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
Related: The world’s most beautiful mosque in Malaysia is vulnerable to rising seas
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!
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
Thanks Greenprophet and Tafline for the great Article .
I really enjoyed reading every line of it 🙂
wish you have a good time , Peace and Success