In 2017, I visited Iran for the first time. At the time, I was studying Middle Eastern Studies, and out of curiosity I decided to go to Iran. What began as an exploration gradually turned into something more intentional: I started photographing with more purpose and developed my own style.

After graduating, I couldn’t find a job in my field that fitted me. Guided by my heart, I continued making photos. I returned to Iran several times and also visited with my camera Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan. I captured daily life by walking in the streets and talking to people. My work focuses on ordinary moments, the kind of moments that connect us.

During one of the art markets where I was selling my canvases, I created a small, low-quality book to present more of my fine art photography. To my surprise, many people asked if they could buy it. Because the quality and presentation did not reflect the value of the work, I decided to self-publish a high-quality book with an extended selection of photos. That book became Genesis.

Genesis is a coffee table book featuring fine art photos from the period in which I worked exclusively in Middle Eastern countries. The photos show the layers of society beneath politics. They portray everyday life, the way you and I experience it anywhere in the world, but set in places like Beirut, Erbil, Tabriz, and Nablus.

My aim, then and now, is to show the human side of people with dignity and grace, captured in a minimalistic and warm style.

Several fine art photos from Genesis were previously sold as wall art. Selfie at the Lake, made at Lake Urmia in Iran, is one of the most iconic photos and has received significant attention.

Evening Magic, photographed in Tehran, is widely appreciated and currently hangs in homes across Brazil, the USA, the UK, Japan, the Netherlands, Belgium, Israel, and Germany.

Blue Hour and Early Memories have frequently been selected for exhibitions.

I hope you love the book as much as I loved creating it.

Update 2026
All the photos in Genesis were taken during a period when conflicts were relatively limited. It’s painful to see that some of the places I photographed have since been damaged or destroyed by ongoing wars.

But what weighs heaviest is the uncertainty surrounding the lives of the generous people I met along the way. People who opened their doors to me and shared their stories. Knowing that many of them now face instability, danger, and loss is heartbreaking. May safety find its way back to them.