Nomadic Life and Traditions in Photos

Es’haq Aqaei will open his “Something Like Life” exhibition at Iranian Artist Forum in Tehran on Friday. 
The one-week event is a collection of photos depicting life, traditions and handicrafts of nomads in southwestern province of Kohgilouyeh-Boyerahmad, where the artist himself was raised, ISNA reported on its Persian website. 
Due to its two varying climatic conditions the province has provided a suitable habitat for nomads throughout history.  However, as Aqaei wrote in a note on his exhibit, the population of nomads in the region has reduced by half in recent years, from 22,000 households in 1967 to about 10,000 now. “This is cause for concern because with the decline in their numbers many customs and traditions, interwoven with their culture and lifestyle, will also fade away” Rapid urbanization in Iran has chipped away at the population of nomads who mostly straddle the central and south-central provinces, including Fars, Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari and Kohgilouyeh-Boyerahmad. Data has it that nomads made up almost one-fourth of Iran’s population 100 years ago. Today it is less than 2%.