23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Artistic
strands of hair

A young woman participating in the Nowruz ‘Hezar Daf’ ceremony in the village of Palangan was playing the daf, completely immersed in her performance, as her hair spun in the air with the movement of her head. In this event, a thousand daf players perform spiritual and local melodies, creating a joyful concert attended by more than 30,000 people in the terraced village of Palangan.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 04.2024
Date Uploaded: 12.2025
Photo Location: palangan, Iran
Camera: ILCE-7RM4A
Copyright: © Hamid Azimi