O ne of the songs was recorded during an air strike, parts of another by a fleeing refugee aboard a boat.

The man behind the album is himself technically on bail from Iran’s notorious Evin prison – even the photographer, who created the cover art, has spent three years behind bars for his creative work.

It is the brainchild of Mehdi Rajabian, 30, an Iranian musician who has twice been jailed for his musical activities and is currently serving a suspended three-year jail sentence.

He hopes the album will promote peace and unity in one of the world’s most troubled regions.

“The only point here is peace, comfort for the Middle East,” he tells The Independent from Iran.

The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on Show all 20 1 /20 The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on Women praying during Ashura festivities in Yazd in February Jan Schneider The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on Cars cemented in at the Holy Defence Museum-Garden in Khorramshahr – in 1980 occupying Iraqi forces used such formations to deter paratrooper landings Jan Schneider The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on Women on the Si-o-se-pol bridge over the Zayanderude river in Esfahan Jan Schneider The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on Iranian tourists at Vank cathedral in the Armenian quarter in the city of Esfahan Jan Schneider The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on A reddened fountain in Yazd – a national motif recalling the countries ‘martyrs’ Pictures by Jan Schneider The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on Prayers before a list naming the fallen of the Iran-Iraq war in Tehran Jan Schneider The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on In a museum in central Tehran, a wax figure of Ayatollah Khomeini Jan Schneider The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on Carom billiards in Tehran Jan Schneider The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on Nearly two thirds of Iran’s population is under-30 Jan Schneider The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on Sanctions are exacerbating poverty Jan Schneider The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on Young people are adept at catching moments of freedom, such as this one in the capital Jan Schneider The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on At an art auction in Tehran, the wealthy turn out Jan Schneider The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on Propaganda murals are everywhere Jan Schneider The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on Tehranis love their outdoor spaces too Jan Schneider The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on The hypersaline waters of Lake Urmia are fast diminishing – Iran faces ecological catastrophe Jan Schneider The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on A martyr is depicted outside the huge Beheshte-e-Zahra cemetery in Tehran Jan Schneider The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on A guard naps outside Iran’s foremost tourist attraction – the ancient ruins of Persepolis Jan Schneider The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on Memorial to Iranian pilgrims who died during a stampede in Mecca 1987 Jan Schneider The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on The martyr fixation on display in the southern city of Shush Jan Schneider The Islamic Republic of Iran 40 years on Emamzadeh Saleh mosque in Shemiran, Tehran Jan Schneider

“Right now, the only communication politicians understand is war, human-rights violations, and suppression. But we talk back to them with music. The only weaponry and power we possess is the language of music.”

Rajabian was first jailed in Iran in 2012 when he was just 17 years old, after starting an underground record label that looked to sign women artists.

In ultra-conservative Iran, female singers can face prison time on charges of immorality if they perform in public or sing solo.

For three months he was held in solitary confinement.

When he was released on bail, he continued his musical activities and so in 2015 was re-arrested and eventually sentenced to three years in jail together with his filmmaker brother Hossein, on charges of “insulting Islamic sanctities” and “illegal audio-visual activities”.

The brothers, who say they were tortured in jail, staged two hunger strikes. He says he lost 15kg before he was released.

“I could have died at any stage of the process.”

‘Middle Eastern’ features work from across 12 war-torn countries (Mehdi Rajabian)

After Amnesty International and musicians across the world intervened, Rajabian was released on bail in late 2017, but still has a suspended prison sentence hanging over his head.

His music could land him behind bars once again in one of the world’s most terrifying prisons, but he is determined to push ahead with his project – which was first dreamed up in jail.

“War and human rights violations have always been a part of the Middle East,” he says.

“I feel like music is a language which has no borders, and so we can unite different countries together and scream a message of peace. This album was the result of that idea.”

He says albums like Middle Eastern are needed now more than ever because a crackdown on music and art in the wider region has become so extreme it can “no longer just be called censorship”.

“In Iran, artists are being physically eliminated.”

Through his work, and study of Middle Eastern music, Rajabian says he has met many musicians in the region and so brought those together who had experienced human rights violations, “bombardment, war and suppression”.

The album took a year to produce with the songs recorded in each of the artists’ countries, in order to reflect the musical traditions of each place, as well as the suffering the creators go through.

Among the contributors are Mohamed Saed from Egypt, a country now in the grips of a military dictatorship; Al Fares from war-ravaged Yemen, and Bassem Hawwar, a rebab player from Iraq.

Rajabian, who places the setar, a type of Iranian lute, features on the first track.

The photograph used as the cover was taken by award-winning Iranian photojournalist Reza Deghati, 66, who was arrested in his early 20s for activism and jailed for three years.

According to an interview with Al Jazeera, the image is of a hole in a damaged ceiling in a palace that belonged to Iraq’s brutal former leader Saddam Hussein.

“Through the songs you can feel what people of these 12 countries feel,” Rajabian continues.