From September 26 to October 2, 2024, Deputy Director for External Relations, Candidate of Historical Sciences Zhomart Zhenis made a scientific trip to Tehran (Islamic Republic of Iran).

The trip was organized and supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Iran and the UNESCO Center for the Study of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Central Asia and the Middle East.

On September 28, 2024, a meeting was held with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Iran, O.S. Onalbayev. During the meeting, the Ambassador received greetings from Academician Z.E. Kabuldinov, Director General of the Ch.Ch. Valikhanov Institute of History and Ethnology, as well as books published by the Institute.

The Ambassador spoke about the current state of political, economic and cultural ties between Kazakhstan and Iran. In turn, we spoke in detail about the activities of the Valikhanov Institute of History and Ethnology. The Ambassador expressed his willingness to support the holding of joint scientific events and the publication of scientific research.

On September 29, 2024, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Tehran hosted a scientific conference, a cultural evening and an exhibition with the participation of Iranian and Kazakh scientists. Zhomart Zhenis made a presentation on the topic “The role of Khorasan in the spiritual and cultural processes of Central Asia”.

During the conference, a meeting was held with the head of the UNESCO Center for the Study of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Countries of Central Asia and the Middle East, Ms. A. Mumeni, during which information was provided on the activities of the Institute of History and Ethnology. Ms. Mumeni expressed her willingness to cooperate within the framework of scientific projects related to the civilization of nomads, the ecological views of the Turkic peoples and common elements of the traditional culture of Kazakhstan and Iran. The text of the memorandum of cooperation was given to her.

On September 30, 2024, a meeting was held at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Alame Tabatabai University with the Dean of the Faculty M. Habibi and teachers. Proposals were discussed, which received support from M. Habibi:

• Admission of 5 researchers from the Institute of History and Ethnology to Persian language courses for foreign students for a period of 3-6 months;
• Organization of short-term internships in archives and libraries of Iran;
• Joint publications of scientific journals, collections and monographs;
• Conducting joint scientific events (round tables, conferences, seminars).

On September 30, a meeting was also held at the Center for the Study of Cultural Heritage and Historical Figures of Iran. The Center reports directly to the Administration of the President of Iran and is a large state organization with scientific and financial capabilities. During the meeting, the following agreements were reached:

• Joint publications of scientific journals and monographs;
• Conducting joint scientific events;
• Implementation of projects dedicated to famous personalities of Kazakhstan (Farabi, Yassawi, Kenesary, Abylai, Abai, etc.);
• Creation of the Council of Oriental Iranian Scholars of Kazakhstan and the Center for the Study of Iran’s Cultural Heritage.

On October 1, 2024, the first meeting of the Association of Kazakh and Iranian Historians, established in 2023, took place. At the meeting, a report on joint activities was summarized and plans for the future were discussed.

The scientific trip to Iran was successful and in accordance with the plan. During the visit, 3 memoranda were signed, 4 books and one archival document were received.