I visited a bird market in the labyrinthine bazaar in Esfahan, Iran and hung around for a while, There was a language barrier but they were all eager to show me around and point out the things i should take pictures of! I stayed long enough for them to forget about me, which was more ideal.For the most part the conditions were awful and the bird handling was a little depressing, but its a different world and no different from any butchers except you have to bear the weight of actually killing the bird.
The colourful chicks the children were so interested in are bought for a season changing celebration, the chicks are dyed by an injection into the eggs and the colourful feathers fall off as they grow up, presumably to live normal iranian chicken lives.
This place had an atmosphere, being full of local men and women buying the dinner while their children marvelled at the birds like it was a zoo. There seemed to be a huge divide between what the kids saw and what was actually going on.
The picture of the chick leaning over the edge of the box is one of my favourites, I was leaning in to take the picture and the owner patted him back into the box, I awkwardly stood back up, and upon realising what i had been doing, he picked up another chick and gruffly potted it in the same position! They're his legs in the background, just before he walked over
