From Ruins to Radiance: The Artist’s Magical Makeover of Shiraz’s Narenjestan Alley

Adel Yazdi, an artist whose canvas is the walls of the historical Narenjestan alley in Shiraz, has gained attention on social media and has become the subject of a report by Agence France-Presse.

In a bold move, Adel Yazdi has transformed the alleyways of a neighborhood in Shiraz, southern Iran, into a popular destination for social media with his colorful murals, stunning sculptures, and masks inspired by popular culture.

Agence France-Presse wrote: In Shiraz, a city renowned for its magnificent architecture, lush gardens, and poets, the Narenjestan neighborhood, whose vacant houses are at risk of collapse, exists. Adel Yazi, a 40-year-old artist who defines his mission as breathing new life into this neighborhood, says that most of the dilapidated walls of old Shiraz have no historical value. He starts with the support of municipal officials, “ I began storytelling through images inspired by local tales.”

Primitive masks, relief sculptures, Arabic and geometric designs in bright colors, and images from Iranian folklore now adorn the neighborhood’s walls. Adel Yazdi mentions that “this is a collection of faces, including the face of Shahrzad,” the famous character and storyteller from the tale of One Thousand and One Nights.

The art of graffiti is not very well-known in Shiraz, but now this artist has transformed the abandoned alleys, drawing the attention of social media. Iranians from all over the country come to this gallery alley to take pictures of the murals and share them online.

Yazdi set up his workshop in a hundred-year-old building at the end of an alley. This residence, with its small rooms around a garden, is an example of historical Iranian architecture. The rooms, filled with artistic objects, evoke a museum storehouse where countless sculptures intertwine.

This Iranian artist says: “The story of the construction of the Pompidou Center in Paris was inspiring to me. In the 1970s, the renovation of the center of Paris led to the birth of this futuristic building, which now forms an important part of modern and contemporary art in France.”

Adel Yazi hopes to turn his neighborhood into an iconic place in Shiraz. Numerous objects in his workshop serve as reminders of the doors of Shia mosques, historical treasures of the city like Eram Garden, and the tomb of the poet Hafez.

One of the favorite sections of visitors is the “Finger Room,” which houses 14,000 sculptures in the shape of a pointing finger. The artist explains: “This room is inspired by an Ismalic legend about an angel who counts raindrops with thousands of fingers,” and adds, “These fingers remind us that every moment is precious and should be cherished.”