TEHRAN – A book containing photos of the funeral of the South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela was unveiled Monday during a ceremony at Tehran’s Negarestan Garden and Museum.

Entitled “Nelson Mandela Forever”, the book features photos taken by Iranian photographer Meysam Shahbabai, while he was attending the ceremony in the village of Qunu, where Mandella was buried on December 15, 2013, ten days after his death.

United Nations Information Center Director Maria Dotsenko, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati, and a number of South African diplomats attended the ceremony. 

A selection of photos was displayed in an exhibit set up in the courtyard of Negarestan to mark the birthday anniversary of Mandela.

The exhibition was also arranged in South Africa, France and the United States, Shahbabai said, adding, “When Mandela passed away, I made an effort to attend his funeral to take photos of the last days of Mandela. And today, concurrent with the anniversary of his birth, I decided to display the photos”.

Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years for defying the racist apartheid government that led South Africa for decades. He emerged from prison in 1990 and became South Africa’s first Black president four years later. 

Mandela died on December 5, 2013 at the age of 95 after months of struggling with an illness.

Photo: Culture Minister Ali Jannati (C) signs a poster for “Nelson Mandela Forever” during the unveiling ceremony of the book at Tehran’s Negarestan Garden and Museum on July 18, 2016. United Nations Information Center Director Maria Dotsenko (L) and Iranian photographer Meysam Shahbabai are also seen in the photo. (IRNA/Amin Jalali)

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