GREAT PHOTOJOURNALISM

Great Photojournalism

Jacob Ehrbahn

Daily life, Iran

Daily life, Iran. March 2009.

View of Esfahan, Iran.

Street scene from Qom, the second most holy city in Iran.

Iranian wrestlers train in a heated gym to shed the last pounds before weighing in for the wrestling meet "Yadegar Imam Cup" in Qom, Iran.

A widow begs on one of the famous bridges in Esfahan.

Blacksmith in Esfahan.

Men read newspapers on a street corner in Qom, the second most holy city in Iran.

People leaving the most important of the many religious sites in Qom after Friday prayers. The shrine and mosque complex is home to The Holy Shrine of Hazrat-é Ma'sumeh, a mausoleum dedicated to Fatimah Masumeh, the daughter of the 7th Imam and sister of the Reza, the 8th Imam. People travel from afar to this holy site every Friday. Qom, Iran, March 2009.

A family enjoys a picnic on a square outside the holiest mosque in Qom. People travel from afar to this holy site every Friday. Qom, Iran, March 2009.

Shoe salesmen in a bazaar in Qom, the second most holy city in Iran.

The fountain on Imam Square in Esfahan is decalcified before the influx of visitors that come to city to celebrate the Iranian new year on March 21. The square, with its ancient palaces and mosques, is listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

In a men's club in Qom, a group of men practice Mil, a technique for swinging clubs that is more than 1000 years old. The practice promotes flexibility and strength and is part of a more extensive ritual that purifies body and soul. Accompanied by drums, people dance and sing in an eight-sided hole, a so called Zorkhaneh.

Street scene from Qom, Iran.