lenspatina

Close ups of detailing, textures, angles and tones from the Medina in Chefchaouen, Morocco.

Scenes from the polychromatic streets of Chefchaouen, Morocco.

Photos from the rooftops of the Tangier Medina.

Textures and patterns from inside the Tangier Kasbah (citadel)

Exploring the streets of Tangier near the Medina.

Enjoying the early morning London fog around Tavistock square gardens.

Snapshots from around central London. Mostly around Hayward Gallery on Southbank.

Vestiges of colonial era architecture and design in central Cairo. I'm told that French architects were hired en masses to design these buildings for the French and British expatriates and wealthy Egyptians, particularly during the 40s. After Egypt regained its independence in the 50s (for the first time in 2,500 years) the British and French gradually began departing its shores, many of the buildings fell into disrepair and ruin. Seems somewhat apt.

Along the Nile in central Cairo, walking along the bridge leading from the now infamous Tahrir square. I presume the glow emanating from the city lights is due to the light reflecting off the dust that blows across from the desert.

Street scenes in Alexandria. Rustic charms.

It’s abundantly clear the guiding vision behind the project was to continue the legacy of the original library - the furtherment of human knowledge. All the more impressive when it’s in stark contrast to the rest of the country which appears to be falling to pieces.

Morning light streaming in through the stained glass windows at the Nasir ol Molk Mosque in Shiraz, Iran. It was nicknamed the Pink mosque because of the extensive use of pink tiles adorning the interior facades. It was built during the Qajar era in the 19th century so it's relatively recent and quite small in comparison to some of the others in the area, but the stained glass makes it quite unique.

Snaps from Persepolis in Fars province, Iran. Built 2,500 years ago to be the ceremonial capital of the Archaemenid empire, the city is built on top of a colossal multi-tiered solid rock foundation, with parts of the city being carved into the rock behind it. It was destroyed by Alexander the Great's conquering army just a few hundred years later, who plundered the treasury and burned the rest of it down. Viewing ruins requires a little bit of imagination. If we extrapolate from what remains the splendour and sheer scale of the city must have been so awe inspiring.

Snap from the ancient necropolis in the Fars province of Iran. These are four completed and one uncompleted tombs built for the great Persian kings of old, including Darius I the Great. They've been carved out halfway up the side of a cliff made of solid rock, and include inscriptions as well as pictograms of epic battles and feats achieved by the Kings. I love the one where the Roman Emperor (?) kneels before the King with the massive fro which sticks outside of the relief. Unfortunately tombs themselves were sacked during the invasion by Alexander the Great, but fortunately the raised reliefs still remain as a record of the achievements and memories of the kings. I really wanted to go inside but unfortunately that's off limits (and I didn't trust the scaffolding either).

A few snaps from Shahcheragh, in Shiraz, Iran. I found this place bizarre. It's a mosque slash mausoleum for two brothers who are the sons of the seventh imam in the Shia Muslim faith, and apparently it's an all-in-one Muslim complex which also provides "answers to life's questions" and a free clinic for the poor. There was a central mosque where a preacher shouted over booming loudspeakers that reverberated throughout the entire complex, and inside the two mausoleums where we were prohibited from taking photos, people went pretty hysterical, hugging the sides of the tomb, some crying. It's ironic that in a faith that prohibits the worship of idols going so far as to ban the visual depiction of any human figures until recently (hence the proliferation of mosaics and geometric arts), that the worship of dead figures is so prevalent. Reminiscent of the Catholic pilgrims of old visiting dismembered body parts from the saints of old. Macabre, and positively pagan. If it's their respective works and deeds that are worth commemorating, you'd think you could do that without being in the presence of their corpse?

If there ever was an Ahgrabar I’d like to think it was here.

A camel ride through the deserts of Bafq, an hour outside of Yazd, central Iran to see the sun setting from the sand dunes. A sunset is always beautiful but a sunset from the desert is really something else. The heat rising off the sand and the rapidly dropping temperatures must do something to the light. After the sun set, we sat around a fire drinking tea while watching the stars before returning to the city.