Sistan and Baluchestan region, located in Southeastern Iran, is the land of legends and champions; Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran ranks first in terms of area and poverty. This province has borders with the countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan, a place which has been a safe haven for smugglers and terrorist groups resulting in a disastrous circumstance for the region. Terrorists’ struggles amongst themselves on one hand and their wars and battles with the Iranian government on the other hand have caused people of Sistan and Baluchestan to gain an affinity with weapons and jackets and this bitter fact has become a commonplace phenomenon for people just like their poverty.

Soon after entering this province, a totally different atmosphere from the rest of Iran appears to one; different to the extent that even Iranians get a weird feeling. It is Iran’s only province which lacks city gas and it also lacks sufficient water resources. This province population is comprised of two ethnicities; Baluch people who are Sunni Moslems and Sistani people who have Iran’s formal religion, Shi’ite Moslems.

In this region, you still could see traces of tribalism where tribe chieftains settle in special tents. Of course, some of tribe chiefs have changed their houses to concrete ones in search of better lives.

But what said mostly pertains to Baluchestan. A virtual border has isolated Sistan from Baluchestan which is a direct result of tribal and religious discrepancies; as said before, Sistani people have more commonalities with the central government. Sistan and Baluchestan province’s difference from the rest of Iran has been intensified by its distance from central Iran, its hot and dry climate, and Hamoun Lake’s drought- Iran’s third greatest lake- because of a dam built on Hirmand River in Afghanistan.

Despite all said above, Sistan and Baluchestan people are still friendly, hardworking, and affectionate. The present collection, which is the result of my numerous travels to Sistan and Baluchestan over four years, is yet to be improved in my upcoming travels to that mysterious province.