TEHRAN –A museum, dedicated to self-portrait photographs and the history of photography, is planned to be established in Mashhad, the capital of Khorasan Razavi province, a local tourism official has announced. 

The museum, which would be the first of its kind in the country, is scheduled to be inaugurated in the near future, Mohammadreza Pahlevan said on Wednesday. 

Visitors can learn about the history of photography through a variety of old photographic devices and cameras, which will be displayed in this museum, the official added. 

There is also a special area for selfie photography that highlights the topic of pilgrimage and pilgrimage photography, in which visitors will have the opportunity to take selfie pictures, make memories, and tour the museum, he noted. 

The museum also features a gallery dedicated to photo exhibitions that will showcase the works of contemporary artists, he mentioned. 

As the name implies, a ‘selfie’ refers to a self-portrait photo taken with the camera held at arm’s length. Selfies may include multiple subjects, but as long as they were taken by one of the subjects featured, they are considered selfies.

In Iran, selfie photos date back to the Qajar era, when the famed Qajar king Nasser ad-Din Shah (1821-1896), with the best cameras of the time brought from Europe, took photos from almost anything and anyone. The king had a knack for taking photographs, and he enjoyed photographing himself the most.

As part of his obsession with picturing himself, something these days called a ‘selfie’, he took many pictures of himself, noting where and how he took each photo with pithy comments and in cursive handwriting, under each of them. 

Before the coronavirus puts almost everything on lockdown, the provincial capital of Mashhad played host to thousands of travelers and pilgrims who come from various Iranian cities, neighboring countries, and even across the globe to visit the imposing, massive holy shrine complex of Imam Reza (AS), the eighth Imam of the Shia Muslims.

Dozens of five-star hotels and hostels are dotted around the holy shrine. The city has also the highest concentration of water parks in the country, and it also embraces a variety of cultural and historical sites that are generally crowded.

ABU/AFM