Social history, unlike political history, examines various aspects of life and culture from a bottom-up perspective—how governmental regulations affect people’s lives and behaviors. It delves into the processes and outcomes of human actions to provide a more complete picture of a period, beyond the achievements of political or intellectual history.
Orhan Pamuk, a Turkish writer, portrays a part of Istanbul’s history by writing the historical novel “The Museum of Innocence,” set in Istanbul, and by collecting objects related to fictional characters and events in the novel, establishing a personal museum in a building in Istanbul. He sees the philosophy behind setting up a museum as overcoming the linear course of time. In his novel, in accordance with Aristotle’s theory, he views time as having two aspects: the timeline (which ends in death) and the present time. According to Pamuk, this timeline connects all objects and moments, but contemplating this temporal course is very painful because it leads towards death. Yet sometimes these moments we call “now” can bring such joy and pleasure that it lasts for a century. The author considers collecting objects related to his lover as preserving these present moments. He believes objects have a soul that preserves and conveys the historical essence of the moment forever. For me, my hometown of Zanjan was akin to Pamuk’s character “Fusun,” his lover, which inspired me to try and document the existing artifacts by collecting objects related to each story and arranging them as a visual record.
This personal interest stemmed from the absence of written sources about cultures, rituals, and stories, and the fear of losing the customs and traditions of a period when my grandparents and parents lived. This led to the collection of stories, events, and the lives of the people of Zanjan from the 1920s to the 1950s, aiming to document a part of Zanjan’s social history.
Human sensory perceptions are one of the most important components in social history studies. The necessity of documenting Zanjan’s social history compelled me to attempt documenting the existing artifacts by collecting objects related to each story and arranging them visually. The result was an exhibition combining photography, literature, and arrangement, allowing viewers to touch, smell, taste the objects in the photos, and listen to the stories they represent.
Sonsiz-Nasrolah
He was the oldest person I had ever seen in my life. He was over 110 years old, hale and hearty, and would light up his two-meter pipe. The pipe extended to the middle of the room, and he would recount tales of his youth and bravery. His mind was sharp until recently. We realized he had Alzheimer's when we asked about his well-being, and he said, "What well-being? Gabriel doesn’t come to take me away." It was rumored that he had married 20 times in his youth, but he insisted it was only five. His first marriage took place when he was just 17. His sister, Alamtaj Khanum, had spotted the girl at a religious gathering. When Esmat was busy turning the coal for the hookah at "Toolama," Alamtaj had chosen her for him, and the wedding was quickly arranged after the month of Safar. The marriage did not last a year, and Alamtaj annulled it on the pretext of Esmat being barren. Immediately, through "Aghdas Oz Alan," who had come to their home for facial threading, she got the address of Kabri Khanum, who had a 10-year-old daughter named Akram. The marriage with Akram was quickly arranged, and a grand ceremony was held. From the first month, Alamtaj procured a charm and, following the instructions of the charm writer, placed it in a prayer bowl with rainwater collected in May from the house's gutter. She secretly mixed the water into rosewater sherbet for the newlyweds. Alamtaj’s efforts didn’t work, and Nasrollah Khan was forced to divorce Akram on a similar pretext. He married his third wife at the age of 20, again with Alamtaj’s involvement, who was devoted to her brother. She found Safoura for Nasrollah Khan. Safoura was the daughter of a noble and had grown up in luxury. But after six months, Alamtaj sought the help of a charm writer to ensure Nasrollah Khan would have a son. The charm writer believed Nasrollah Khan’s fortune was blocked and he was cursed by a familiar enemy. The names of all possible enemies, ill-wishers, and female relatives were written on an egg with charcoal and placed inside a woman’s stocking. The charm writer began reciting the names while squeezing the egg. The lot fell on Safoura’s sister, and the egg broke as her name was read. This was enough to put Safoura on the blacklist, and she was soon divorced. For his fourth marriage, they found a bride from a village for Nasrollah Khan. Alamtaj claimed they were simple folks and didn’t know how to curse city girls. From the beginning of the marriage, they tied the navel of "Soghra" to herbal infusions and "Turkeh Dava," soon believing that Nasrollah's blocked fortune continued and all the girls were unlucky. His fifth marriage coincided with World War II. When the Russians occupied Azerbaijan and Zanjan, they all fled to nearby villages to escape bombings and air raids. Nasrollah fell in love with the village chieftain’s daughter, "Adleh." She was too clever for Alamtaj to disrupt their marriage with charms and spells. Her brother, who was a cook at the German embassy in Tehran, had three children but, due to the embassy’s restrictions, couldn’t care for a fourth. When his fourth child was born, he turned to Adleh for help. Gratefully, she took on the responsibility of raising "Farid." After realizing the townspeople had nicknamed him "Sonsiz Nasrollah" (Nasrollah without heirs), Nasrollah acknowledged the possibility of his own infertility and loved Adleh deeply, raising Farid as his own. Years later, even after Adleh’s death, Farid took care of Nasrollah and, following Nasrollah’s will, inherited all his belongings.