SAEDNEWS: A newly unearthed photograph shows Hassan Baqeri—later celebrated as a martyr and brother of Major General Mohammad Bagheri—standing at the entrance of the storied Seven Sleepers’ cave near Amman.
According to Saed News, the image dates to 1979 (1358 SH), when Hassan Baqeri was a correspondent for the Jomhuri Islami newspaper. On assignment, he spent fifteen days traversing Lebanon and Jordan, documenting local politics and religious heritage. This particular shot, taken in the rugged hills of al‑Rajib just outside Amman, captures Baqeri at the rim of the cavern long identified in Islamic and Christian tradition as the refuge of the Seven Sleepers—figures whose story embodies themes of faith’s preservation under persecution.
For historians of the Islamic Republic, the photograph is significant not only for its rarity but also for the foreshadowing of Baqeri’s own fate. In the years that followed, he became a founding strategist of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and was killed in action during the early months of the Iran–Iraq War. His brother, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, would rise to become the chairman of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff, underscoring a family legacy shaped by struggle and sacrifice.
Viewed in hindsight, the image resonates with metaphor: a young journalist at a threshold between worlds—reporting on ancient legends even as his own story began to intertwine with the making of modern Iran. As analysts reflect on the symbolism, they note that Baqeri’s solitary figure against the cave’s dark mouth evokes both vulnerability and resolve—qualities that defined his brief but consequential life.
