Journal Entries Depicting Tehran
January 25, 2019 — Saint Sarkis Cathedral — Tehran, At the heart of Karim Khan-e Zand Street in Tehran lies Saint Sarkis Cathedral; one of the central churches in Tehran and where the Armenian Archbishop Sebou Sarkissian serves. The church is besieged with a tall, isolating wall that makes it almost invisible when its gates are closed. Behind the church, there is a building covered with a gigantic painting of Ayatollah Khomeini with a written script that says, “Dear Khomeini, we will never put down the flag you have raised.” When I first saw this scenery, I could not ignore how triggering the location of the painting was. Behind the shadow of the church’s cross, the painting appeared to be physically overtaking Christian private spaces and instating the religious hierarchy in the Islamic Republic and its ideology over minority religions. Nevertheless, these kinds of political statements are not only found in the visual culture of the city, but also in movie theatres screening films that surpass the particularity and sanctity of Armenian Christianity.
January 22, 2019 — Tehran, it was during my first days in the city, and I was struggling to find Iranian-Armenian participants or any leads to the community. On this evening, I was hanging out with a group of secular Iranian friends in See You in Iran cultural house. I asked them if they know, by any chance, Iranian-Armenians who might be interested in taking part in my study. They all laughed and said that the only Iranian- Armenians they know are those who provide them with alcohol! Even one tourist from Poland offered to provide me with the contact of an Iranian-Armenian man who has been nurturing him with alcohol throughout his stay. Amazing how loud stereotypes can get!
January 28, 2019 — Saint Sarkis Cathedral — Tehran, I was deeply welcomed and greeted by Archbishop Sebou Sarkissian at his office. I planned to meet him in order to know more about the Iranian-Armenian community in Tehran and seek possibilities to recruit focus groups. When I told him about my research interests, he, on spot, called Anaheed Abad, the first Iranian-Armenian female director in Iran, and gave me her phone number to get in touch with her on my second visit. I had heard her name before from one of my participants, who told me about her movie Yeva (2017), a co-production between Iran and Armenia. The film tells the story of an Armenian woman living in Azerbaijan. After the death of her husband, she seeks refuge in an Armenian village. She lives there as a stranger who has to live in disguise and keep her hybrid identity hidden. Her film articulates themes of displacement, women, identity crisis, and patriarchy.
February 14, 2019 — Tehran, it was Valentine’s Day in Tehran, the day of love! During the afternoon, streets were crowded with people coming back from work and rushing to get red balloons and flowers. Heart shaped balloons were numerous and happy couples were everywhere: in coffeeshops, parks, and on street benches. For my part, I chose to spend my Valentine with Eric watching Andranik for the second time in Koroush Cinema at the mall. Although the mall was crowded with people, Andranik’s theater was empty!
February 27, 2019 — Tehran, It is my last day in Tehran. I was on my way to the airport and my eyes were fixed to the cab’s window. I was capturing the last glimpse of the city and giving it my goodbyes. I was also wondering if it has anything more to offer. I spotted a huge building with a verse of the Qura’an that says, “And whoever desires other than Islam as religion — never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the hereafter, will be among the losers.” I have read this verse before, but it had a stronger impact when I saw it publicly on that building.
The verse is publicly condemning, in a very diverse country, all those who do not follow Islam, including Iranian-Armenians, and terrorizing them. At that moment, I realized that Islam in Iran is politicized in every single way to undermine the different other and different beliefs.
