Let’s know more about Omidvar brothers

Celebrated Iranian globetrotters Abdollah Omidvar and his brother Issa are widely known as Iran's earliest travel documentarians.

They have been dubbed the “Persian Indiana Joneses”. Their adventures are unique and hair-raising as shown by a Jivaro shrunken human head and relics from rituals on display from almost 70 years ago at Tehran-based Sa'dabad Complex.

Sadly, Abdollah passed away on July 14, 2022 at the age of 89. He lived in Chile over the past couple of years.

Their first travel started on a bike and with just $90 each to spend. They set out to see the most remote people they could find.

Omidvar brothers created a documentary record of their journey that is now a milestone in film history since it shows peoples, cultures and even entire countries that no longer exist.

As mentioned by The Guardian, “the films they made along the way are full of the wonder and excitement of exploration. They also bring an interesting counterpoint to a visual media that was, at the time, dominated by America and Europe.”

What we see in their documentary is a world that is in a far better condition: forests seem endless, remote people seem happier and more secure in their lives; it is a world before globalization and a place cleaner and far less hectic.

When their journeys ended, Abdollah settled in Chile, found a successful film company and cinema, while Issa returned to Iran. There in Tehran, he built a museum to house all the artefacts that he and his brother had collected. It is a place worth a visit.

Travel fans may visit their pictures, personal belongings and other associated objects at the Omidvar Brothers Museum inside the Sa'dabad Cultural-Historical Complex, northern Tehran.

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