The Tea House

The Tea House

The Tea House was a place in Ahwaz, Iran where the shah used to entertain dignitaries before the Islamic Revolution.

04162014_001 (Kelly Sims's conflicted copy 2014-09-29)

(It) was used during the Iran-Iraq war as a center where the belongings of martyred or maimed soldiers were brought. Women would separate these items, which included removing body parts from clothing, sheets, etc., then wash the items.        

04162014_011 (Kelly Sims's conflicted copy 2014-09-29)

After washing, the women would sew them into different items or repair them, but the amazing thing is when the women finished washing, sewing/repairing, ironing, sorting, etc., the items looked brand new. They did not look as if they had been gathered from the warfront, nor as if they had ever been used before.

04162014_005 (Kelly Sims's conflicted copy 2014-09-29) 04162014_003 (Kelly Sims's conflicted copy 2014-09-29)

 

04162014_007 (Kelly Sims's conflicted copy 2014-09-29)

04162014_006 (Kelly Sims's conflicted copy 2014-09-29) 04162014_002 (Kelly Sims's conflicted copy 2014-09-29)

Text and Photography by Najah Siddiq

Glossary

Shah – last monarch of Iran


Ahwaz – city in western Iran


Iran-Iraq War – eight-year war that began when Saddam Hussein invaded Iran in 1980

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