Safe Haven of Bullets praised in Tabriz

Iran's Oral History Website: Abdolreza Alboghobeish's memories are gathered in a book entitled as “the Safe Haven of Bullets” which is in fact an oral history of Iraqi invasions of Khoramshahr in their early days. Javad Kamvar Bakhshayesh has compiled the book and has had it published by Soreie Mehr Publications. The book has undergone 4 print-runs so far.

A while ago, Kamvar was lauded in the Islamic Revolution and Sacred Defense section of the 2nd Tabriz Book Festival for writing of the book.

"Besides transcripts of Alboghobeish's interviews, memories of a number of others, I came across with during the course of the interviews, are brought in the book as footnotes or sideline stories," said Kamvar stating that the book encompasses eye-witness memories of the 35 days before the Khoramshahr topple on October 27, 1980 in the form of an oral history project. "The book finishes with complementary narrations of Khoramshahr events as related by the key witnesses. In a way, the marginal recollections function as evidence substantiating the book."

Kamvar further asserted that the narrations by Alboghobeish and others about the same event made the stories more objective and documented. “The use of oral history made the stories more vivid for readers. When one reads the memories, they happen to view the events from different angles as presented by the witnesses.”
Kamvar Bakhshayesh went on to say that because Alboghobeish’s narrations depict the early days of Iraq-imposed war on Iran, they show ups and downs of people’s combat against Iraqis with basic, non-military weapons in those days in an absorbing way.  
 â€œAlboghobeish was the only eye-witness of the martyrdom of Sheikh Ghonouti (Sheikh Sharif), the first Sacred Defense martyred cleric,” added Kamvar. “Actually, I found Alboghobeish and his memories by chance when I was busy working on martyr Sheikh Ghonouti’s memoir and biography. Alboghobeish and I traveled a lot together to the location of his memories which helped him a lot in retrieving what he had witnessed.”

Kamvar posited that the book (Safe Haven of Bullets) begins with the climax of Alboghobeish’s memories when he and Sheikh Ghonouti were detained and tortured by Ba'ath forces. “He observed the killing of Sheikh Ghonouti by Iraqis torturing and killing him in the most brutal, heartbreaking manner. After Ghonouti, it was Alboghobeish’s turn to be given the works…. Finally, an Iraqi soldier named Adnan tried to give him the death blow by 13 shots, but, as desired by God, he stayed alive! Several hours later, on 40 Meter St. of Khoramshahr, Iranian forces found his half-dead body where the Sheikh was already martyred. His memories begin right from the moment he fell unconscious by a shot.” 

Kamvar further stated that the methods adopted for narrating memories differ. “There are other oral history works that begin from one’s childhood; however, the shooting scene of the narrator has changed the whole theme of the story and makes it more riveting for readers.”

He finalized his statements saying that a documentary is being made based on the collected memories of the book including the memories of three women or those of martyr Mahmoud Amanollahi.

Reported by: Fatemeh Nourvand
Translated by: Abbas Hajihashemi