Biography:
Solmaz Daryani is an Iranian photographer and photojournalist, based between the UK and Iran. Her work is particularly known for exploring the themes of climate security, climate change, water crisis, human identity and environment. Daryani has...
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Focus:Photographer, Photojournalist, Travel, Environment, Documentary, Photography, Portraiture, International News, Student, Freelance, Assignments, Explorer, Human Rights, International, Short Films, Editorial, Photo Shoots
Covering:Europe,Middle East,
Skills:Color Correction, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Apple Final Cut Pro, Photojournalism, Film Photography
As Sharafkhane port gets fewer visitors and there aren't any men around all the time, Women get a chance to swim in a shallow pond that is a remnant of Lake Urmia.they walked almost 3km from the coast to the pond several times each summer to bathe in the natural saltwater. Lake Urmia|East-Azerbaijan|Iran|2014
People came to visit lake Urmia and to take pictures from what remains of it. Lake Urmia is showing signs of recovery in some small parts because of heavy rainfalls this year. The tourism sector has lost out While the lake once attracted visitors from near and far. Lake Urmia|West-Azerbaijan|Iran| 2016
A desolate teahouse in "Sheikh-Wali" coastal village located at the northeast of Lake. This teahouse was just beside water and you could see the waves and the Lake water from the closest distance. Lake Urmia | East Azerbaijan.2015
Narges (My grandmother) a resident of port around Lake Urmia walking to the pier. Up until ten years ago, before the lake receded too drastically, her son had a food booth on the pier that he made it himself and every Friday the whole family met there to eat dinner by the water. to keep the memories of those gatherings alive, my grandmother still makes a point of walking to the pier every time she goes to the coast in the summer as often as every week. Sharafkhaneh port|East-Azerbaijan|Iran|2014
My extended family on my mother’s side were born and lived in Sharafkhane port, a touristic village on the north coast of Urmia Lake in Iran. My grandfather had a motel near the coast in Sharafkhaneh Port.
He lived on renting the rooms to the tourists who came to Urmia Lake. As the lake dried up, agriculture waned which caused my grandparent’s garden dry and their motel ruined and deserted.
View of abandoned villas located in a coastal village of Haft-Cheshmeh(means seven springs) around Lake Urmia. "Sheikh-Wali" located in the northeast of Urmia lake used to be one of the heavily travelled touristic villages. by the lake becoming dry, the value of the surrounding lands were reduced and created great financial problems for families. People in this village visit the grave of their family members every Thursday. Haft-Cheshmeh Village | East Azerbaijan|Iran|2015
A view of the arid, salt-crusted lakeshore of Sharafkhaneh port which was once a thriving tourist destination and full of water. In the distance, the imposing structure, which bears the name "Tal", was used to repair ships in the water. Sharafkhaneh port.2018
The lake and my grandparent’s house was the hub of my family. One of my uncles had a food kiosk on a wooden bridge. On Fridays, the whole family gathered on the bridge for dinner. After eating, my uncle played Tar (a musical instrument), while my grandfather sang traditional Azeri songs. I can still remember those moments clearly, and hear the sound of the waves and the wind.
A photo from family archive taken by my father shows two local people sitting on the edge of a boat on the coast of Sharafkhaneh port which Sharafkhaneh port, which used to be one of the heavily travelled touristic villages on the north shore of Lake Urmia before Lake Urmia began to dry up. Sharafkhaneh port.East-Azerbaijan|Iran|1993
A dilapidated ship located at the northeast of Lake Urmia. Sharafkhaneh Port used to be one of the heavily travelled touristic villages. by the lake becoming dry, the value of the surrounding lands were reduced and created great financial problems for families.East-Azerbaijan|Iran|2015
Since Urmia Lake dried up, the residents of the villages started to migrate to the city, and the number of people living in the communities dropped dramatically. Eventually for the minibus driver commuting between Urmia and the villages is not economical anymore. Urmia public transportation offers bus services in on a route connecting the central communities. The buses service runs a few times a day. Sometimes the villagers need to walk from their village for hours to get to the bus station on the due time. The bus stations are on the crossroad of Galgachi village toward Gharadagh village and along the Coast of Urmia Lake. "Galgachi" village, West Azerbaijan, Iran|2016
The workers gather salt from the shrinking area of the Urmia Lake and take it to milk and glass factories. Non-standard salt mining approaches have caused significant environmental discomforts in the central east coast of the lake, said Mohammad Mosaferi, a faculty member at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Describing the process of salt extraction, he added that first, salts of the lake are being dug and piled up so that they lose their water and then, they are transferred by heavy vehicles to a company in Maragheh county, north-western East Azerbaijan Province. Urmia city| West-Azerbaijan| Iran.2015
Narges Ghasempour loves trees and flowers she lives in Sharafkhaneh port, a coastal village in Urmia Lake. Sharafkhaneh port was the most important and touristic coastal port of Urmia lake. Water crisis and Urmia lake drought(which increased the salinity of soil) affected her gardens(especially almond and grape trees), and she sold her gardens. She made a miniature garden in her home.East Azerbaijan|Iran|2015
Photo taken by my father shows my grandfather sitting on a rock in GoyonDaghi Island, which once was surrounded by the lake. He died last year. Goyon Daghi. West-Azerbaijan province. Iran.1979
My grandfather’s guesthouse which was never empty of tourists in the past but now it is ruined now. In the summers after lake shrinking, as a rule, my grandfather fixes the windows broken by the wind in the winter He always had the hope that those great and busy days will come back. He died in October 2018. Sharafkhaneh port| East-Azerbaijan| Iran|2015
A farmer burns grass in Galgachi village which is a coastal village near Urmia lake. As the salt lake began to shrink, people migrated from areas surrounding the lake. the people who stayed in the area are living in conditions of increasing poverty especially in villages around the lake. Galgachi village | West-Azerbaijan|Iran| 2015
Mud Therapy in Lake Urmia close to the coastline of "Shahid Kalantari" highway, The 15 km Shahid Kalantari highway constructed by drying 85% of the boundary between the Western-Eastern sides of the Lake Urmia. Construction of the road has caused the northern and southern half disconnected and has made natural and fundamental changes in the hydrodynamic and ecological characteristics of the lake region. Urmia city| West Azerbaijan|Iran|2017
This project not only seeks to raise awareness of the issue of water scarcity in Iran and the devastating effects of water mismanagement and waste, but is also an examination of one’s own connections and bonds to the land, and how these relationships shape our identity.
Children who live in a village beside Lake Urmia play on the dried lakeshore. Sharafkhane port was once one of the most important ports and used to get the most visitors. Now it has shut down and a couple of boats and ships in these ports have gone aground. Urmia Lake|East-Azerbaijan|Iran.2015
A tea-house in Galgachi village. The tea-house has lost nearly all its customers. Inhabitants in the village are migrating to other cities or villages. After the shrinking of the lake, the population of the village decreased from 150 to 35 households after drying the lake. Galgachi village|West-Azerbaijan|Iran|2016
This teahouse located on the cost of Sharafkhaneh port beside the lake used to be full of tourist and people who came to visit and swim in the lake. Now It looks old and dirty, and no one comes to buy anything, and it is only open in summer weekends now. Sharafkhaneh port|East-Azerbaijan| Iran| 2017
My uncle (the owner of the building) shows his guests how much further has the lake come after recent rains. the building was supposed to be turned into a small hotel."Mir Mohammad",56, had hope that the lake will return to old days and he will see the lake full of water and the port full of people Sheikh Wali. East Azerbaijan|Iran| 2016
Shepherd is returning to his home (his home is beside lake Urmia,)after spending the morning grazing his sheep. Agriculture and ranch are in danger in the shore of the lake, and Lake Urmia is exposing a salt desert that generates noxious dust, threatening crops and people. Shahid Kalantari Bridge, west Azerbaijan| Iran|2016
My childhood in Sharafkhaneh seems like a long time ago. The motel is deserted, and the almond trees have shrivelled. The port today is a sparsely populated village where most people are old, and it no longer resembles the place where I left my childhood memories.
I (girl in black and white dress) stand with my friend on the lakeshore of Urmia Lake in Sharafkhaneh port. In summer days my grandparent’s house was full of guests from near and close cities. People came to Sharafkhaneh port on weekends because of good weather, beautiful gardens and touristic attractions that the lake had those days. Lake Urmia. Sharafkhaneh port, East-Azerbaijan| Iran| 1990
The relationships between the places and past events offer human identity and memories as a reservoir of pain and joy, connect the chain of time between past and future. An ecological disaster can be an emotional blow that leaves a wound in our memory.
Tourists have come near the water on the stiffened salt. As the lake shrank Easter and Southern coasts have been dried up and deserted, and just in a small part of the lake located in Kazem Dashi coasts there is water.West-Azerbaijan|Iran| 2015
On the wall of the port mosque photos of deceased people are hung. They are dead, but you can sense the smell of the sea. They used to live in the village. Some of them were seamen, and motel owners and others’ jobs were related to the lake. They are dead, and their photos hung on the wall as their memorial. They are gone, and there is no substitute for their jobs as there is no lake.East-Azerbaijan|Iran|2014
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THE EYES OF EARTH (THE DEATH OF LAKE URMIA 2014-ONGOING)
The Eyes of Earth (THE DEATH OF LAKE URMIA) "A lake is earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature." Henry David Thoreau
Lake Urmia is located in the northwest of Iran. It was once the biggest salt lake in the Middle East and sixth biggest salt lake on earth situated between two neighbouring provinces (East-Azerbaijan and West-Azerbaijan) in Iran. Lake Urmia was home to many birds like ducks, pelicans, and flamingos. Ten years ago; the lake was still a popular destination for vacationers. Bathers immersed themselves in the saline water and smeared their bodies with its legendary black mud, which helped treat skin disease.
My extended family on my mother's side born and lived in Sharafkhaneh port. The town used to be one of the heavily travelled touristic villages on Lake Urmia's north coast. My grandfather had built a motel beside the lake, and my uncles were sailors. Less than a decade ago, my grandfather hosted dozens of tourists a day in the summers, with his two sons taking them on boat tours.
During the past 20 years, approximately 80% of this lake dried due to climatic changes, excessive development in the agriculture sector, lack of correct water consumption management, and excessive dams constructed on the lake's basin river in this area. At the moment, hopes for the salt lake's survival have been revived after 2018 torrential rain has boosted a government program aimed at preserving it before it dries up.
The desiccation is one of the most unfortunate environmental disasters of Iran in recent years. It will increase the frequency of salt storms that sweep across the exposed lakebed, diminishing the productivity of surrounding land and encouraging farmers to move away. More than 4 million people live in two neighbouring provinces around the lake and agriculture, animal husbandry, and handicraft making play a significant role in the region.
As the lake dried up, agriculture waned which caused my grandparent's garden dry and deserted. Lake's ducks, flamingos and pelicans have vanished, too. My childhood in Sharafkhaneh seems like a long time ago. The motel abandoned, and the almond trees have withered. Today's port is a sparsely populated village where most people are old, and it no longer resembles the place where I left my childhood memories.
The project investigates the impacts of the drying of Urmia Lake on people and the environment around it. It demonstrates environmental, economic and social changes that happened after lake shrinking. (the Year 2014-ongoing)
چیزی که به انسان هویت می بخشد رابطه هایی است که میان فضاها ورویدادهای گذشته اش وجود دارد.خاطره وحافظه ارتباط بین گذشته وآینده من است. برای اینکه بدانم به عنوان یک فرد چه کسی هستم نیاز دارم بدانم که چه کسی بوده ام. زمان و محل تولد، اعتقادات و ریشه های قومی و بسیاری از خصوصیات دیگر همگی بخشی از هویت من را تشکیل میدهند.اگر خشک شدن و از بین رفتن دریاچه ی ارومیه فقط محو شدن یک لکه ی آبی از روی نقشه ایران است، برای من و مردمانی که با آن زیسته اند از بین رفتن و فراموشی بخشی از هویت، خاطرات و چه کسی بودنمان است.
خانواده ی مادرم در بندر شرفخانه که شهرستانی درساحل شمالی دریاچه ی ارومیه است به دنیا آمده و زندگی کرده اند.پدربزرگم مسافرخانه ای نزدیک به دریاچه ساخته بود که اتاق های آن را به مسافرانی که به بندر و دریاچه می آمدند، اجاره میداد و دایی هایم در ساحل آن شغل قایقرانی داشتند. سالها ازتمام شدن کودکی ام در بندر شرفخانه می گذرد، از آن زمان تا به حال دریاچه تغییرات بسیاری کرده است ودیگر شبیه مکانی که حافظه ی کودکی خود را درآن رها کرده ام نیست. همه ی ما کودکیمان را جایی خوب یا بد جا گذاشته ایم جایی که خوب میشناسیمش و روزی که به آنجا باز گردیم سفر ما به زمانی که این مکان، آن را در خود تسخیر کرده است آغاز می شود.
دریاچه ارومیه که در شمال غربی ایران، ما بین دو شهر مهم در استان های آذربایجان غربی و آذربایجان شرقی واقع شده است زمانی بزرگترین دریاچه ی نمک در خاور میانه به حساب می آمد.در طول ۱۰ سال گذشته حدود ۸۰٪ از آن به علت تغییرات اقلیمی و توسعه ی بی رویه و بدون مطالعه ی کشت در بخش کشاورزی وعدم مدیریت صحیح مصرف آب دراین بخش، خشک شده است.
این تغییردر دریاچه باعث از بین رفتن باغ ها، مجتمع های تفریحی و از رونق افتادن گردشگری وفرصت های شغلی برای مردم منطقه شده است و بندر شرفخانه و دیگر روستاهای کنار دریاچه در حال تبدیل شدن به مکان هایی کم جمعیت و متروک هستند.
هدف من از به تصویردرآوردن دریاچه ارومیه، بیان داستانیاست که تاثیرات خشک شدن دریاچه بر زندگی انسان هاییکه در اطراف دریاچه زندگی میکنند را نشان دهم.در این داستان متشکل ازعکسها که تصویری عاطفی از یک مکان و زمان است که در آنها گذشته و حال ملاقات میکنند، حافظه ی کودکی خود را،که بخش بزرگی از هویت من را در خود جای داده است، فرا خواهم خواند. با روایت داستان انسان ها و دریاچه در واقع ردی ازکودکی وخاطرات و چگونگی به خاطر سپردن گذشته و تاثیری که روزهای سپری شده در بندر شرفخانه ودریاچه در کنار پدربزگ و مادربزرگ، بر هویت من داشته است را جستجو خواهم کرد.
