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25 years-old, "Fatemeh Bedrag Nezhad" is waiting for the minibus in a stop in "Tamar Gara Guzi Kalaleh" village, while she is holding her baby. She has to wait for 3 hours to go to "Gara Agaj" village which is located at a distance of 55 kilometers. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
Young villagers are sitting in front of a supermarket in "Narli Ajisoo" village. This village is located near to the borders of "Turkmenistan". Unemployment is one of the major problems of "Maraveh Tape" town. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
Young Turkmen girls are waiting for the bride and groom in "Aroos Baran" or palanquin ceremony, while wearing traditional Turkmen clothes. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
A bride and groom are walking in a garden in "Ag Ghaleh" village, border region of "Palizan" holding a traditional Turkmen wedding ceremony. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
The shadow of woman is cast on the fridge in her kitchen while there is a wall beside it. "Post Darreh" is considered as one of the most deprived villages of the region. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
Villager woman " Ag Bike Chandari" is working in the fold of the stock while her children are playing by the scarecrow hung from a wooden pole. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
38 years-old, " Fatemeh Didehvar" is putting her one year old baby on the ground, while her husband is lying down at home in "Gazan Gaya" . Her husband "Bayram Dordi Galmag" is forced to stay at home after having an accident with his car. He is addicted to drugs. Fatemeh weaves rugs to earn a living for family. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
Fatemeh Didehvar is weaving rugs. Her one year old son" Mohammad Hossein" is playing by her. Fatemeh has a son and 3 daughters. She has to weave rugs because of her husband's addiction. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
50 years -old Khaled Bibi Bazdar, arranges her scarf labor and the difficulties of life made the face of women look older than their real age. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
The reflection of an 80-years-old Turkmen woman of "Ogul Durdi Gizil" is seen in the broken and hazy mirror of her house in "Ag Ghaleh" village. Her husband has passed away 10 years ago and she lives alone. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
60 years-old Araz Mohammad Darayi is lying on his bed at home in "Yel Chesmeh" village. He is suffering from stomach cancer and is under chemotherapy. His wife is disabled and he has no income other than subsidies. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
60 years-old Safar Khaledi is walking in an alley in "Mohammad Shaer" village. He is mentally disabled and cannot work. The burden of their life is on the shoulders of his wife, who works as a worker. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
The grave of a Turkmen man is seen in a cemetery in "Gare gozi" village. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
A Turkmen woman is wearing a "Chador" and a face cover as her covering in spite of traditional covering of all Turkmen women. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
The old photo of a Turkmen man who has passed away many years ago is seen beside a verse of Quran on the wall of a house in "Ag Ghaleh" village. Due to the use of oil as the fuel in the old lamp of Aladdin, the house is sooted up. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
56 years-old Ayeshe Mahmoudi is looking out the broken window of her house in "Yanbulag Galidag" village. Her husband has abounded them and she lives with another woman in "Kalaleh". She has 10 children and due to family marriage, three of her children are mentally and physically disabled. She, herself looks after them and the heavy cost of life is on her shoulders. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
55 years-old "Heli Taj Kalte" living in "Gumush Defe(Gomishan)" town is moving towards the top of the mountain after making a pilgrim to "Choupan Ata" monument. The shrine of Khaled Nabi is considered as one of the main shrines of Turkmens. It consists of 3 monuments: "Khaled Nabi, Alem Baba and Choupan Ata", which is set on top of "Tangrak Dag (Ghodrat)" castle In "Gogje Dag" mountain range and at a distance of 55 kilometers from Northeast of "Kalaleh" town. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
One of the women of "Ag Ghaleh" village is headed home next to a cypress. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
"Taze Gol Garavi" is standing near to her house in "Narli Ajisu Olya" village. Her husband is unemployed and he stays at home. She has 4 children and they live with difficulty. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
68 years-old "Gol Jamal Ghadiri" is standing with her cousin at home, while a painting of a beautiful woman is seen on the wall of the room. Their husbands were brothers, who have passed away 7 years ago. They live with their children in "Chenarli" village. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
Old and torn shoes of women are seen on a tanker, outside of a house in "Poli Sofla" village near to "Golidag" town. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
44 year- old "Bikeh Arabi" is coming out of the store room of their house. She has 4 children and one of them is disabled. Her husband has passed away 10 years ago. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
60 years old "Ogul Safar Golmag" is standing in front of her house in " Post Darreh" village. Her husband has passed away 10 years ago. She has 9 children, none of whom remember or think about her. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
115 years-old "Gari Khanim Keyk" is walking towards her house in" Gok Darreh" village. She, who is the mom of 2 martyrs that were killed during Iran-Iraq war, she is interested in working and gardening despite her very old age. She weaves wickers, woolen ropes and carpet bags. She complains of the absence of consideration and living on a low income. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
64 years-old " Ogul Khan Farhang" us walking towards her house in "Gapan Sofla" village. She had 7 children and her husband has passed away 4 years ago. She complains of her bad living conditions. Photo/Ali Hamed Haghdoust.
The Stable Cypresses
Stories
Ali Hamed Haghdoust
Kalaleh, Maraveh Tapeh, northeast of Golestan province, Nnorth of Iran near the border between Iran and Turkmenistan - 2018. Unemployment, economical problems and poverty in the main region of "Turkmens" of the country, where there is no single factory for the employment of the inhabitants have become the source of a lot of bitter facts of Life for the inhabitants of "Maraveh Tape" town and its surrounding, deprived villages.These villages are located on the outskirts of Atrak river close to the borders of "Turkmenistan" in "Golestan" Provience and Southeast of Caspian Sea in the North of Iran. But the above reasons are regarded as a small number of the many problems of this area. With unemployment, poverty and deprivation, people are faced with a lot of difficulties and challenges.
Young people fall in love in very young ages and since getting married is so easy and they need to pay only 700 to 900 Dollars as dowry, they get married and start a family without considering the many upcoming problems in the future and even if they don't have a suitable job or enough income. A lot of men become addicted to drugs and start to stay at home. Some abandon their families and migrate to Tehran or big cities to find a job. A life that had started with a lot of hope undesirably ends in divorce as times goes on.
The widows, women who are the head of their family and also those whose husbands are unemployed, young or old, are forced to work on farms or rug making and drapery workshops. They have to work with really low wages since the rugs or clothes are not sold. The agony and pain of this group of women is highly great. There are no equal rights between men and women in this region. Thus agony is visible on their wrinkled faces as if the storm of early old age has doomed their life to destruction. Kind women and mothers whose stature, have fallen under the burden of the adversities of live in thatched houses of this village.
COPYRIGHT © 2022, Ali Hamed Haghdoust. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USE OF IMAGES WITHOUT PERMISSION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED