was published by the Center for Documentation and Research of Sacred Defense Teachings.

►According to the news headquarters of the "Oral History of Culture and Religion" conference, approximately 30 articles were submitted to its secretariat. Of these, 22 articles were approved by reviewers and will proceed to the judging stage. Most articles focus on the role of women in revolutionary struggles and social activism, with an emphasis on the field of oral history.

►The Deputy of Research at the Makab-e Narges Scientific Research Institute, regarding the 15th Congress of Virtuous Contemporary Women (honoring Ostad Ta'ahi), stated that the goal of the congress is to introduce outstanding, civilization-building Muslim female role models in oral history.

►On the radio program "Young Podcasters Club" on Radio Javan, the 28th episode of the "Radio Chahar Na'l" podcast referenced the oral history of Iranian horse racing. This narrative is formed from memories of horse racing competitions between 1943 and 1948, passed down orally from the late Colonel Masoud Shakeeb to today's generation.