A complete archive of Azarabadegan, a Turkic newspaper published in Tabriz from 1949 to 1978, was gifted by Abdollah Zehtabi, chief editor and managing director of the daily, to the Central Library of the city.

The 30-year archive in 55 volumes was delivered last week to the library in East Aazarbaijan, LISNA reported on its Persian website.

Director general of East Azarbaijan libraries, Shahram Khodaee expressed gratitude for Zehtabi’s gift and said, “Such acts will help researchers have first-hand sources when studying a specific period in history”.

Regarding the significance of the newspaper’s three-decade work, Khodaee said, “through its pages one can explore the major political developments such as nationalization of the oil industry in 1951, and the pattern of events leading to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.”

Zehtabi, 94, started journalism at a young age. His approach in Azarabadegan was to promote independence and freedom of the country from the East and West.

“I was always anxious about the fate of the archives. Now that I’ve given them to the Central Library, I can rest assured that they will be preserved as historical documents in the best possible manner.”