Hadi Najafi (tanbour) and Amin Fahadan (tombak) live in Koblenz on July 25, 2026

Photography by Soheyl Nassary

Tanbour × Tombak documents a live improvisation by Hadi Najafi on tanbour and Amin Fahadan on tombak, performed on July 25, 2026, in the courtyard of the old Kunstgasse at Soundgarden Koblenz. Nothing was rehearsed — the two musicians built the piece in real time, one instrument answering the other, and I photographed the performance as it unfolded around a small, close audience. Under a canopy of vines and stone arches, the tanbour’s long, resonant lines met the tombak’s rhythm in a conversation that felt unscripted and alive. I focused on the physical dialogue between the two players as much as the reactions moving through the audience — closed eyes, held breath, the moment the music turned emotional. It was one of the most intense evenings I’ve photographed this year.