Joomla in Faces. Mahdi Ahazan (Joomla advocate)

My name is Mahdi Ahazan—online, I often go by Mehrabun. I was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1988. My journey with computers started in a memorable way: I bought my very first computer on September 11, 2001. Just two years later, I’d already designed my first website—a kind of neighborhood intranet where I shared local news. That’s also around the time I discovered Mambo, which soon became Joomla. I joined the MamboLearn team early on and naturally moved to JoomlaFarsi when the community shifted. I studied computer science and software engineering, and today I specialize in system administration, hosting, web design, SEO, webmastering, and live video streaming servers.

Actually, my first encounter was with Mambo. When Joomla 1.0 took over, I followed along and never looked back. I migrated many of our sites to Joomla once Mambo was officially discontinued. What really drew me in—and still does—was the security. The original Mambo and Joomla core were incredibly secure for their time. That security starts with being open source. The fact that Joomla is both open and free creates a kind of positive addiction; it invites people in and gives them a sense of ownership and trust.

Yes, I believe every CMS is built with a purpose, so I’ve worked with several. I’ve used WordPress and Drupal more than Magento, PrestaShop, or Typo3. In today’s world, using the right tool for the job is essential. For sites that rely heavily on plugins, I still find Joomla delivers better results. WordPress can feel a bit loose—we sometimes call it Herdenbil in Persian—and Drupal can be challenging to extend, especially here in Iran where it has a tiny presence.

But if I’m honest, sometimes the lack of well-localized plugins for Joomla forces me to use other systems. This is especially true for e‑commerce. Many times, we’ve had no choice but to go with WordPress because the Joomla alternatives weren’t adapted to Iran’s banking or tax systems. Developing and maintaining all those custom plugins is incredibly time‑consuming, so when a ready‑made, localized solution exists elsewhere, it’s hard to ignore.

It depends on what you mean by contribution. For me, it’s about supporting Joomla in my country—guiding people through challenges, answering questions, and sharing knowledge. That kind of mutual help is essential; you can’t expect to receive support if you don’t offer it yourself.

Years ago, software development for Joomla in Iran was thriving. But when we failed to produce e‑commerce extensions that worked with local payment systems, and then struggled with the migration from Joomla 1.5 to 2.5, many active users simply left for WordPress. Now, I feel like luck is starting to turn again.

Along with some old friends, I’m trying to reignite that community spirit. Soon, I hope we’ll see more teams in Iran working with—and competing in—the Joomla space.

I also contribute by translating plugins and creating training materials whenever I can. It’s not about having my name listed somewhere; it’s about cooperation, mutual understanding, and helping others move forward.

Cooperation itself makes me happy. There’s a real joy in solving someone else’s problem. On top of that, I genuinely love Joomla. Its MVC structure is elegant and developer‑friendly, and it’s remarkably lightweight on servers—a huge plus for high‑traffic sites. The backend is well‑engineered and intuitive.

That said, I wish progress had come faster in the past. The long delays during the 1.5 era cost us dearly. Today in Iran, many clients automatically ask for WordPress without even considering Joomla. About 60% aren’t open to hearing about alternatives. Then, a year later, when they run into WordPress limitations, they come back asking to migrate to Joomla. It’s a time‑consuming process, but we do it gladly.

If I were to explain it briefly, I’d still need to go back in time. When Joomla first arrived, Iran had many active teams—some offered training, some provided support, others sold Persian‑language extensions. Competition was high, and the era of Joomla 2.5 felt like a golden age.

But that momentum faded. Today, it’s hard to point to an officially active Joomla team. Many dissolved or went dormant. Part of the challenge is that Iran operates under unique conditions:

Take login methods, for example. While much of the world uses email or social logins, here in Iran users expect to log in via mobile number with a one‑time SMS password.

For years, Joomla had no plugin for that, while WordPress did. That alone pushed many users away. Now we finally have a few OTP plugins for Joomla—our team released the first one last year—but the delay did real damage.

During COVID‑19, e‑commerce exploded, and because WordPress had ready‑made localized solutions, almost everyone switched. That’s why we’re trying to regroup now—to restart serious Joomla development that actually fits Iran’s needs.

Those JoomlaDays are among my fondest memories. Our team of about 15 people organized two of them. The first was held in Mashhad—in northeastern Iran, known as the country's religious capital and the largest exporter of saffron and spices. The second took place in Kerman, Iran's largest province, famous for its pistachios and dates that reach markets worldwide. We even had the honor of hosting international guests at both events, who graciously joined us all the way in Iran.

We also organized a Joomla Websites Festival, where many local Joomla sites registered, and we presented awards to the best in each category. It was a vibrant time for the community.

It was a wonderful experience and should have continued, but after the second JoomlaDay, competing teams disbanded, and eventually our own team drifted apart. Some misunderstandings linger even today.

Open source has its followers here, though many talented developers have emigrated in recent years. There's grassroots support, but government and large companies often prefer proprietary solutions—they equate paying more with better support and future guarantees.

I should share a telling story: A few years ago, a group of enthusiasts literally renamed a popular open source CMS and sold it to institutions as their own "locally developed" system. They made almost no changes to the codebase but were charging $5,000 for what was essentially a rebranded core. Open source activists across Iran exposed this violation, and eventually, that forked project was shut down. It shows the uneasy relationship some institutions have with free software—and how easily trust can be exploited.

Many popular WordPress plugins today are developed by Iranians, but Joomla has far fewer active developers left. In the early days, Iran had a vibrant Joomla community with multiple teams—Joomfa, Joomina, JoomlaFrom, Joomi, and about a dozen others—all working alongside JoomlaFarsi.

But as I mentioned earlier, they gradually disbanded or went dormant. Today, JoomlaFarsi's language files are maintained by a single administrator who emigrated years ago and isn't actively involved in Iran's current challenges.

Still, I feel the tide is turning. If Joomla's popularity grows again, I believe many experienced developers would return to building extensions.

Yes, international sanctions hit ordinary people harder than they affect governments. For Joomla specifically, these restrictions severely disrupt access to update files through the built-in updater.

This makes updating Joomla on servers inside Iran particularly challenging. Buying extensions from international developers is another major hurdle. Paying $100 for a plugin might not sound like much elsewhere, but with our economy and currency restrictions, it becomes extremely expensive. We're limited in foreign exchange payments, and many payment gateways simply don't work here.

What's more frustrating is the response—or lack thereof—from Joomla extension providers. I've personally reached out to several top template and extension companies, suggesting we could act as local resellers, accept payments in Iranian rials at fair conversion rates, and handle distribution. Most either didn't reply or explicitly said selling to Iran wasn't part of their policy. They're just not interested in having a local representative, even though it would open up an entire market.

I buy and use many plugins myself despite the difficulties, but there are workarounds that aren't cost-effective for most users. Years ago, I conducted a survey that showed if a platform could facilitate payments and price extensions according to Iran's economy, people would absolutely purchase it legally. It would be a win-win: developers would gain revenue from a new market, and users would get proper support and updates. We just need someone willing to bridge that gap.

If you mean building sites with Joomla specifically, it still has its ardent fans. I host many large Joomla-based sites on my servers. But here's the challenge: many of them are difficult—or impossible—to upgrade. Plugin developers from the 2.5 and 3.x eras often have no plans to update for Joomla 4, 5, or 6. With PHP 7.4 losing support next year and panels like cPanel phasing it out, we're running out of time.

But there's a cultural issue too. In Iran, some providers take quickstart templates, localize them in Persian, and sell them as ready-made sites.

This practice has created a perception that Joomla and WordPress are just "off-the-shelf" solutions. Clients hear those names and assume they'll get a cookie-cutter site they've seen elsewhere. That devalues real custom development and pushes web agencies toward other platforms. I don't know when this view took hold, but it's wrong, corrosive, and now widespread.

Since COVID-19, the demand for going online has exploded—especially for e-commerce. But most Joomla store plugins either aren't localized for Iran or have serious adaptation issues. We often have no choice but to turn to WordPress.

Here's what I believe: if OpenSourceMatters could prioritize developing an official, robust e-commerce extension for Joomla—something with WooCommerce-level features but built Joomla's way—it could change everything.

WooCommerce has plenty of critics; its problems frustrate many users. That's Joomla's opportunity. Right now, the belief here is: "With WooCommerce you can do anything; with Joomla store builders, you might get stuck on basic needs." I love Joomla deeply, and I think we must address this gap head-on.

Unfortunately, for the reasons I mentioned earlier—high costs relative to our economy and the difficulty of foreign payments—many users still turn to file-sharing sites for pirated software. It's frustrating because many would prefer to buy directly, but the barriers are just too high.

That said, there are bright spots. Several third-party developers create quality local products. A standout example is the PayZito extension, which has provided excellent Joomla support for years. It's arguably the most complete payment plugin available for Joomla in Iran, and interestingly, it's developed simultaneously for both Joomla and WordPress.

The market here is actually ready for more local development—there's clear demand for various Joomla plugins tailored to Iran's needs. But succeeding requires enormous effort, patience, and perseverance. Large companies expect fast, low-cost solutions, which doesn't always align with sustainable software development.

I should also mention that WordPress has large resellers in Iran who've built profitable businesses by redistributing and supporting plugins at lower prices. Among Joomla users, that kind of model is often seen as unethical. Sometimes I wonder: did we make a mistake by not adopting similar tactics, or did we take the higher road? It's hard to say what was right when you see competitors thriving with methods you've avoided.

Starting a business here is surprisingly straightforward. With an internet connection, a VPN, and an Instagram page, you can introduce products, accept direct bank payments, and arrange shipping—it's a viable path for many. After COVID-19 lockdowns, this model exploded. Two areas saw massive growth: online stores and virtual classes.

Iran's banking system offers various payment methods that simplify selling. Efforts to combat online fraud have also improved, helping buyers distinguish legitimate sellers from scammers.

But here's where Joomla fell behind: WordPress developers capitalized on this boom with strong marketing and blogger support, while Joomla's lack of localized e-commerce extensions left it playing catch-up. The PayZito extension does help connect Joomla sites to local banking portals, but obtaining such a portal isn't easy for everyone due to legal restrictions. Fortunately, it's not always required—there are other ways to receive payments, which actually makes starting an online business more accessible.

Iranians are becoming more sophisticated online shoppers. This maturity represents a real opportunity to localize e-commerce systems properly. But the path forward is time-consuming and full of hurdles—worth pursuing, but far from simple.

Joomla has real advantages: its user interface has improved dramatically in recent versions, and the development experience keeps getting smoother. But we need to be intentional about fostering that growth.

I'm currently working on video tutorials for Joomla 5 and 6, which I believe could significantly boost adoption. The challenge is doing it alone. Scripting, recording, editing, voiceovers—it's incredibly time-consuming. Joomla itself is evolving faster than I can produce content, and I'm constantly needing to update older tutorials to stay relevant.

With a sponsor, my friends and I could make much more progress. So far, we haven't found one, but I'm hopeful. Soon, I believe we'll have comprehensive, up-to-date training materials that can truly help the community grow.

Recent versions have added powerful core features that would require heavy customization in other systems: built‑in schema, fast page rendering, a clean and intuitive admin interface, a smart search, outstanding multilingual support, and of course, Joomla’s MVC framework, which remains uniquely elegant.

I do think Joomla could improve its SEO tools and messaging—there’s a misconception that Joomla isn’t SEO‑friendly, which simply isn’t true. Addressing that myth directly would help attract more users.

I hope I live to celebrate Joomla's 50th anniversary with my old friends. I truly believe Joomla has a bright future—especially here in Iran—if development continues toward simplicity and better localization.

I also hope the wider world comes to understand that sanctions and restrictions rarely achieve their aims; they mostly harm ordinary people. That's neither fair nor logical.

Maybe for Joomla's birthday, I'll bake a cake. I'll decorate it with wishes for freedom, peace, and Joomla's continued growth. Then I'll share it with friends over tea or coffee, smiling, grateful for how far we've come—and hopeful for where we're going next.