My Project
In 1976, I – Annabelle, a British woman – moved to Iran with my Iranian husband Ali.
We lived and worked in Tehran where we enjoyed a wide circle of cosmopolitan friends of many nationalities.
An inveterate snapper, I took a lot of photographs which provide an interesting record of a unique period – 1978-1979 – when a population mobilised into revolution. There are an especially large number of images of women who played a significant role in the political mobilization.
Forty years on, I hope these images serve as a reminder of how the Iranian Revolution happened and what an important process it was, with enormous impact inside the country and outside. These images might also help make Iranians seem a little more familiar to Western eyes
Our Story
Ali and I lived with our daughter Sara in north Tehran, in walking distance of the Tajrish bazaar. We rented the top floor of an old house that had a lovely high-walled garden with old persimmon trees. The flat had a funny sitz bath, coloured lights around the living room ceiling and a big balcony that overlooked the garden.
Sometimes we drove down to Isfahan where Ali’s extensive family lived. I really enjoyed meals sitting around the sofre (the tablecloth) with three generations, eating the delicious food that Ali’s mother – Kuchek-begum, otherwise known as Mama-khanoom – had been preparing all day, her work including shopping, cleaning herbs, grinding sugar and cooking.
Family Life
Ali and I lived with our daughter Sara in north Tehran, in walking distance of the Tajrish bazaar.
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Rural Life
Back then, the majority of the population was rural, with 64,000 villages. Only in 2008 did the urban population reach 50%. Many people were quite poor while stories of the "one thousand families" who were rich and powerful circulated widely.
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People Mobilise
Street protests began in January 1978. If individuals were killed, the seventh and fortieth days became part of Shi'ite public mourning and renewed protests. The autumn of 1978 saw renewed vigour in public protest, escalating during Muharram, December 1978. While predominantly urban, the demonstrators came from all classes. Differences in style and political discourses were evident.
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Revolting Women
Different groups of women were active in demonstrations. It was suggested that some came on to the streets through the inducements of bags of rice or tins of oil. To begin with, many women on demonstrations were bare-headed but as the movement took on a more Islamic tone, women were required to cover our heads on demonstrations. At some demonstrations, men formed a ring of protection around the women protestors.
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Walls tell a Story
As the political movement began to grow, so people discovered new tools to use to make their voices heard. City walls became a political canvas, with stencil art, posters, graffiti, bloody handprints producing a multi-layered wall hanging. Nightly, state services would come out and paint over much of the day's work, only for new slogans to have appeared by morning.
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End Times
The end times were confusing. Vans and cars overflowing with young men waving guns and bandages would zoom down Tehran streets in one direction. Then the equivalent would zoom down in the opposite direction. Army trucks appeared with soldiers often waving to the crowds in solidarity. Rumours abounded yet information was scarce.
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After The Revolution
Politics did not end at the point of revolution although the new regime would have been pleased if everyone had just gone back to work. There were some highly significant events, including International Womens Day in March 1979 and the take-over of the American Embassy in November 1979.
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Evolution of Islamic Dress
These photographs show the evolution of different kinds of hijab for women. Across these images, one gets a good sense of how women's dressing changed under the Islamic Republic.
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Later Visits
Ali, Sara and I left Iran in March 1980. We only felt secure once the plane had taken off. I didn’t return until the summer of 1983 when I took both our daughters, Sara and Leili, to visit the family in Isfahan. Ali only returned some nine years after he had left.
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