Music in Iran dates back thousands of years. Archeological records from the 3rd millennium BC shown that some of the earliest complex instruments, such as the harp, were played there.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, banned all music from Iranian radio and television in July 1979, stating that music was “no different from opium” as it “stupefies persons listening to it and makes their brain inactive and frivolous.” Since then, music has been the subject of constant political and religious debate.
Kayhan Life recently sat down with prominent Iranian artists whose voices have been silenced in Iran, including Sattar, one of the most famous and most influential Persian vocalists, and a host of other star talents: Nikita, Shery, and Arash Rahbary (TarantisT).
They have come together in a compilation album produced by Marjan Keypour called Homanity with a mission to raise awareness about the censorship and persecution of artists in Iran.
