BEHIND THE SCENES - PART II : ABYANEH (IRAN)

Abyaneh s located at the foot of Karkas Mountain, 70 kilometers southeast of Kashan in Isfahan province, in Iran.The village’s remote location and isolation have helped preserve the culture and tradition of its founders. Many elderly residents speak Middle Persian, an earlier incarnation of Farsi that largely disappeared some centuries ago. The local clothing is another example of great antiquity. The women's traditional costume typically consists of a white long scarf with colourful floral design, which completely covers their hair and shoulders. They also wear colourful dresses, along with a special pair of pants. In winter, a velvet vest is added to this outfit.

I discovered this place seeing some postcards in local travel agency showing the local women wearing traditional clothes, and I immediately understood that going there was a unique opportunity to shoot very suggestive pics. When I went to Abyaneh, I was the only tourist. My desire was to take many photographs to local women, especially close-ups. But this was not possible: it is very difficult to take pictures of Iranian women with their consent, perhaps because of their Islamic religion and their culture, which requires women not to show their image in public. However, the picture above I took (with a medium-telephoto lens) actually satisfied me, because it shows both women in their traditional costumes, both part of the town which is really a fascinating place almost out of time.