SHAYAN HAJINAJAF, IRAN
IRAN: THEIR ONLY MONUMENTS ARE THOSE IN GRAVEYARDS
They neither started the war nor could they even begin to understand what caused it. With his photos of gravestones in the city of Dezful, Iranian photographer Shayan Hajinajaf reminds us of what can be said about children in wars everywhere.
© Shayan Hajinajaf, Iran (Freelance Photographer)
During the Iran-Iraq War (1980–88), Iraqi bombers flew 172 attacks on the Iranian city in Khuzestan province; at least 240 children died in the attacks. They are among hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties on both sides of this insane war that ranks among the longest and bloodiest conflicts of the 20th century.
And while we seem to drown under layers and layers of news stories about current wars, Shayan Hajinajaf wanted to remind us once more of this tragedy, which is far from over for the relatives of these children. And he wanted to show that the faces of the boys and girls on his pictures could also be those of today’s Syrian, Afghan or Yemeni children.
Curriculum Vitae: Shayan Hajinajaf (Freelance Photographer)
© Shayan Hajinajaf