A man sits in his painting shop in the historical bazaar of Tabriz. The Islamic tradition normally prohibit the depiction of human beings. But the Persian has adopted painting and sculpting civilization far before the introduction of Islam by the Arabs, and the artistic culture is much alive until today. In Shia Iran, the rule of depicting human beings is much more relaxed than the majority Sunni countries in the Middle East. You can find miniaturist paintings with the face image of Ali, Hassan, Hussain, the Imams, the angel of Jibril (Gabriel), even the Prophet Muhammad.

Tabriz, Iran, 2008