Born on 22 December 1950 (1329/10/1 in the Iranian calendar) in Yasugand, a district of Bijar.
Diploma in Literature from Darolfonoon High School, Tehran, 1971.
Studied at Southampton University of Arts, England.
Bachelor’s degree in Painting from the University of Arts, 1976.
Master’s degree in Graphic Design from the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, 1983.
PhD in Iranian and Islamic Painting awarded by the Supreme Council of Culture and Art of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Recipient of the Gold Medal from the 1987 World Exhibition in Algeria.
Selected as Khadem-e Quran (Servant of the Quran) in 2001.
Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in the field of Culture and Arts, 1983.
Chosen as “Painting in Master World” by the World Organization of Culture and Arts in 2011.
Simultaneously with the global registration of Persian miniature painting, his name was registered as a “Living Human Treasure” by UNESCO in 2020.
Recipient of the first Hakim Nezami International Award from the Iran National Commission for UNESCO, 2021.
Exhibitions:
England: 1975, 1998
Hungary: 1972
Pakistan: 1982
Bangladesh: 1983
Algeria: 1987
Canada: 1988, 1989
USA (Seattle): 1990
China: 1989, 1998
Tajikistan: 1989
Azerbaijan Republic: 1989
Malaysia: 1998
Switzerland (Geneva): 1999
Cyprus: 2000
India: 2002
South Africa (Pretoria, Cape Town): 2003
USA (Los Angeles, Virginia 2003, Texas)
New York, Washington: 2001
Japan: 2003
Turkey: 2002
Rome, Italy: 2007 (1386 in Iranian calendar)
Kuwait: 2007 (1386 in Iranian calendar)
Greece: 2009
Judged the Islamic Arts Festival, United Arab Emirates, in the years 2009, 2010, and 2011.
Judged the International Festival of Algeria in 2009.
Exhibited in Seoul, South Korea, in 2012.
Judge of the Illumination and Book Art Competitions in the United Arab Emirates in 2009 and 2011 (1388 and 1390 in the Iranian calendar).
Illustrations:
Numerous illustrated works including Divan of Hafez, Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, the Holy Quran, Golestan and Boostan, and the Ghazals of Saadi, Rubaiyat of Khayyam, Khamsa of Nezami, Iranian folkloric songs, Stories of the Prophets, Mother’s Book, poems and ghazals of Shams (Rumi), The Book of Heroes and Heroism, Divan of Rudaki Samarkandi, Divan of Bedil Dehlavi, Shahnameh published by Gooya, and pen-and-ink designs, among others.
Teaching experience at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Alzahra University, and Azad University. Instructor in carpet design, tile design, miniature painting, and painting.
Secretary of the 4th Iranian Miniature Biennial.
President of the Iranian Miniature Association.
Several works preserved in the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tehran, the Martyrs’ Museum, the National Bank Museum, private collections in Iran and abroad, and the Iranian Parliament.
