Someone Thought Having A Photobooth With Syrian Rubble As A Backdrop Was A Good Idea
Visitors to the Tehran International Book Fair had the chance to sit smiling on a motorcycle in front of a horror show.
Most book fairs are comparatively stodgy places, where rows of thick tomes that nobody reads are presented alongside longwinded authors nobody has heard of. But not the Tehran International Book Fair.
David Qhrdar / IRNA
Rather than relying on a book to transport them, attendees at this year's event had the chance to take a break in front of a backdrop of Syrian rubble. Iran's official state-run news agency, IRNA, published photos on Tuesday of Iranians at the book fair sitting astride a motorcycle, complete with military props like a helmet and grenades.
David Qhrdar / IRNA
The "Defenders of the Shrine" booth, a reference to the calls in Iranian media for men to volunteer to defend holy Shiite sites in Syria, attracted men and women, young and old.
David Qhrdar / IRNA
Despite government claims that Iranians who travel to Syria to fight are all volunteers, there has been a steady stream of reports of Iranian soldiers and high-ranking members of powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps killed while deployed.
David Qhrdar / IRNA