Tehran Metro Exhibition Honors 46 Iranian-Armenians Killed in Iran-Iraq War

An exhibition honoring 46 Iranian-Armenians killed during the Iran-Iraq War has opened at a Tehran metro station named for the Virgin Mary, bringing the Armenian community’s wartime history into one of the Iranian capital’s public spaces.

The exhibition, “Armenian Martyrs: Legends of Sacrifice,” opened at Holy Mary Metro Station during Iran’s Sacred Defense Week, which commemorates the 1980-1988 war with Iraq.

Photographs and other materials displayed at the station document the lives of Armenian servicemen who fought for Iran during the conflict. Iranian authorities refer to those killed in the war as martyrs.

Ara Shahverdyan, who represents Armenians in Tehran and northern Iran in the Iranian parliament, joined families of the fallen servicemen and Iranian officials at the opening.

Shahverdyan said the Armenian soldiers’ service showed that Iranians stood together in defense of the country regardless of their religious background. He said preserving their stories would also help younger generations understand the Armenian community’s place in Iran’s modern history.

The exhibition is expected to remain on display for one month.

Its location carries particular significance for Tehran’s Armenian community. Holy Mary Metro Station, on Line 6, is near St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Cathedral, a major religious and cultural center for Armenians in the Iranian capital.

The station opened in 2025 under the name Maryam-e Moghaddas, or Holy Mary. Iranian officials said the name was chosen in recognition of the nearby Armenian cathedral and the Virgin Mary. Christian imagery and Armenian elements are incorporated into the station’s design.

Armenians have lived in Iran for centuries and are among the country’s officially recognized Christian minorities. Members of the community served in the Iranian military during the Iran-Iraq War, while Armenian civilians and community organizations also supported the war effort.

By placing the photographs of the 46 Armenian war dead inside a functioning metro station, organizers have taken a chapter of Iranian-Armenian history beyond community institutions and presented it directly to Tehran’s daily commuters.

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