This moonlit 2011 night of Iran’s Alborz Mountains was the longest night of the year (Dec 20-21), the time for a 3000-year old winter solstice celebration known as Yalda, still widely popular in the Persian culture. Also known as Shab-e Cheleh it brings families together to celebrate the rebirth of the sun after the longest night, the triumph of light over darkness. Some of the Christmas elements share common origin with Yalda in the Zoroastrian culture and Mithraic tradition of worshipping the sun.

The time-exposure image shows a car passing on a mountain road and the Earth rotation during one hour, turning the sky with stars circling around the north celestial pole, marked by the north star Polaris. In the foreground is Mt Damavand, a spectacular volcano reaching 5610 meters high (18,400 ft). It’s the Asia’s highest volcano, just 70km away from Tehran. The natural symbol of Iran, from ancient mythology to the modern world, it last erupted more than 7,000 years ago, but it’s still a potentially live volcano.

Babak Tafreshi is a photojournalist, explorer, and speaker that uses the context of night sky photography to bridge Earth and sky, art and science, and cultures and time. A National Geographic photographer and cinematographer, he lives in Boston with his wife and child.

Follow Babak on Instagram @babaktafreshi.