For Meysam Hamrang, this image was years old. The Iranian photographer accepted it in 2019 at a religious ceremony in part of the historic city of Geran, northern Iran province.
“On the sixth day of Muharram (the first month of the Islamic calendar), Shia Muslims mourned the difficulties of Imam Hussein in a ceremony called Alam Bandan,” Hanlang said. “It was held in a 1,200-year-old shrine. People from surrounding villages gathered to attend or observe the ceremony.”
Masuleh's unique building, most buildings only have one or two floors, while the yard above one house forms the roof of the house below, allowing residents, locals and tourists to gather. “It’s always a passionate and solemn act,” he said.
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Hanlong said one of his goals with this image is to inspire curiosity. “I want to prompt my audience to ask, ‘What’s going on here?’ In today’s world, many traditional rituals may be forgotten.
He added: “I like this picture too because it wasn’t accidental.
