The Wine of Nishapur. Photographic Walks in the Rubaiyat of the poet Omar Khayyam

It was three or four years ago that the idea of such a book was born in me. I was there, with my camera, deeply influenced by the magical words and ideas of Omar Khayyam. 'I would set out and every time I saw something that seemed related to Khayyam, I would stop immediately. The red awnings of a sidewalk café: At the Norouz celebration, take the cup like a chalice of flower. Yellow and wet leaves fallen on the pavement: The nightingale, in Pahlavi language, announces to the yellow rose... The moment has come to drink wine. The scar of a sawed branch on a tree trunk in the park: We know nothing of the mysteries of the beyond, neither you nor I. The elongated shadow of a stroller resembling a prehistoric creature: Where do we come from? Where are we going? Or else: Oh, if this world offered a resting place! The last rays of the sun hitting raindrops on the window panes at the airport: Countless moon phases will wax and wane. Or else: This revolving wheel... that makes us appear like wandering images. I was looking for such photographic opportunities. I believe that this kind of imagery encourages the reader to reflect, to seek the true meaning of each poem, to rise in an intellectual flight in the rich and gaping atmosphere of the ruba'is. May my offering of this old vintage in this new cup bring fresh hordes of poetry lovers into the ranks of the old aficionados! Shahrokh Golestan ED: Breaths (1988), 33 x 33 cm, hardcover