Shiraz, Iran used to be known as the city of poets and
flowers. However on June 18, 1983 it became the city
of hanged women.
Ten women had been condemned to death.
Their crime was to believe in the Bahá'à religion
instead of Islam.
The Islamic Government interrogated these women and
tried to make them convert to Islam. During this proces
they strapped each of the women to a bed and whipped
the soles of her feet so severely that she had to be
dragged back to her cell.
They were hanged in the night of June 18, 1983 in the
middle of a polo field. The bus driver who took the
women to the place of execution reported that the
women seemed to be in excellent psycological condition,
like they were unaware of their destiny.
They were hanged using a short drop and a thin rope
that bites well into the neck of the strangling wictim.
The girls were hanged one by one. As soon as one girl
stopped kicking, the next were brought to the gallows
leaving the dangling body visible for the girl who was
next.
One of the executioners later reported that the girls
offered no resistance while they were noosed, but
struggled franticly when they were suspended.
A young man visited them in the morgue. The sight of
the hanged women was almost too much for him, and
he cried.
His first glance was at Mona's innocent looking face.
Her head lied stretched onto Mahsrid's shoulder.
Mahsrid looked like she was deeply asleep. On Mona's
right side beautiful Shirin lied blindfolded. Roya's big
eyes were wide open. Simin, who always had a happy
and sensitive smile rested in silence next to Izzad,
Roya's mother. Zarrin rested a bit separated from the
others.
Outside in the town of Shiraz groups of people bought
so many flowers to honour the women. Despite of the
danger it was only possible to buy flowers for "the
brides of the city", as the hanged women were called.
On the left the women and girls are presented in their
"order of appearance" at the galows.