Podium Photos

"Amid the Rubble and the Roar" by

Shahre-Qods—once known as Qaleh Hassan Khan and remembered as a fertile plain—has in recent years, due to the renovation of Azadi Stadium and the deterioration of Takhti Stadium, unexpectedly become the home venue for Esteghlal and Persepolis. This shift has turned an industrial, migrant-populated city into a temporary center of Iranian sports. Yet Shahre-Qods Stadium struggles with limited capacity, poor access routes, insufficient facilities, and even the risk of collapsing stands. The area surrounding the stadium is marked by scrap warehouses, vacant lots filled with construction debris, and narrow alleyways. On its southern side lies a cemetery pressed directly against the stadium wall, where on match days, the sound of funeral chants blends strangely with the roar of football fans, creating an uncanny and surreal atmosphere.