Lone woman in an abandoned Iranian mosque praying

Woman Alone in the Mosque - Iran
Woman alone in an Iranian mosque
Woman alone in a Iranian mosque

Why pray in an abandoned mosque?

Keep in mind this was 2007 when the USA was saber rattling against Iran and calling it the “axis of evil”. Strong words for a country filled with some of the nicest people you will meet on your travels.

This mosque in Eastern Iran was huge. Not one of those fancy stone ones but a warehouse type one. Complete with massive air conditioners (Iranian style). The door was ajar, so I went in.

The story behind this photograph

Iran is a fascinating country to visit. It’s relatively cut off from the rest of the world. The people are highly educated but live under an oppressive government. I found access to just about everything was not a problem so long as one is respectful.

In this case I saw this huge old warehouse like mosque. Inside was a vast empty space with rays of sunlight beaming through light dust from the roof above. It was bright in the middle but everywhere else lay in shadow.

I circled around my unexpected find. There was nothing here other than a few dusty and broken tables. Air conditioning units were everywhere but equally caked in dust.

There were people nearby. I could here voices. The sounds of opening and closing doors. But nothing close by. Then she was there.

A lady hunched over in her black burka. I thought she was cowering in fright or ill health for a while. But then her head bowed down it became obvious she was praying.

Interestingly there was a small rack of religious items beside her. I wondered if she was vendor, a caretaker or just a woman of solitude. I left her in peace.


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Woman alone in an Iranian mosque

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