The artwork entitled “Girls of the Sayed Al-Shuhada School” was unveiled on Sunday at the Seyyed al-Shohada Girls’ School in Golshahr, a town near the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad with a population of Afghan refugees.

Qadirian, Mohammad-Mehdi Dadman, the director of the Art Bureau of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization, a number of teachers and the schoolmaster attended the unveiling ceremony of the artwork.

“Master Qadirian has dedicated his life to portraying his perception of the teachings of Islam, and deep Islamic thoughts have been presented in all of his works,” Dadman said in his brief speech at the ceremony.

“What has been portrayed in this artwork is also a great example, and this path has been opened with contributions from him and other artists of the Islamic Revolution,” he added.

“Now, it’s our duty to speak of and think about the artworks created by these artists, discovering their real meanings to present them to the world,” he noted.

In a short speech, Qadirian expressed his sympathy with the victims of the terrorist attack, and said, “I did the painting to calm the mothers of the martyrs.”

“I felt a deep sadness from this disaster, because I have many Afghan friends. Therefore I decided to represent my emotions through this artwork,” added Qadirian who received a nomination for the 2021 Islamic Revolution Artist of the Year.

Explosions on May 8 evening shook the neighborhood of Dasht-e-Barchi in the Afghan capital of Kabul, home to a large community of Shias from the Hazara ethnic minority, and claimed the lives of over 60 people, including schoolgirls.

Other Iranian artists, including Majid Majidi, expressed their sympathy with the victims of the terrorist attack.

Majidi also criticized the world for not speaking out against the bomb attack.

“I regret having to live in a time when justice is a meaningless word in this age of futility… I wish we had died and not seen the death of justice and humanity, and we would not have witnessed such tragic silence over the sad martyrdom of dozens of oppressed girls from the Afghan Hazara community,” he wrote in a statement published few days after the tragic event.

In addition, pianist Bardia Sadrenoori released a single titled “Afghan Child” in memory of the children killed in the terrorist attack.

He also wrote, “In a world that claims to protect human and children’s rights, the heart of every free human being aches when innocent and pure children with all their childhood aspirations are butchered in the worst possible way as a result of all the political games, inefficiencies, and the trading of death for personal interests.”

Photo: Abdolhamid Qadirian autographs a copy of his painting “Girls of the Sayed Al-Shuhada School” for a student after unveiling the original the Seyyed al-Shohada Girls’ School in Golshahr on July 18, 2021.  

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Based in New York, Farshchian frequently visits his hometown of Isfahan and says he is in love with the Zayandehrud River and the historical monuments of the city.

“When I come back again, I will do a painting of the river,” he told the Persian service of ISNA on his recent visit to Isfahan.

Once the largest river in the central plateau of Iran, the river has completely dried up over the past decade.

Iranian expert on deserts Parviz Kardavni believes that digging deep wells is the main reason behind the river’s demise. However, less rainfall and improper irrigation planning by authorities are some other reasons.

Farshchian, who has also met Isfahan’s Governor General Rasul Zargarpur to discuss the issue, said that the governor is well aware of the situation and is making his best efforts to solve the problem.

He said that, like him, all other citizens of Isfahan feel sorry when they see the “dried lips” of the river and have asked the officials for help.

The river, which used to flow for 400 kilometers from the Zagros mountains in the west through parks and under the Safavid-era bridges and was known for its fertile fishery, has been replaced by dirt and stones these days.

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