Morteza Avini

Who was Morteza Avini?

Sayyed Morteza Avini was an Iranian photographer of the Iran-Iraq war.

Avini was born in 1947 in Rey, south of Tehran. After earning a master's degree in architecture from Tehran University, he switched to photography and film, especially after the 1979 revolution of Iran.

He gained national recognition and reputation for his documentary works during the Iran–Iraq war. Some of his team members martyred while filming in war zones. He is especially remembered for the series The Chronicles of Victory, which aired regularly on IRIB.

In 1989, Iran's supreme leader established a foundation to help continue documenting and commemorating the war. The result was the 10-part series A City in the Skies.

Avini was killed on April 9, 1993 by an Iraqi-deployed landmine remained from Iraq–Iran war while making a documentary about the missing soldiers in the former war fronts of southwestern Iran. He left numerous publications.