A heavy silence envelops those who encounter these figures. Unlike the typical joy that dolls evoke, these bear a weight of sadness that transcends their inanimate forms. They serve as tangible reminders of a dark era.

A dismal chapter in Canadian history emerged with the establishment of the residential school system.

Beginning in the late 19th century and continuing into the 20th century, 150,000 Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities and sent to these schools. The goal was to assimilate them into Euro-Canadian culture and eradicate Indigenous languages, traditions, and beliefs.

The conditions in these schools were often harsh and abusive. Children suffered from neglect, starvation, physical and emotional abuse, and cultural suppression. This led to the tragic deaths of thousands of children Indigenous children. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has documented the deaths of over 4,000 Indigenous children, but the actual number could be higher. The exact number of children who died in residential schools remains unclear, as many deaths went unreported or were under-documented.

A heartfelt way to remember this history has emerged in Canada in recent years. After discovering unmarked graves at former residential school sites, people have begun attaching stuffed animals to stretches of fence posts to expose the deep suffering of Indigenous children in the residential school system.

The resonance of this symbolic movement has stirred profound emotions within me. Moved by the power of these visual markers, I have begun documenting them. These silent figures speak of the suffering endured by these children and remind the laughter, melodies, and dreams that will never come to life. They are a poignant expression of the dire consequences of discrimination, oppression, abuse of power, and harmful ideologies.

Silent Tribute

The Calgary Marathon has a rich history that dates back to its inaugural race in 1963. Originally known as the "Calgary Road Runners Marathon," the event was organized by the Calgary Roadrunners Club and featured a modest number of participants. Over the years, the marathon grew in popularity and stature, attracting runners from across Canada and worldwide.
In addition to the main marathon distance of 42.195 kilometres, the Calgary Marathon offers various race categories, including a half marathon, 10K, 5K, and a kids' race, ensuring that participants of all ages and abilities can participate in the festivities.
Today, the Calgary Marathon continues to hold its place as one of the premier marathons in North America. It attracts thousands of local and international participants who come together to celebrate the joy of running, challenge their limits, and create lasting memories.
On the 28th of May, 2023, I had the privilege of capturing countless moments during the Calgary Marathon, and I look forward to documenting this incredible event year after year. The pictures on this page will be updated over time.

Calgary Marathon

During the Iran-Iraq war, a center called Martyrs' Ascension Headquarters was established to identify the victims of the war. Anonymous victims who were not identified in the provinces were sent to the headquarters to make the identification in Tehran. After the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 598, which marked the end of the war, a group was sent by the Iranian government to the war-stricken areas to search for and find the missing. Searching for body parts of the soldiers has been in progress for many years and in various places in the south and west of Iran and abroad in Iraq and has continued until today. In the Ascension Headquarters of Tehran Martyrs, the body parts of many of the war victims are being delivered to their families after 30 years, and they are buried in different parts of Iran. Later, with the start of the Syrian civil war and Iran's military presence there, this place remained a place for families to hand over the bodies of those killed in the Syrian war, and now for years, the stories of the war in this country have no end.

Soldiers Coming Home


Despite the widespread outbreak of the coronavirus and the country’s Ministry of Health warning, on September 6, 2020, the beginning of the academic year 1399-1400 was held by order of the former President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani. According to the decision of the Ministry of Education, schools with a large number of students are divided into two groups; some go to school on even days and the other group to school on odd days. It should be noted that the Ministry of Education is in charge of about 15 million students and It has always faced a lack of funding and facilities. Critics believe that the insistence on holding classes in person could be due to a lack of facilities for e-learning.
The following photo collection is a narration of the first day of the school year for the female elementary school students of Monira Asemi School in Tehran who attended the school in groups with a certain number and limited time frames after the beginning of the pandemic.

Beginning a New School Year during COVID

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of the most influential political figures in Islamic Republic of Iran, passed away on January 8th 2017. He was one of the few opposing Islamic Republic approach in dealing with general oppositions to results of the 2009 presidential election. It was due to such objections that he had been accused of colliding with protesters by ruling officials and as a result, was dismissed from the position of chairman of the Assembly of Experts of the Leadership as well as the Friday’s Prayer Imam. Owing to the fact that he was a popular character among many of supporters of the Green Movement and opponents of 2009 election results, a great number of people attended Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s funeral. The overcrowd led to 23 injuries. According to statistics announced by Tehran municipality, at least two and a half million people attended Ayatollah Hashemi’s funeral in Tehran.

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s funeral

The figure of 15,000 homeless people in the capital is so significant that it cannot be overlooked. According to the Deputy Head of the Anti-Narcotics Force, Tehran’s number of homeless people is at the top. Apart from the homeless, some of whom are chronically mentally ill or people who have abandoned home for any reason and never returned, a large number of this population is addicted to drugs. Many of these are counted as high-risk addicts due to long-term drug abuse as well as illnesses such as AIDS and hepatitis. 
During the winter, about a thousand homeless are collected from the city on a daily basis, and these people are transferred to homeless care centers, or “shelters” and “warm-houses.” In the last decade, the establishment of these places in Tehran has been a way to support this vulnerable group of society and provide a basis for empowerment and assistance to the poor and homeless.

Although, during these years, Tehran Municipality has provided conditions for the construction of shelters so that the homeless can eat at least one meal a day and take a bath, this is not the only measurement that the responsible organizations can do to improve the living conditions of these people.
A look at the current situation of shelters, which are often crowded in the hours close to sunset and are filled with more than the capacity and number of beds, shows that the current capacity of Tehran shelters is far less than the actual number of homeless people. 

This collection narrates the story of a number of homeless people going to the Khavaran shelter in Tehran.


 Homeless Shelter in Tehran

According to Iran Drug Control Headquarters, Iran has about 60 thousand ostentatious addicts. In 2009, it was said that each year, 130,00 new people become addicted to drugs in this country of 70 million people. Over a six-year period, a half million people received treatment in a drug program. It is not known how many of these people successfully found drug-free lives in these treatment centers. One of the main rehab camps (detox and recovery) in Tehran is "Ziadian”. This camp has been operating in 6 sections with about 500 person capacity and is supposed to get to 5 thousand capacity for the year 2021.

Rehab Camp

The “Burning Tent Ceremony” at noon of Ashura is one of the ancient rituals of Muharram. In this ritual, tents set up in the color of black, white, or green on the tenth day of Muharram are ignited.In this ceremony, the last moments of Imam Hussain's farewell to his family, and then parts of how Imam Hussain was martyred, and then the burning of the tents of Imam Hussain and his companions by Omar Saad's army, and at the end, the capture of Imam Hussain's family and the family of Imam Hussain's companions. Most of the time, mourners for Imam Hossein take pieces of the remaining cloth as consecration. The origin of this ritual in Iran goes back to the Safavid era (1501-1736 AD).The following photo collection is a narration of the burning tent ceremony in Tehran on September ‎30, ‎2017.

Amir Salehi