OMM Newsroom
Armenian-Iranian photographer and documentary photographer Herbert Karim-Masihi set out to present different periods of the country side by side in his book “Millennia of Iran,” AnewZ reports. The book was launched at the Honar Kohan Mana gallery in Tehran.
Karim-Masihi told AnewZ that after deciding to photograph Iran, he began working on the idea of connecting the country’s different millennia and showing them alongside one another. He said his aim was to convey to the world that this civilization had continued uninterrupted from its beginnings to the present day.
The photographer noted that climate, ethnic groups, geography, religions and denominations had contributed more to the continuity and unity of Iranian civilization than to its fragmentation. The book is part of the author’s research, travels, photography and documentary work on the country’s history.
Some 220 images were selected from around 3,000 to 4,000 for the publication. The gallery displayed a collection of photographs from the book and those selected for the exhibition.
Iran’s history in photographs
Ismail Baghaei, spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a special guest at the event, said Iran transcended notions of time and space, even geography. He said the land had lived through historic events and had always emerged proudly from periods of hardship and change.
Before the book’s launch at the gallery, it was officially presented at a ceremony in October at the National Museum of Iran’s Bank. The event at the bank’s museum, which sponsored the publication, was opened by Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Minister Seyed Reza Salehi-Amiri, who also wrote the book’s introduction.
One million historical monuments
Salehi-Amiri said at the ceremony that the country had one million historical monuments. Of these, 43,000 are nationally registered, 30 are listed by UNESCO, and documents for the registration of a further 58 monuments are under review.
“By accelerating the process of international registration of monuments, we can reach a position as a leading force in this field globally,” the minister added.
