Shajarian concert in Erbil draws exiled Iranians in emotional show of cultural resistance

ERBIL — Iranian singer Homayoun Shajarian delivered a deeply emotional performance at Erbil’s Saad Abdullah Hall during the Eid holiday, drawing a packed crowd of Iranians from inside and outside the country. For many, the night was not just about music but a powerful expression of nostalgia, identity, and quiet resistance.

Shajarian, son of the late Mohammad-Reza Shajarian — one of Iran’s most revered classical vocalists — performed alongside veteran composer Anoushiravan Rohani. The program featured a mix of classical and poetic compositions, presented on a subdued stage under soft lighting, in a performance that closed with tears and extended applause.

Born in 1940 in Mashhad — the same year and city as Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — the elder Shajarian became a cultural icon whose music was banned from Iranian state television after he voiced support for the Green Movement protests in 2009. He died in 2020, and his funeral reportedly turned into an anti-government protest. His son has since carried on the legacy, performing internationally for audiences beyond the Iranian government’s reach.

“This isn’t a small fringe of dissidents or monarchists as some in Tehran suggest,” said an Iranian investor who traveled from the Gulf. “It’s a broad, educated, global community.”

“I couldn’t get a front-row seat,” he added. “They were booked early. Many of the people you see here will leave Erbil tomorrow for their places of exile. But they are part of a growing Iranian society outside Iran — businesspeople, artists, families who left because they could no longer live under restrictions.”

Attendees came from across the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, Turkey and further abroad. Security at the venue was unusually tight, with guests subject to multiple searches and prohibited from bringing personal items — including perfume — into the hall. “It was as if the organizers had considered every possible scenario,” said one guest.

The concert did not include some of Shajarian’s more widely circulated recent works, such as “Arayesh-e Ghaliz,” which some interpret as commentary on societal rigidity. But it concluded with a performance of “Morgh-e Sahar” (“Bird of the Dawn”), a song long associated with protest in Persian music. Its closing lyrics, about breaking free from a cage and setting it ablaze with the fire of freedom, drew a strong emotional reaction from the audience.

Many compared the concert to artistic gatherings held by Iraqis in exile during Saddam Hussein’s rule — spaces for emotional release and subtle protest. In Erbil that night, the same atmosphere returned: not through slogans, but through poetry, metaphor, and a shared longing for a different Iran.