TEHRAN – The Art Bureau of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization has announced its plan to restore the surrealistic murals Nasser Palangi created on the walls of the Khorramshahr Mosque 41 years ago.

The restoration project is part of the art festival entitled “My Home Is Khorramshahr” the center is organizing to celebrate the 41st liberation anniversary of Khorramshahr.

The center has said that the project will be carried out by a well-known artist, but has avoided mentioning the artist’s name.

The Iranian artist Palangi, who is currently an associate professor at the Scientific College of Design in Sydney, made a vow that he would portray the valor of Iranian combatants in murals on the mosque’s walls if Iran would achieve victory in Operation Beit-ul-Muqaddas.

Iran carried out the operation in 1982 to liberate Khorramshahr from Iraqi occupiers.

The southwestern Iranian city was captured in its entirety by Iraqi invaders on October 26, 1980 after a 34-day-long public act of resistance against the Iraqis during the early months of the Iran-Iraq war. The mosque was used as a headquarters for the resistance movement.

The city was liberated on May 24, 1982, after it was totally reduced to rubble by the Iraqis.

Just a few days after the victory, Palangi was at the mosque to fulfill his promise. The Khorramshahr governor had called him “crazy” after failing to dissuade the artist from carrying out his plan.

“Right now it's dangerous, the city has been mined and reduced to rubble,” the governor warned Palangi, however, he was not deterred from his plan.   

“The murals recount Khorramshahr’s story of occupation and bombardment by Iraq, and the victory in Operation Beit-ul-Muqaddas,” Palangi once said.

“The murals are now part of the memories of the people and combatants who remained in the city to defend their hometown,” he added.     

In 2006, the Foundation for Preservation of Sacred Defense Works and Values also commissioned Palangi to carry out restoration on the murals.

He received many commissions throughout his career, including a mural painting for the Treasure Gallery in Seattle, USA, a painting for the Medicines without Border Project in Dubai, and the sculpture series “Migrants in Australia” for the National Multicultural Festival, Canberra, Australia in 2004.

A selection of his works created between 1999 and 2005 is on view at the East & West Gallery, Victoria, Australia.

Photo: A file photo shows two murals by Nasser Palangi on a wall of the Khorramshahr Mosque.  

MMS/YAW