Leila Qodratollahi-Fard, Photographer at the Tehran Times

Vibrant wedding ceremonies in Turkmen Sahra

TEHRAN — Iranian Turkmen are an ethnic community living in Turkmen Sahra region which includes northern and northeastern parts of the country, mainly Golestan, North Khorasan, and Khorasan Razavi provinces. Turkmen wedding ceremonies are flamboyant, eye-catching and filled with authentic traditional customs preserved and passed down from generation to generation. Turkmen consider marriage as an important social and economic dimension to their lives. They believe marriage and child bearing would make their families and tribes more powerful. The photos below depict a rainbow-like wedding ceremony held in Raz and Jargalan, North Khorasan province. MQ/MG