This article and photos are partially quoted from a magazine “The Atlantic (http://www.theatlantic.com/)” in JAN 6, 2012.
日本語訳追加：中村
[A View Inside Iran]
Iran has appeared in numerous headlines around the world in recent months, usually attached to stories about military exercises and other saber-rattlings, economic sanctions, a suspected nuclear program, and varied political struggles. Iran is a country of more than 75 million people with a diverse history stretching back many thousands of years. While over 90 percent of Iranians belong to the Shia branch of Islam -- the official state religion -- Iran is also home to nearly 300,000 Christians, and the largest community of Jews in the Middle East outside Israel. At a time when military and political images seem to dominate the news about Iran, I thought it would be interesting to take a recent look inside the country, to see its people through the lenses of agency photographers. Keep in mind that foreign media are still subject to Iranian restrictions on reporting. [42 photos]
（イランという国については各種のニュースヘッドラインにて核開発疑惑、軍事訓練、政治・経済不安などネガティブな内容が取り上げられることが多い。しかし、イランは7500万の人々が暮らし、多様で非常に長い歴史を持つ国であり、それは何千年という他の民族地域にはない長い歴史でもある。イラン人の90％がイスラム教シーア派であり、それに限らず30万人のクリスチャン、さらには多くのユダヤ人もイランに暮らしておりそれは中東で3番目に多い数でさえある。マスメディアが伝えるようにイランという国と軍事・政治問題のイメージを結び付けてしまいがちだが、その国の細部や人々をカメラのレンズをとおしよく見てみると多くの興味深い事々に気づかされる。）
１. Iranian grooms, Javad Jafari, left, and his brother, Mehdi, right, pose for photographs with their brides, Maryam Sadeghi, second left, and Zahra Abolghasemi, who wear their formal wedding dresses prior to their wedding in Ghalehsar village, about 220 mi (360 km) northeast of the capital Tehran, Iran, on July 15, 2011. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
（2組の新郎と新婦。新郎二人は兄弟。首都テヘランの北360kmの村での結婚式前の風景。）
2. Iranians Morteza Alavi and Mehdi Hagh Badri fly with a tandem paraglider over northwestern Tehran, on May 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) #
（テヘラン上空をパラグライダーで飛ぶ二人。）
3. A worker stands in front of an Iranian handmade carpet at a carpet workshop in Kashan, 240 km (149 miles) south of Tehran, on November 13, 2011. Persian carpet weaving is a historical part of Iranian culture, dating back to as far as approximately 2,000 years ago. (Reuters/Morteza Nikoubazl) #
（カーペット展示会で手作りのペルシャ絨毯の前に立つ販売員。ペルシャ絨毯は2000年前に起源をさかのぼり、イランの文化を最もよく表すもののひとつである。）
5. The eclipse of the moon is seen behind the Milad tower in Tehran, on June 16, 2011. (Reuters/Raheb Homavandi) #
(ミラードタワーと月食。テヘラン。)
6. Iranian women pray at the historical Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan on August 31, 2011 on the first day of Eid al-Fitr in the predominantly Shiite Muslim Iran, marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. (Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images) #
(神聖なるラマダンの断食月の終わりに、祈りを捧げる女性たち。)
7. Iranian dog-lover Andia caresses a puppy as she brings food donations to the Vafa animal shelter in the town of Hashtgerd, some 70 km west of the capital Tehran, on June 30, 2011. The first animal shelter in Iran, the non-government charity relies on private donations and volunteers to provide shelter to injured and homeless dogs in Iran. Canine lovers in the Islamic Republic were faced with a motion put forth by lawmakers to ban the public appearance of dogs due to their "uncleanness" and to combat "a blind imitation of vulgar Western culture." If the motion becomes law, first-time offenders will be fined five million rials (472 USD or 337 euros) and will be given a 10-day period to get rid of the dog or face the canine's confiscation to an unknown fate. (Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images) #
(犬とたわむれる女性。テヘランより東70kmにある街の動物保護施設にて。この保護施設はNGOにより一般からの寄付金とボランティアの手によりイランで初めて作られた動物保護施設である。イランの動物愛好家は犬を公の場への連れ出すことを禁止する政府による法律の施行に直面している。その立法の理由のひとつには西洋文化が過剰に広がりすぎ過ぎることを防ぐ目的がある。)
12. An Iranian man wears Santa Claus costume, as he stands in front of a shop with Christmas decorations, in central Tehran, on December 20, 2011. (AP Photo) #
(サンタクロースの格好をしたイラン人。2011/12/20、テヘランにて。)
15. An evening view shows Tehran on Monday, October 31, 2011. (AP Photo) #
(テヘランの夜景。)
16. Iranian female kart racer, Solmaz Hamzehzadeh, foreground, competes during an Iranian Karting championship race, at the Azadi sport complex, in Tehran, on June 10, 2011. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) #
(イラン・カート選手権でレースをするイラン人女性カートドライバーたち。テヘラン。)
18. Covering her face with a traditional veil, a vendor works at her produce shop on the island of Qeshm, Iran, on December 24, 2011. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) #
(ベールをかぶり店の前に立つ女性販売員。クェシュム島にて。)
20. Tuche Ayar, a member of the Cerbrus Turkish robotic team, prepares her robot before a soccer match during the 6th RoboCup Iran Open 2011 Competitions soccer match in Tehran, on April 7, 2011. (Reuters/Raheb Homavandi) #
(ロボットサークルチームの女性。2011年の第6回イランロボット選手権でのロボットによるサッカーの試合の準備をしている。テヘラン。)
21. A view of Palangan village in Kurdistan province, about 660 km (412 miles) southwest of Tehran, on May 11, 2011. Iranian Shi'ite and Sunni Kurds live in harmony with each other in Palangan, although Sunni is the religion of the majority of the people. (Reuters/Morteza Nikoubazl) #
(テヘランから南西660kmにあるパラガン村の様子。この村は主にはクルド民族の村であるが、イラン人（アーリア人）であるスンニ派とクルド人であるシーア派が協調した暮らしを営んでいる。)
25. Iranian rollerbladers wait to hear whistle of referee, to start their competition, in a women's rollerblading championship league, at the Azadi (Freedom) sport complex, in Tehran, on June 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) #
(レリーフを巻いて競技に参加する女性ローラーブレーダー。)
28. Iranian youths shoot water at each other with water guns, during water fights at the Water and Fire Park in northern Tehran, on July 29, 2011. During the summer, Iran was trying to put down a new wave of civil disobedience - flash mobs of young people who broke into boisterous fights with water guns in public parks. Dozens of water fighters were arrested and a top judiciary official warned that "counter-revolutionaries" were behind them. (AP Photo/Milad Beheshti) #
(ウォーターガンを打つイラン人の若者たち。2011年7月。この夏、イラン政府は若者たちのこの騒ぎを鎮圧した。若者たちはウォーターガンを使って公園などで騒ぎを起こし、政府はそれを反社会的な勢力が後ろにいると見て若者たちを捕えた。)
29. A woman poses for a picture in front of the beached Greek ship Moula F, during sunset off Kish Island, 1,250 km (777 miles) south of Tehran, on April 27, 2011. The ship ran aground on the southwest side of the island en route to Greece and was abandoned after salvage efforts proved unfeasible. (Reuters/Caren Firouz) #
(座礁したギリシャの船舶の前でポーズを撮る女性。)
40. Nature lovers prepare before a trash disposal campaign in the Miankaleh area, 250 km (155 mi) northeast of Tehran , onSeptember 22, 2011. The Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation (PWHF), an NGO organization, arranged a symbolic trash disposal campaign with 200 environmentally friendly people, along the Caspian Sea. They collected more than 3 tons of trash. (Reuters/Raheb Homavandi) #
(自然保護のためのキャンペーンの準備をする女性たち。NGOなどの各種団体が200人の人を集めゴミ収集のイベントを行った。その結果、３トンものゴミが集められた。)
日本語訳追加：中村
[A View Inside Iran]
Iran has appeared in numerous headlines around the world in recent months, usually attached to stories about military exercises and other saber-rattlings, economic sanctions, a suspected nuclear program, and varied political struggles. Iran is a country of more than 75 million people with a diverse history stretching back many thousands of years. While over 90 percent of Iranians belong to the Shia branch of Islam -- the official state religion -- Iran is also home to nearly 300,000 Christians, and the largest community of Jews in the Middle East outside Israel. At a time when military and political images seem to dominate the news about Iran, I thought it would be interesting to take a recent look inside the country, to see its people through the lenses of agency photographers. Keep in mind that foreign media are still subject to Iranian restrictions on reporting. [42 photos]
（イランという国については各種のニュースヘッドラインにて核開発疑惑、軍事訓練、政治・経済不安などネガティブな内容が取り上げられることが多い。しかし、イランは7500万の人々が暮らし、多様で非常に長い歴史を持つ国であり、それは何千年という他の民族地域にはない長い歴史でもある。イラン人の90％がイスラム教シーア派であり、それに限らず30万人のクリスチャン、さらには多くのユダヤ人もイランに暮らしておりそれは中東で3番目に多い数でさえある。マスメディアが伝えるようにイランという国と軍事・政治問題のイメージを結び付けてしまいがちだが、その国の細部や人々をカメラのレンズをとおしよく見てみると多くの興味深い事々に気づかされる。）
１. Iranian grooms, Javad Jafari, left, and his brother, Mehdi, right, pose for photographs with their brides, Maryam Sadeghi, second left, and Zahra Abolghasemi, who wear their formal wedding dresses prior to their wedding in Ghalehsar village, about 220 mi (360 km) northeast of the capital Tehran, Iran, on July 15, 2011. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
（2組の新郎と新婦。新郎二人は兄弟。首都テヘランの北360kmの村での結婚式前の風景。）
2. Iranians Morteza Alavi and Mehdi Hagh Badri fly with a tandem paraglider over northwestern Tehran, on May 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) #
（テヘラン上空をパラグライダーで飛ぶ二人。）
3. A worker stands in front of an Iranian handmade carpet at a carpet workshop in Kashan, 240 km (149 miles) south of Tehran, on November 13, 2011. Persian carpet weaving is a historical part of Iranian culture, dating back to as far as approximately 2,000 years ago. (Reuters/Morteza Nikoubazl) #
（カーペット展示会で手作りのペルシャ絨毯の前に立つ販売員。ペルシャ絨毯は2000年前に起源をさかのぼり、イランの文化を最もよく表すもののひとつである。）
5. The eclipse of the moon is seen behind the Milad tower in Tehran, on June 16, 2011. (Reuters/Raheb Homavandi) #
(ミラードタワーと月食。テヘラン。)
6. Iranian women pray at the historical Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan on August 31, 2011 on the first day of Eid al-Fitr in the predominantly Shiite Muslim Iran, marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. (Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images) #
(神聖なるラマダンの断食月の終わりに、祈りを捧げる女性たち。)
7. Iranian dog-lover Andia caresses a puppy as she brings food donations to the Vafa animal shelter in the town of Hashtgerd, some 70 km west of the capital Tehran, on June 30, 2011. The first animal shelter in Iran, the non-government charity relies on private donations and volunteers to provide shelter to injured and homeless dogs in Iran. Canine lovers in the Islamic Republic were faced with a motion put forth by lawmakers to ban the public appearance of dogs due to their "uncleanness" and to combat "a blind imitation of vulgar Western culture." If the motion becomes law, first-time offenders will be fined five million rials (472 USD or 337 euros) and will be given a 10-day period to get rid of the dog or face the canine's confiscation to an unknown fate. (Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images) #
(犬とたわむれる女性。テヘランより東70kmにある街の動物保護施設にて。この保護施設はNGOにより一般からの寄付金とボランティアの手によりイランで初めて作られた動物保護施設である。イランの動物愛好家は犬を公の場への連れ出すことを禁止する政府による法律の施行に直面している。その立法の理由のひとつには西洋文化が過剰に広がりすぎ過ぎることを防ぐ目的がある。)
12. An Iranian man wears Santa Claus costume, as he stands in front of a shop with Christmas decorations, in central Tehran, on December 20, 2011. (AP Photo) #
(サンタクロースの格好をしたイラン人。2011/12/20、テヘランにて。)
15. An evening view shows Tehran on Monday, October 31, 2011. (AP Photo) #
(テヘランの夜景。)
16. Iranian female kart racer, Solmaz Hamzehzadeh, foreground, competes during an Iranian Karting championship race, at the Azadi sport complex, in Tehran, on June 10, 2011. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) #
(イラン・カート選手権でレースをするイラン人女性カートドライバーたち。テヘラン。)
18. Covering her face with a traditional veil, a vendor works at her produce shop on the island of Qeshm, Iran, on December 24, 2011. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) #
(ベールをかぶり店の前に立つ女性販売員。クェシュム島にて。)
20. Tuche Ayar, a member of the Cerbrus Turkish robotic team, prepares her robot before a soccer match during the 6th RoboCup Iran Open 2011 Competitions soccer match in Tehran, on April 7, 2011. (Reuters/Raheb Homavandi) #
(ロボットサークルチームの女性。2011年の第6回イランロボット選手権でのロボットによるサッカーの試合の準備をしている。テヘラン。)
21. A view of Palangan village in Kurdistan province, about 660 km (412 miles) southwest of Tehran, on May 11, 2011. Iranian Shi'ite and Sunni Kurds live in harmony with each other in Palangan, although Sunni is the religion of the majority of the people. (Reuters/Morteza Nikoubazl) #
(テヘランから南西660kmにあるパラガン村の様子。この村は主にはクルド民族の村であるが、イラン人（アーリア人）であるスンニ派とクルド人であるシーア派が協調した暮らしを営んでいる。)
25. Iranian rollerbladers wait to hear whistle of referee, to start their competition, in a women's rollerblading championship league, at the Azadi (Freedom) sport complex, in Tehran, on June 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) #
(レリーフを巻いて競技に参加する女性ローラーブレーダー。)
28. Iranian youths shoot water at each other with water guns, during water fights at the Water and Fire Park in northern Tehran, on July 29, 2011. During the summer, Iran was trying to put down a new wave of civil disobedience - flash mobs of young people who broke into boisterous fights with water guns in public parks. Dozens of water fighters were arrested and a top judiciary official warned that "counter-revolutionaries" were behind them. (AP Photo/Milad Beheshti) #
(ウォーターガンを打つイラン人の若者たち。2011年7月。この夏、イラン政府は若者たちのこの騒ぎを鎮圧した。若者たちはウォーターガンを使って公園などで騒ぎを起こし、政府はそれを反社会的な勢力が後ろにいると見て若者たちを捕えた。)
29. A woman poses for a picture in front of the beached Greek ship Moula F, during sunset off Kish Island, 1,250 km (777 miles) south of Tehran, on April 27, 2011. The ship ran aground on the southwest side of the island en route to Greece and was abandoned after salvage efforts proved unfeasible. (Reuters/Caren Firouz) #
(座礁したギリシャの船舶の前でポーズを撮る女性。)
40. Nature lovers prepare before a trash disposal campaign in the Miankaleh area, 250 km (155 mi) northeast of Tehran , onSeptember 22, 2011. The Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation (PWHF), an NGO organization, arranged a symbolic trash disposal campaign with 200 environmentally friendly people, along the Caspian Sea. They collected more than 3 tons of trash. (Reuters/Raheb Homavandi) #
(自然保護のためのキャンペーンの準備をする女性たち。NGOなどの各種団体が200人の人を集めゴミ収集のイベントを行った。その結果、３トンものゴミが集められた。)