Sanctuary

When we hear the word shelter, what often comes to mind are wartime bunkers or temporary homes for displaced migrants. But the shelter explored in this photographic series is not one that guards against bombs or statelessness. Instead, it offers refuge for those who no longer see their place of origin—even their family home—as a space where growth is possible.
This body of work reflects a community of individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds across Iran who have found themselves under the same roof: a self-governed dormitory in the sprawling city of Tehran. Here, in this improvised collective, we—myself included—navigate questions of identity, belonging, and the fragile notion of home.
These images are not just documentation; they are fragments of an emotional geography, mapping lives in transition.