TEHRAN – An online photo exhibition titled “14 Elegies” was launched on Friday at the Artibition website, marking the 43rd anniversary of the Liberation of Khorramshahr.

The exhibition features works by the war and documentary photographer Alfred Yaghobzadeh. It has been curated in collaboration with the photographer Ramesh Lahiji, ILNA reported.

“An elegy, in the dictionary, refers to a combination of lament and grandeur, and sometimes even carries a musical undertone - much like the Liberation of Khorramshahr and the images from that time that place us on a fine line between the glory of resistance and freedom, and the sorrow of destruction left behind,” the statement for the exhibition reads.

“At times, language fails to express the lived experiences of people during and after war, and in such moments, images carry the weight of documenting those experiences for history. That is why everything, rich in detail and carried along a silent rhythm, is captured in Alfred Yaghobzadeh’s works on the ‘Liberation of Khorramshahr,’ fulfilling the meaning of the word elegy,” it continued.

“Many unforgettable images have been formed during the difficult days and turning points of contemporary history in Iran and the world. However, the works stemming from the ‘Liberation of Khorramshahr,’ due to their timing and the significant role this event plays in our history, are featured in this exhibition.”

Born in Tehran to an Armenian-Assyrian family, Alfred Yaghobzadeh, 67, is noted for his war photography. He has captured enduring images from some of the most significant political and historical moments in contemporary Iran and the world.

His photographs in Iran during the 1979 Islamic Revolution and during the Iran–Iraq War led to his work for the Associated Press, Gamma, and Sygma news agencies.

Since 1983, Yaghobzadeh has photographed for the Sipa Press. His photos have also appeared in Time, Newsweek, Stern, Paris Match, El País, and GEO.

Yaghobzadeh has covered armed conflicts and wars in Cuba, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Somalia, the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and the Lebanese Civil War. In Lebanon, he was wounded and taken hostage, and in Chechnya, he was wounded by a tank shell. He was also injured while covering the Egyptian Revolution of 2011.

He has also explored the release of repressed Christianity in Eastern Europe following the collapse of communism. Published as Christianity around the World, he documented religious rites and rituals in 24 countries over the course of a decade.

Yaghobzadeh has published three photo books: “War Iran-Iraq,” “Faces of War” and “Promised Peace”. He has also won several prestigious photograph awards including the World Press Photo Award, the American Overseas Press Club Award, three Angers awards in France, and serving twice as a judge at the World Press Photo contest.

The Liberation of Khorramshahr was the Iranian recapture of the city of Khorramshahr on May 24, 1982, during the Iran–Iraq War. The city had been captured by the Iraqis earlier in the war, on October 26, 1980, shortly after the Iraqi invasion of Iran. The successful retaking of the city was part of Iran's Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas. It is perceived as a turning point in the war, and the liberation of the city is annually celebrated in Iran on May 24.

In retaking Khorramshahr, the Iranians captured approximately 19,000 soldiers from a now-demoralized Iraqi Army. Saddam Hussein was shocked and infuriated by the defeat and by the fact that the Iranians had pushed on despite sustaining heavy casualties. The Iranians had even committed their reserves in order to keep on driving back the Iraqis. After the defeat, Saddam Hussein executed several of his top generals

The “14 Elegies” online exhibition will run on the Artibition website until June 2.

SS/SAB