Iran’s mosques and architecture in full color

The most spectacular Islamic religious architecture and interior design is something few westerners have experienced. Especially when it comes to countries with travel warnings, such as Iran. Mohammed Reza Domiri changes that, at least a bit, with extraordinary photography. Using an extreme wide-angle lens, the young Iranian unveils a world of color, geometry, and beauty we can only dream of.

Just 23-years-old, Domiri is a physics student in Iran who has a deep passion for photography. His architecture photography is particularly outstanding, and he is lucky to have incredible subjects throughout Iran – from Shiraz to Isfahan and beyond.

While contemporary Iranian architecture is evolving in a completely different direction – like this home with rotating rooms – historical mosques, baths and palaces reveal a reverence of detail that won’t be seen in even the most flamboyant new structures these days.

Perfect arches, soaring columns, mind-blowing mosaics and stained glass windows that play with light in the most sublime, ethereal way – these are all brought into stunning view with immaculately framed and exposed photography

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Anyone who has ever tried architecture photography understands how difficult it is to capture the essence of a building.

But for Domiri, it’s part of the fun. An astute student of light, the artist often takes several shots of once scene and then pieces them together in order to reveal the bigger picture for his viewer. Seriously, I can’t say enough about this work, except that you should seek more of it out for yourself.

Adding to the exclusive nature of these images is the fact that photography is widely considered taboo in Islamic holy spaces. Somehow Domiri, so young and yet so talented, has transcended the taboo – perhaps because he can obviously be trusted to convey his subjects with the utmost respect.

I visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi earlier this year as part of a media tour Green Prophet was invited on, with Masdar City, and while it is considered one of the most spectacular mosques in the world, I did not capture any photos even remotely as awesome as these!

:: Mohammed Reza Domiri Ganji