The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) has officially labelled the Iranian city of Mashhad as the 2017 Capital of Islamic Culture for the Asian region.

During a ceremony celebrating this event, Iran's Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Reza Salehi Amiri said that choosing Mashhad as the capital of Islamic culture for this year conveys a message of unity and solidarity in the Islamic world.

He added that Islam's core values of forgiveness and mercy have been defamed nowadays, which should give Muslims, worldwide, an incentive to work as one unit.

On her part, Deputy Director General of ISESCO Amina Al Hajri noted that Mashhad has offered so much to the Islamic cultural scene, hence, the naming.

ISESCO follows strict rules and guidelines when choosing a city to be name a Capital of Islamic Culture. The city should have a rich cultural history and great contributions to science and literature.

ISESCO picks three cities, annually, to become Capital of Islamic Culture at an Arab, African and regional levels.

Mashhad's celebration has been attended by Iranian officials and 250 cultural and political figures from 51 countries.

Kuwait has also joined this event with a delegation from National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature, universities, and cultural institutes