Muhammad Balbasi's life memories, from his early years until his martyrdom, are recounted in the book "For Zaynab" by Somaye Eslami.

Along with his fellow soldiers, he was one of the defenders of the holy shrine and was killed while fighting Takfiri terrorists in Khan Tuman, Syria. His body was recently returned to his homeland after several years.

Muhammad Balbasi, who was born in 1978, is the father of three kids. Zeynab, her daughter, was born at the same place and time as his father's martyrdom.

* How come you decided to write about him?

In less than 16 hours when the Khan Tuman operation originally started in 2016, 13 warriors from the province of Mazandaran were martyred. After that, it was obvious that we, as their fellow citizens, wanted to do something for them and share the stories of these brave men with the rest of the country. As a result, we each agreed to write a book about several martyrs as a group of three or four persons, and I agreed to write the book about Muhammad Balbasi and Rahim Kabuli.

* How long did the authorship of this book take?

Because there were so many interviews, it took over 2.5 years from the start of the study to the completion of the book. This book contains 160 interviews, and I practically know for sure that this is the first time that so much research and interviewing has been done about a martyr.

* How much of the memories described in the book are based on fact and how much is pure fantasy?

In the book, there are no topics or elements that are the product of the author's fantasy, and all that is said about the martyr Balbasi is true to who he was.

* What should be done today to honor the martyrs who defended the shrine, particularly those involved in the Khan Tuman operation?

It would be great, in my opinion, if their families received more emotional support. We're all depressed in Mazandaran right now, so I hope that people and government will try to understand these families and refrain from putting them under added pressure.