Paradise Lost : Persia from Above Georg Gester

In 1976, before the revolution and the fall of the shah, when Iran was a rapidly modernizing but still ancient—and open, and safe—place, pioneering aerial photographer Georg Gerster traveled there.

He brought with him a letter, detailing his dream to photograph Persia from above, to capture the old and the new, the contours of the desert, and where it met the great cities and mountains. He gave his letter to the Empress Farah, who granted the photographer unprecedented access to her country. source: www.nationalgeographic.com