یزد من الفارسية 1447

My Yazd is part of the Bringing Together project carried out in the years 2005–2006. The book brings together photographs by Iranian and international photographers, each of whom has viewed this historic city through their own individual perspective. It was published in 2006 by Fotohof Edition, Austria.

In the book’s preface, the content is introduced as follows:

“Yazd, the ‘Jewel of the Desert’; Yazd, the ‘City of Windcatchers’; Yazd…
When one begins to gather information about this city, sooner or later one encounters these and many other titles and descriptions. One also soon learns that the city of Yazd is situated at an altitude of 1,200 meters above sea level, in a low valley in central Iran, covering an area of 23,097 square kilometers as the capital of a province bearing the same name, with a population of approximately 500,000.

Yet beyond statistics and figures, what truly defines Yazd is something else:
How is this city—one that captivates us so deeply—seen and experienced by others?
What images are formed in the visitor’s mind?
And to what extent does the visitor’s cultural background influence the image they perceive?

Addressing these questions, along with many others, became the starting point and motivation for the intercultural project My Yazd.

In October 2005, we invited 17 (fine art) photographers from Iran and six European countries to come to Yazd and spend a week together there. Their first step toward mutual acquaintance was the presentation of their own work through short conference-style talks. Subsequently, some of them also conducted photography workshops for young Iranian students.

The majority of the time, however, was devoted to allowing the artists to explore and study the city freely—time to integrate their emotions, experiences, and perceptions of Yazd, and then to express these impressions in an artistic form. The resulting works were later presented, compared, discussed, and critically examined together.

The outcome of this exploration and encounter is a book containing a selection of photographs by the participating artists, which you now hold in your hands. Do you recognize your image of Yazd? …”

The photographers featured in this collection are:

Walter Niedermayr, Rupert Steiner, Paul Albert Leitner, Anita Andzhevska, Kourosh Javidy Parsi Jani, Sara Sassani, Walter Uebl, Maryam Mohammadi, Clemens Artmeier, Shahrbanoo Sabet Sarvestani, Yousef Kiraei, Ghasem Me‘mari, Ayik Kokcu, Edgar Honetschlaeger, Abdolali Haddadian, Sahin Beter / Helmut Wehr, and Babak Zirak.

At the beginning of each photographer’s section, a short biography is provided in both Persian and English, followed by a presentation of their works. Some photographers approach Yazd from a historical perspective, focusing on its architectural sites; others adopt an ethnographic view of the city, while some combine both approaches in their images.

The English texts were edited by David Wright, and the Persian texts were edited by Farzaneh Eslami.
Translations from German into English were carried out by Peter Waugh and David Wright, while translations from English into Persian were undertaken by Neda Mansouri.

The book is published in large-format (folio) size, with a thick cardboard hardcover.