Voices of South Azerbaijan: City Council Rejects Turkish Name 'Ana' for Bridge, Citing Legal Requirement for Farsi Names

City Council Rejects Turkish Name 'Ana' for Bridge, Citing Legal Requirement for Farsi Names

Voice of America, May 27, 2018

In a public survey conducted regarding the naming of a bridge built in the Gulshahr neighbourhood of Zanjan, many people favored the name "Ana." However, the spokesperson for the City Council pointed out that the name "Ana" was not per the law.

The City Council spokesperson's statements were published in a semi-official Farsi news agency.

“According to Article 5 of the law on naming public spaces and passages in Iran, only Farsi names can be accepted to preserve and strengthen the country’s political and cultural unity, as well as to protect national identity,” stated Sajjad Khodaei.

He stated that the Turkish word "Ana" does not comply with this law.

The spokesperson also mentioned, “'Ana' is a Turkish word, and it caught attention during our meeting. In Zanjan, it would have been a good choice in terms of paying attention to and preserving our native language. However, it is not in accordance with the law. This is not just for Zanjan; it is the same everywhere.”

Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Şəhər Şurası: ‘Ana’ adı qanuna uyğun deyil, məkan adları farsca olmalıdır

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