[The Guardian] Women behind the lens: ‘I felt as if I was part of the family, like I had many grandmothers’

Women behind the lens: ‘I felt as if I was part of the family, like I had many grandmothers’

A journey across Iran allowed a glimpse into the lives of women living in extended families, rooted in tradition and patriarchy, yet rich in linguistic and cultural diversity

I come from a war-torn family. My parents had to move from their city, Abadan, to Shiraz during the Iraq-Iran war and our relatives settled in different cities in Iran and around the world.

I was born in Shiraz in 1986, in the middle of war, and never experienced family gatherings. Today my family is still scattered. I live in Tehran, my only brother lives in Berlin and my parents live in the industrial city of Arak. That’s why I embarked on a journey to find my roots as an Iranian woman. I drove about 20,000 miles (30,000km) across Iran to find women who live in large extended families. My grandmother died just before I started the project and living and socialising with these families, where generations live communally, gave me a sense of belonging. I felt as if I was part of their family, like I had many grandmothers.

Maryam Firuzi is an Iranian photographer and film-maker whose work focuses on culture, gender and identity

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