“Mellat Park”

The book, “Mellat Park”, published in summer 2015. This is an excerpt from the preface.

“The Iranian’s bond with nature has long been rooted deep in their history, culture and climate. In his book: The Story of Civilization, Will Durant remarks that from the Iranians’ perspective gardens have always been so mesmerizing in history. Ancient Iranians believed that old trees arise upon the death of goodwill people.  Iran’s hot and dry climate is without a doubt one of the key elements which have made the Iranians highly value green spaces.  Throughout the country’s history, dynasties and governments have been struggling to find and employ new methods to efficiently preserve and consume limited water reservoirs; hence, satisfy the needs of cities and villages under their command, and create or sustain already available trees and plants. Inevitably,Parks, this new socio-political phenomenon was imported to Iran from the European countries. The imported word “park” (The same word in Persian language) became frequent at this time. In the mid 1960s in Mashhad, to address people’s need for green spaces, “Mellat Park” (the park of the nation) was debuted as a holiday resort as vast as 70 hectares in the country side around the city.

Specifically since 50 years ago, Mashhad (one of the biggest city in Iran) has experienced rapid growth; as a result, this huge, flat garden, which was once in the suburbs, is now located in the center of this metropolis. Besides the park’s location, its function changed too from just being a natural holiday resort to a place which warmly welcomes the new and complex expectations of its dwellers.

People’s constant visit to particular areas in this garden, has helped shape variety of hangouts which in turn have created new identities for these areas. Large-scaled gardens still present their unique vegetation which makes it ideal for peace-and-quiet seekers who want to be away from the hustle and bustle of cities for just a while. You could say that gardens today are considered a backyard for major cities; they could represent a green gateway to their lifestyle, social values, micro cultures, and the complex story of all those who have stepped in it.

This project is the result of a long term photography project (2011 – 2014) focusing on the current position of Mellat Park as one of the oldest yet biggest reformed parks in Iran. Early down the road, my beloved father passed away. Those days, I always carried my camera, yet I spent most of my time living in the park. It took a while and I became like thousands who took refuge here; I became part of its life. It was then that I slowly began to perceive: endless commute of people, gardeners’ tireless efforts to keep one and only big green heart of the city alive, those who found a cozy corner, hangouts for senior citizens, athletes, students, ducks, and even crows who each has found its territory somewhere in the park, a couple whose first ever date happened by the trunk of the oldest tree and finally those who slept in the park at night and never woke up again to read the morning newspapers’ headlines.”