The era of the Sacred Defense was not just a battlefield, it was a scene of sacrifice, faith, and moments that had to be immortalized. One of those who took on this mission is Abaslat Bayat, a war photographer, a man whose frames never get old and today speaks volumes about a generation that experienced the war with all its hardships and hopes.
According to Artmag.ir, Abaslat Bayat has held a special place in the visual memory of the Iranian people for many years. His camera was not only a tool for recording scenes, but also a bridge between the realities of war and the minds of future generations.
For many, war was just the sound of explosions and news of martyrdom, but for Abaslat Bayat, each frame of the camera was a new story of faith and sacrifice. With a simple camera, he recorded scenes that are still more vivid in the minds of people after all these years than any memory.
He said: “When he still looks at that photo, he gets a lump in his throat.” A 15-year-old teenager, the only child in the family, stood on the front line with a tired face with mosquito bites on his cheeks. He had a heavy metal helmet on his head, but his gaze was firm and determined.
Abaslat Bayat, pressed the shutter at that moment, but he knew very well that this frame was not just a photo. This image is a testament to a generation that spent its youth in the path of faith, a generation that may not even have left a name or a trace, but its image became its messenger.
Bayat explains in a calm tone: When I asked him what his last name was, he didn’t answer. He said that if they found out they wouldn’t let me go to the front, they would throw stones at my feet. At that moment, I realized that war is not just about cannons and tanks, it is a war between wanting and not wanting, between hope and despair.
In another frame, a memorable scene of Iranian fighters giving water containers to Iraqi prisoners was captured. Bayat says: That moment was more important to me than thousands of bullets and mortars. It showed that even in the midst of death and blood, there is still room for humanity.
He believes that the war camera is not just for showing blood and destruction. He says: If a photo does not convey hope, it is incomplete. The war was full of bitterness, but there were also smiles and hopes. They must be narrated so that the culture of sacred defense will survive.
Bayat says in a quiet but firm voice: I hope that there will be no more wars anywhere in the world. Our fighters resisted for days and months in the heat of over 50 degrees Celsius or the cold of 20 degrees below zero. During those years, our country lost part of its land and financial and human capital, and its recovery was not possible except with the blood of the youth and the sacrifice of the young and old.
Today’s officials must remember that their position is the result of those sacrifices and should never be oblivious to this truth.
Today, after many years, when the young people of the new generation look at Bayat’s photographs, they are not just witnesses to a historical event. Those frames are messages from a generation that stood with faith and won with sacrifice.
Yes, Abaslat Bayat‘s frames are more than relics of the past, they are beacons of the future. He still considers himself a messenger of those days, a messenger who has entrusted the message of sacrifice and hope to future generations with his photographs.
After four decades, this veteran photographer still considers himself to have a mission: a mission to keep the values of the Sacred Defense alive through images and narratives.
By holding numerous exhibitions, he tries to show that each photograph carries a profound message; a message that if today’s generation can relate to, the culture of sustainability is still alive and well.
