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...
read on
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.
Seyed Agha(My grandfather) an old resident of the port around lake Urmia had a motel near the coast, where he made his living renting rooms, and swan boat rides to the tourists who flocked to the area. As Lake Urmia dried up, tourism and agriculture waned. The motel has been vacant and the swan boats unused for years. My uncles also were helping my grandfather with his business, and they also leased vessels to tourists, but after lake shrinking, both of my uncles left the town to live in Tehran city. Sharafkhaneh port |East-Azerbaijan|Iran|2015
The entrance of my grandparent’s home.Seyed agha Ghasemi(Grandfather) and her wife Narges (Grandmother), old residents of Sharafkhaneh port had a motel near the coast, where he made his living renting rooms and swan boat rides to the tourists who flocked to the area. As Lake Urmia dried up, tourism and agriculture waned. The motel has been vacant and the swan boats unused for years. They turned the motel to a small garden now. Sharafkhaneh port|East Azerbaijan|Iran|2014
My grandmother not knowing how to read has marked emergency number with drawings according to the contacts’ jobs. She drew a ship with waves to mark number “3632” for port shipping.The phone book belongs to the past years when the lake and motel were thriving. Sharafkhaneh, East-Azerbaijan|Iran|2015
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
The pumping machine used to pump water from deep places to the shallow beachside. It is out of work now because the deep parts also have begun to dry. Lake Urmia|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
Inside the dilapidated ship "Sahand", stranded five kilometres from the coast of Sharafkhaneh port. It was the biggest pleasure boat on the lake. East-Azerbaijan|Iran|2015
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
Aji Chai is the largest and most important river that passes underneath the historic bridge in Tabriz city and flows into Lake Urmia. However, due to droughts and low precipitation, the water level of the river has significantly decreased in recent years. Tabriz City.2019
A local farmer from Sharafkhneh port runs to turn the way of rain's water to the Urmia lake cause when it rains people who have a garden turn the way of rainwater to their gardens and this farmer believes that water belongs to the lake. Sharafkhaneh port|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
Local travellers stop to rest and drink tea beside a natural pond at the crossroad of Galgachi village toward Qurchin Qala village along the coast of Urmia Lake. West-Azerbaijan |Iran| 2015
My grandfather in a tea house in "Sharafkhaneh" port which was the most important and touristic coastal port of Urmia lake. He had a motel beside the lake had a good rental income from the people came to the lake in summer and weekends. As the salt lake began to shrink he lost his job as many others did.Lake Urmia|East-Azerbaijan|Iran|2015
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
My grandmother is standing in the middle of her garden. She inherited this garden from his father. The garden was a grape, almond and sunflower garden, and my grandmother was taking care of it with the help of her workers. When the shrinking for the lake began, low-quality saline irrigation water affected my grandmother’s garden and made all the grape and almond trees dry. After some years, my grandmother sold her garden. Sharafkhaneh port. East-Azerbaijan province| Iran|1975
Galgachi located in Western Azerbaijan and the population of the village decreased from 300 to 100 households, after lake shrinking.Lake Urmia|West Azerbaijan|Iran|2017
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
I freed my grandfather's bird after his death in October 2018. Seyed Agha(My grandfather) an old resident of the port around lake Urmia had a motel near the coast, where he made his living renting rooms, and swan boat rides to the tourists who flocked to the area. Sharafkhaneh port |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
The coastline of "Shahid Kalantari" highway, The 15 km Shahid Kalantari highway is constructed by drying 85% of the boundary between the Western-Eastern sides of the Lake Urmia. Construction of the highway has caused the northern and southern half disconnected and has made natural and fundamental changes in the hydrodynamic andecological characteristics of the lake region. Urmia city|West Azerbaijan|Iran|2014
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
Thistle with salt crystals that my grandmother found in the lakebed. She uses it as a decoration in her home. My childhood in Sharafkhaneh seems like a long time ago. The motel deserted, and the almond trees have withered. 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. The sweet days are gone. Sharafkhaneh port, East Azerbaijan province|Iran|2014
My grandmother picks persimmon from the backyard tree. 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. East-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
On holidays People come to see lake Urmia around" Shahid Kalantari" highway that still has water.The 15 km Shahid Kalantari highway is constructed by drying 85% of the boundary between the western-eastern sides of the lake. Construction of the highway 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|2016
In an effort to prevent salt storms, the Urmia Lake restoration department plants trees in part of the lakebed that has completely dried up. White-collar staff visiting the site now park their cars where once the lake was full of water. Lake Urmia|East Azerbaijan|Iran|2015
Rusty wreckage of the passenger ship "Sahand" and a dock half-buried in the salt bed of Lake Urmia. This vessel was used to transport passengers across the lake, and less than fifteen years ago, the only connection between the main cities around the lake was the passage of passenger ships from one shore of Lake Urmia to that sea. 2019
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.
Photo taken by my father shows my uncle(the man standing at the end of the boat) is riding on his boat with my grandfather(the old man with white hair) and some other people(probably guests) inside. My uncle used to sail the guests who came to my grandmother’s house to make them leave the Sharafkhaneh port and the lake with happy and good memories. Lake Urmia. Sharafkhaneh port. East-Azerbaijan province| Iran|1982
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.
A bench in the middle of the lake which is possibly carried by local people or wind from the dilapidated Ship beside it. Lake Urmia|East-Azerbaijan|Iran|2018
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
People came to see lake Urmia and to take a picture from a desolated ship that was surrounded by salt for kilometres .it's now in the water. Lake Urmia is showing signs of recovery in some small parts. Good rainfall combined with the opening of Boukan dam seems to have set the lake on the path to recovery in small regions, But the lake is far from a complete recovery. Shahid Kalantari Bridge| West-Azerbaijan|Iran|2016
"Zeynab", 14, helps his father shepherding the sheep. Only 5 girls live in her village that none of them is in her age and she spent most of her time with her dad. The population of the village dropped one-third as the salt lake began to shrink. Galgachi village | West-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
Mokhtar Cheraghi,65, had lodging house in Golmankhaneh harbor, West Azerbaijan, Iran. In past years he used to make a good money out of his lodging house,and during summer alot of people would stay at his house but in last few years after drying up the lake, the number of vistors decreased alot and he hasnt made much money in these years.
Golmankhaneh was a good place for tourists during the years, people from all over the country came here and spent their times beside the lake, but today After drying up the Urmia Lake the amount of people who came here for their free times has been decreased significantly, Many people around Golmankhaneh harbor lost their jobs also closed their shops, Inns, lodging houses and restaurants in Golmankhaneh harbor.May 2015
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
People stop to visit the Lake on their ways to Urmia city around the Shahid Kalantari bridge. The ferry, situated at the bridge connecting the eastern and western part of the lake, is now popular as a photo subject. Urmia city| West Azerbaijan| Iran| 2017
People came to see lake Urmia and to take a picture from a desolated ship that was surrounded by salt for kilometres .it's now in the water. Lake Urmia is showing signs of recovery in some small parts. Good rainfall combined with the opening of Boukan dam seems to have set the lake on the path to recovery in small regions, But the lake is far from a complete recovery. Shahid Kalantari Bridge|West-Azerbaijan|Iran| 2016
In an effort to prevent salt storms, the Urmia Lake restoration department plants trees in part of the lakebed that has completely dried up. Lake Urmia|East Azerbaijan|Iran|2015
More than four million people are living in two neighbouring provinces around the lake, and agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, handicraft making, apiculture, mining, business, and industry play a major role in the region.Galgachi village| Western Azarbaijan|Iran|2015
“Sheikh Wali” coastal village located in the northeast of Urmia Lake. The town used to be one of the heavily travelled touristic villages. The beach deserted for over ten years. According to environmentalists, if the lake not restored, salt storms will threaten the lives of the people living in the surrounding towns and village. Lake Urmia|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
"Zahra" a little girl who lives with her family in a house(which used to be a motel) beside the Golmankhaneh port. Golmankhaneh port had the closest distance to the lake. You can see the view of the lake(which it is dry now) from the door. This house used to be a small inn, but after lake dries up, the owner sold it this family.
Golmankhaneh port was once the main port on Lake Urmia with coastal beaches and villas ready to welcome travellers. Today it's only a desolate outpost with a salt crust. Golmankhaneh port|West-Azerbaijan|Iran|2016
My grandfather enters his old motel in Sharafkhaneh port. His motel which was never empty of tourists in the past but now it is deserted and ruined. In the summers, as a rule, my grandfather fixes the windows broken by the wind in the winter and when I go to visit him, every time he asks me to take him to his motel. When we get there, he sits on old wooden benches for one or two hours and sometimes looks inside the empty and ruined rooms and waters the trees. He died one month ago. Our last talk was three weeks before his death, and he told me that it rained well this month in the region and he said he thinks that the rain will help The Lake to fill up. Sharafkhaneh post|East Azerbaijan|Iran|2015
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.
An old photo from Family album shows my uncle and some other people from the town on a rock in the coast of the Sharafkhaneh port.East-Azertnbaijan|Iran|1977
The dry salt crust had formed jagged lumps in the salt solidified bed of Lake Urmia. Before the lake desiccation, this place, which is about 3 km from the shore Sharafkhaneh port, was full of water and vacationers could swim in its turquoise waters. Sharafkhaneh port.2018
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
PLAY
STOP
GRID
Public Story
THE EYES OF EARTH (THE DEATH OF LAKE URMIA 2014-ONGOING)
“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 flamingoes.10 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 to 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 the north coast of Lake Urmia. 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 past 20 years, approximately 80% of this lake dried due to climatic changes, excessive development in the agriculture sector, lack of correct management of water consumption 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 (East-Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan) 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. 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.
The project investigates the impacts of drying of Urmia Lake on people and the environment around it and to demonstrate environmental, economic, physical 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.
