The Photographers of When the Sparrows Grow Anxious: Marzieh Pourarab 

Over the next week, we will be profiling some of the photographers whose work appears in the book, and reflecting on how their images contribute to its power, texture and witness.

We would particularly like to thank the IRNA news agency, which generously donated almost two thirds of the photographs used in the publication. We are also deeply grateful to the many individual photographers whose work has helped make the book such an exceptional production:

Ahmad Moeini Jam, Akbar Tavakkoli, Ali Sharifi, Bahram Bayat, Eshaq Aghaei, Mahmoud Farjami, Maryam Al Momen Dehkordi, Marzieh Mousavi, Marzieh Pourarab, Marzieh Soleimani, Mohammad Mahdi Pourarab, Mohammadrasoul Moradi, Mohsen Rezaei, Sadegh Miri and Sadra Nouri.

We continue with the work of Marzieh Pourarab.

The Bird and the Ruins

In an alley covered with rubble, a gray-haired man wearing a black Manchester United jacket walks through the debris carrying a small metal birdcage. Inside the cage is a white bird. Broken glass and fragments of brick lie underfoot, while behind him stand damaged residential buildings with shattered windows and scarred walls.

The birdcage is the first thing that draws the eye. Amid the destruction and scattered remains of daily life, the man carries something he considered worth saving. He is not looking at the camera, nor does he appear to hesitate. He simply moves forward through a street that no longer resembles the place it once was.

The photograph was taken by Mohammad Mehdi Pourarab. Damaged trees line the alley, and signs of destruction are visible throughout the frame. Traces of ordinary life can still be seen here and there, though much of it is now buried beneath dust and rubble.

The strength of the image lies in its simplicity. It does not show the moment of an explosion or the work of emergency crews. Instead, it shows a man walking through the aftermath, holding a birdcage. That small detail offers a powerful glimpse into the human consequences of war: how, in the midst of devastation, people try to preserve what matters most to them.

More than a photograph of destruction, this image is about what people choose to carry with them when so much else has been lost.

When the Sparrows Grow Anxious is now available in all formats.

For the hard cover version, you can click here:

When the Sparrows Grow Anxious: Diaries from Tehran at War (HARD COVER)

For the paperback version, you can click here:

When the Sparrows Grow Anxious: Diaries from Tehran at War (PAPERBACK)

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If you would rather order a physical book through your preferred bookshops, you can quote both the name of the book or the relevant ISBN numbers:

Hardcover: ISBN          9798197042132

Paperback: ISBN         9798180483287