MAJID ENTEZAMI — This Symphony with Israel War Footage is going viral in Iran

The “Symphony of the Epic of Khorramshahr”—also known as the Symphony to mark Khorramshahr’s liberation—is a powerful orchestral work composed by Majid Entezami in the early 1980s to commemorate the 1982 liberation of Khorramshahr during the Iran-Iraq War.

The “Symphony of the Epic of Khorramshahr” (Simfoni-e ḥamāseh-ye Khorramshahr or سمفونی حماسه خرمشهر in Persian) is a musical composition commemorating the liberation of Khorramshahr, a key turning point during the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988). It is one of several patriotic or commemorative works created in Iran to honor the retaking of the city of Khorramshahr by Iranian forces on May 24, 1982, after it had been under Iraqi occupation for over a year and a half.

Several composers in Iran have written musical works themed around Khorramshahr and the war, but a notable recent version of the “Symphony of the Epic of Khorramshahr” was composed by Mohammadreza Aligholi (محمدرضا علیقلی), a well-known Iranian composer who has created many symphonic works related to war and national memory.

Aligholi’s symphonic pieces often incorporate Persian musical elements, traditional instruments, and choral segments. His “Khorramshahr Symphony” was performed with national orchestras and aired on national Iranian television on anniversaries of the event.

Khorramshahr, located in Khuzestan province near the Iran-Iraq border, was heavily damaged and saw intense urban warfare. Its recapture marked a psychological and strategic victory for Iran during the early years of the war. The phrase “Khorramshahr is free!” (Khorramshahr āzād shod!) became iconic and is often referenced in Iranian media and culture.

In addition to symphonies, the liberation of Khorramshahr has inspired films, poems, documentaries, murals, and military marches. The symphony stands as part of Iran’s broader post-revolutionary musical heritage, where art is used to memorialize and mythologize key events in the Islamic Republic’s history.