The Return

I first began this series in 2020 with the aim of documenting the transformed landscapes of northern Qazvin, a historic city that has rapidly moved toward modernization in recent years.
Choosing to photograph these scenes at night was important to me—both for the ambiguity and unfamiliarity the darkness brought, and because, as someone who had long perceived Qazvin as a historic city, I found these changes unsettling and unclear.

Now, four years later, I have returned to the same area—specifically the Molla Sadra and Pounak neighborhoods—as part of the practical component of my MA thesis. This time, however, I approached the project with a sense of acceptance toward the city’s transformation.

I chose to photograph during the day, allowing for more clarity and detail in the scenes. With this shift, the poetic, ambiguous quality brought by the colors and light of the night faded away, and the urban transformations that had taken place over the past four years became more visible.