ANKARA - Anadolu Agency photo journalist Riza Ozel was given the "Distinguished Photographer" award at the first International Photography Biennal of the Islamic World.
Iran's Academy of Arts organized the Biennal of Photography in the Islamic World with the theme of the Muslim Family.
Rula Halawani (Palestine), Espen Rasmussen (Norway), Kai Wiedenhofer (Germany), Mahmud Ibrahim (Qatar), Jodi Bieber (South Africa), Mehdi Monem (Iran), Karim Saheb (Iraq), Aliakbar Shirjian (Iran), Marco Di Lauro (Italy), Abir Abdullah (Bangladesh), Zeynab Salarvand (Iran), Jamshid Fajound Farda (Iran), Tanvir Ahmed (Bangladesh) were the other photographers who got awards.
The international event serves as a venue for artists of the Islamic world to exchange experiences and examine the cultural and spiritual identity of Islamic societies.
The biennial aims to identify and provide the characteristics of Islamic atmospheres.
Some 150 photos and 31 photo collections by artists from 40 countries are presented in the international event, which began on My 5 and will run until June 11.
(AY)