Mr. Abbas Soltani passed away on June 12, 2020, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, in Los Angeles, California, at age of 84. He is survived by his wife, Soraya Soltani, and his daughters, Roxana Soltani, Atossa Soltani, and son, Ashkan Soltani, as well as by his sister Parvin Soltani and her son, Ramin Faramarzi. 

At the age of 15, Soltani became a pupil of Ostad Hossein Tehrani, a celebrated musician regarded as a master of the zarb (the Persian drum). Soltani went on to play zarb with the Honar-Haye Ziba Orchestra until 1969 when he left the Orchestra to study law.  He graduated from the University of Tehran with a juris degree and practiced admiralty law for Bimeh Iran, the national Iranian insurance company, and also managed a private law practice. 

During the mid 1970's, he led the massive renovation of Shah Abbas Hotel (now called The Abbasi), in Isfahan, Iran, on behalf of Bimeh Iran, returning this historic Iranian landmark to its former glory of the Safavid Dynasty when it was the seat of the monarchy and later an Inn for travelers on the Silk Road. Called the Middle East's most beautiful hotel, the Abbasi contains a treasure of Persian architectural and original art including calligraphy, stucco and mirror works, mosaics and frescos.  For its restoration, Soltani helped assemble Isfahan's finest master craftsmen who trained hundreds of apprentices to restore all of the original art. See https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/iran-abbasi-hotel-esfahan/index.html.

Soltani migrated to the United States with his family in 1979, where he transitioned to a career in building construction. He was an avid photographer, a musician, a nature lover, and a world traveler with an immense fascination for myriad cultures and landscapes he encountered along his travels. He was an eternal optimist and a devoted family man who left an indelible mark on the lives of his children, inspiring them to strive to make the world better than they found it. 

Families of Azarfahimi, Habibi, Faramarzi, Jabbari, Shamsikhani, Tajik and Banijamali stand in mourning with the Soltani family. Abbas Soltani will be honored at a private ceremony at Sea on Father's Day, Sunday June 21, 2020.  A public memorial will be held at a later date to be announced.  

In lieu of gifts or flowers, the family requests that donations may be made in the memory of Abbas to the Iranian Cheetah Society, saving the endangered Asiatic Cheetah (http://www.wildlife.ir/en/) and to Center for Sustainable Development and Environment (http://www.cenesta.org/en/) for their work in support of rights and livelihoods of Iran's indigenous and nomadic populations.  Also to Center for Human Rights in Iran https://www.iranhumanrights.org/ and to covid relief in Iran thru Mom's Against Poverty https://www.momsagainstpoverty.org/.