TEHRAN -- Concurrent with Sacred Defense Week that began September 22, nine sculptors were tasked to make busts of nine martyred commanders to commemorate names and memoirs of the martyrs of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

The sculptors have gathered at Tehran’s Barg Gallery where they are making the busts during a week-long symposium. The busts will later be situated in different locations in Tehran, Director of the Art and Cultural Organization of Tehran Municipality Mohammad-Javad Shushtari said at the opening ceremony on Wednesday.
Sculptor Morteza Nematollahi will be making a bust of martyr Mansur Sattari, Hamidollah Rezaii a bust of martyr Ebrahim Hemmat and Nader Qashqaii a bust of martyr Ali Sayyad-Shirazi.
A bust of Ahmad Motavasselian is being made by Jafar Najibi, and a bust of martyr Ahmad Keshvari by Dadyar Garusian.
Hojjatollah Memarian and Bijan Ghonchehpur are making busts of martyrs Ali-Akbar Shirudi and Hassan Baqeri.
Sculptors Ali Lavaii and Hossein-Ali Asgari are also working on busts of martyrs Abbas Mohammad Varamini, and Alireza Movahhed-Danesh.
“The symposium is arranged to pay tribute to several of those who played major roles in the war although they were many in numbers,” Shushtari said.
He stated that several symbols of the war are also scheduled to be installed in Tehran in several locations that were hit and destroyed by Iraqi missile attacks during the war.
The organization has several other programs for the week, some of which are introducing the book “Witnesses of the City” focusing on the martyrs, as well as holding a session in which the influence of Sacred Defense on urban paintings will be discussed.
Barg Gallery is currently holding an exhibition of photos on Sacred Defense. The gallery is located at No.13 Jamali St., off Vafamanesh Ave., in Heravi Square.
Photo: Hojatollah Memarian makes a bust of Martyr Ali-Akbar Shirudi during a symposium at Tehran’s Barg Gallery on September 23, 2010. (ISNA/Arash Khamushi)
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