The Last Sound
A music school in Tehran is destroyed, and a musician returns to leave one final recording
When he returned, the stairs were already giving way beneath his feet.
Each step up the building in Tehran felt uncertain. Dust in the air. The smell of something burned through. By the time Hamidreza Afarideh reached the fourth floor, there was almost nothing left to recognise.
This is where the Honiak Music Academy had been. For two years, it held 250 students.
In the early hours of 23 March 2026, an airstrike hit the building.
Windows blown out. The exterior wall collapsed. Inside, instruments gone entirely. Before leaving for the last time, Afarideh made a decision. The final trace of that place would not be explosions.
He went back, knowing the risk, and played. This is that recording:
Today was the last day I said goodbye to my music school.
For days, I kept telling myself:
The last sound that remains from here must be music, not bombs and missiles.I went. I went in fear.
Because at any moment, explosions or air defence could break the silence.And at the end of this video, you will hear those sounds too.
But I had to go.
This was not just rooms, doors, windows, and chairs.
It held the life of me and Sheyda.
The memories of 250 students.
The effort and love of 22 teachers and colleagues.This sound.
May be the last sound of this school.
Perhaps even the last time I play.
Perhaps I will not be here tomorrow.But this sound will remain.
As a memory.
That we were a people in love, and we left with love.For the day when once again,
Music becomes the sound of peace.
The sound of life.This is the least I can offer
To families who have lost loved ones.Damn war.
Damn violence.What belongs to the people
Cannot simply be erased.And in the end.
How many patients lose their breath when the power is cut.My mother.
Iran.
Take care of yourself, whether we are here or not 🧡Hamidreza Afarideh
© Mehrdad Aref-Adib 2026
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