Archive for July, 2009
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30
Jul
2009
Cairo Mosque Prints
Alongside the pyramids, one of the highlights of our visit to Cairo was the Mosque of Mohamed Ali Pasha at the Citadel. The Mosque is a major tourist stop for a reason. It’s an exquisite early 19th century Ottoman mosque, and although still a mosque, it’s prominence and age has transformed it into sort of a gateway for Islam for visitors to the city. There were easily as many tourists padding about inside as Egyptians.
Mosque of Mohamed Ali Pasha - The Alabaster Mosque
This mosque was built between 1830 and 1848 in memory of his eldest son, Tusun Pasha, who died in 1816. The citadel is a medieval fortress built on the cities eastern skyline. And this mosque was built within so that this would be the view on the Cairo skyline. This beautiful mosque with its piercing minarets is quite an architectural statement to be sure!
High Domes - Interior of the Alabaster Mosque
This is a taste of the interior of the Mosque of Mohamed Ali Pasha. You can see the elaborately decorated domes and cupolas, the columns, and the wonderful lighting. The interior was amongst the most beautiful I’ve seen. It was a pleasure to pad about inside looking at the work that was put into this mosque.
Show Me The Way - Interior of the Alabaster Mosque
Another shot of the interior. This one was taken with my fisheye lens so I could get a really wide view. Also, taken while down low. I really wanted to capture the feel of this building including the really wild and beautiful lighting . The mosque was really as grand as it appears, a wonderful place to be preserved for more generations to come.
More prints from the Mosque of Mohamed Ali Pasha and my Egyptian adventure are available in my Egypt photo gallery.
28
Jul
2009
Egyptian Pyramids
There are many pyramids across Egypt, and if I ever make it back, I hope to see more of them, but I did get to see THE pyramids. THE pyramids being the ones on the Giza plateau in greater Cairo. These are the pyramids that were on the original list of the 7 wonders of the world. There were various iterations of this list – essentially a travel guide for the Ancient Greeks. When the 7 wonders were defined, the pyramids were almost 2000 years old already and another 2,000 years has passed since. That’s how incredibly old the pyramids are. And today, the only wonder of the ancient world that survives is the pyramids at Giza.
Footsteps of the Ancients - Khufu's Tomb
The last leg of our journey on local transport was a taxi. Being stuffed in the middle of a large station wagon taxi, I never got a peep of the pyramids that a few of the others in our group did. This instead was my first view of the largest of the 3 pyramids, the tomb of the Pharaoh Khufu. With the sun ahead of us, the only image I could possibly get shooting into the sun was a silhouette, but I made the best of it, casting my entire group of travel companions into silhouette as we marched up that hill to the pyramids. Khufu was the first of the pyramid builders at Giza. Construction of this pyramid took between 14 and 20 years and was probably completed around 2560 BC. Khufu reigned for 23 years and died in 2566 BC – so his lasting monument was constructed across most of his reign. I have other conventional shots of this pyramid, but this is the way I will always remember it, golden and silhouetted.
Wonders of Antiquity - Pyramid of Khafre
The second pyramid on the plateau at Giza was the tomb of the Pharaoh Khafre. The second pyramid could not outshine the first, so it was purposefully built smaller. Khafre is believed to be the son of Khufu, thus his reign and construction of his pyramid would have followed on the heels of his father’s. The top of this pyramid still has a bit of it’s original casing stones intact. All three pyramids would have originally appeared much different than today. What we see is the rough stone core. Originally, smooth limestone was applied to the outside. Some of it weathered away, but much was apparently stolen for building in Cairo in the middle ages. Khafre’s pyramid will always hold a special place for me as this was the one we went inside. Climbing in and out of that dark two way tunnel was quite an experience, but the thing I will most remember is the oppressive atmosphere inside. One of the group inside described it as thrice breathed air. Still, it was absolutely incredible, to stand where an ancient pharaoh was once interred.
Memories Remain - Menkaure's Pyramid
The last and smallest of the three pyramids was for Pharaoh Menkaure. There’s conflicting accounts of whether Menkaure was the son of Khafre of Khufu, but he succeeded Khafre as Pharaoh. Two coffins were found within this tomb in modern times. One held bones that were two modern to be the Pharaoh. A sarcophagi was also unearthed from the pyramid but lost in the sinking of a boat bound for Great Britain in 1838. There were smaller pyramids begun adjacent to Menkaure’s tomb, likely for family, but never completed. After this pyramid, no further were built at Giza.
Well Worn Roads - The Sphinx
The last thing we saw before leaving the plateau was one of the most enigmatic, the Sphinx. The best theory so far seems to be that the Sphinx was built by Khafre, possibly in his image. It was carved from solid stone on-site. It’s generally believed that there was a rock adjacent to the pyramid and the solution to removing the obstruction was to make it a monument itself. The pyramids seen behind in this shot are left to right, Menkaure and Khafre. Even now looking at these photos and remembering being there, it seems something like a dream. One of those things you see on TV and read about and never dream you’ll actually stand there, and I’m happy that I took the opportunity to visit.
You can see more prints from my adventure in Egypt in the Egypt Gallery.
26
Jul
2009
Edinburgh Prints
If I was pressed to pick a favorite place to visit, most people could tell you it was London – with all apologies to the rest of the world and some of the fabulous places I’ve visited. But a very close second would be Edinburgh. Despite the cold winters I’ve visited during, there is a warmness in my memory of this welcoming, old city. There is evidence of human activity around Edinburgh stretching back into the Iron and Bronze ages. By the 8th century, Edinburgh was part of the kingdom of Northumbria, an Anglian kingdom. When the city was formed, it surrounded Castle Rock, the stump of an ancient volcano, site of King Edwin’s Fort, which was known as Din Eidyn (Edwin’s Fort). The land leading up the rock gradually came to us through the ages into English as first Edwinesburch and finally Edinburgh. And in time, the territory where Edinburgh lay went from Northumbria, to the Danelaw, and finally the Scots.
This ridge that is the core of Edinburgh today is known as the Royal Mile, a stretch of old town that rises from the Queen’s palace, Holyrood, at the foot, to Edinburgh Castle at the top of the mile. It’s along this mile that the buildings bear out the history of the medieval city that blossomed in Scotland.
Edinburgh on the Phone
While this print doesn’t portray much of the Medieval charm that can be found along the Royal Mile, it is my favorite shot from that storied street. I know, sometimes I feel like a one trick pony, but I really love these classic red phone boxes. And in this case, there was very little color in this photo, being at night, so yes, I had to do my classic spot color red on this one. I really love how this one turned out, the wet paving stones reflecting the street lights and that pop of red from the telephone booth really just makes me think of those damp evenings walking around the old city. This was taken along the Royal Mile just above St. Giles Cathedral, which can just be seen on the skyline in the middle of this shot.
Deceptive Beauty - Holyrood Palace
As long as we’re discussing the Royal Mile, I might as well show both ends of it. At the bottom of the Royal Mile is Holyrood Palace, directly adjacent to the new Scottish Parliament (something of a message there you think?). Holyrood is the official home of the reigning monarch in Scotland. The Queen spends a week here each year, although her actual residence and favored summertime retreat is at Balmoral, where she moves onto from Holyrood. There has been a royal presence at Holyrood since King David I of Scotland built an abbey there in 1126. All that remains of the Abbey today is ruins adjacent to the palace, the current incarnation of which was built in the 17th century. This photo was captured on the evening of a storm, owing to the exceptional sky over the palace!
Edinburgh Dusk - The Castle
Perched at the top of castle rock in a particularly defensible position, is Edinburgh Castle. There has been human activity here since the 9th century. The current castle mostly dates from after the 16th century (although there are some older buildings within the castle walls). This photo was taken as dusk set on my last evening in the capital city of Scotland. The Esplanade, where the famous military tattoo is held each August, stretches out before you and the castle is lit up. This is the scene that hovers over the city each night.
There are more photos of Edinburgh and Scotland in my Britain gallery – I hope you’ll take a look!
24
Jul
2009
Scottish Highlands Prints
Although it was my second trip to Scotland before I saw any of the Highlands, it was an absolute highlight of my second journey there. The Scottish Highlands are full of history and rugged beauty. Home of some of the largest national wilderness areas in Europe, the Highlands are sparsely populated since the Clearances of the 18th and 19th century where the bulk of the population was forcibly moved, either to the coast or the Lowlands, or the United States. The Highland clearances played a large part in the modern Scottish diaspora. There are roughly 5 million people of Scottish descent living in Scotland, compared with an estimate in excess of 20 million in North America alone. Interestingly, 2009 has been marked as the first Scottish Homecoming, celebrating Scotland and encouraging people near and far to come take part in the festivities planned this year. The reason 2009 was selected is it’s the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet.
Wallace Monument
One of the most well known figures in Scottish history for those outside Scotland is Sir William Wallace, portrayed by Mel Gibson in the film, Braveheart. Unfortunately, the film is very loosely based on true events, but William Wallace was a national hero who fought bravely for Scotland’s independence – a battle fought over and over in the intervening years and in some ways desired unto today. Hence, the current Scottish parliament established in 1998, giving Scotland a say over some local matters previously decided at Westminster in London. The 19th tower above is in honor of the real William Wallace and stands on Abbey Craig. It’s said that Wallace watched from this location as King Edward’s troops gathered before the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. Stirling is the gateway to the Highlands. Although there are other crossings now, historically Stirling Bridge was the crossing point from the Lowlands to the Highlands, thus a key location for centuries.
Lost Dreams
This image is of a monument built in 1815 to the memory of the Jacobites. In 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie landed here in Glenfinnan on the edge of Loch Shiel and raised his standard to mark the beginning of what would be the last Jacobite rebellion. Although it came tantalizing close to succeeding, less than 8 months later, the would be King would pass near here again on his flight to escape the English. To me, this dark image captures that feeling of a lost cause which must have been felt by the Scots of that day when their last home for a free country was crushed at Culloden.
Stand Tall Brothers - from Culloden Battlefield
Although this print is far more about the natural beauty of the moors at Culloden today, these trees seem to have a defiant and resolute pose. This windswept place was the site of the last battle for Scotland’s independence, where the Scottish who did not normally fight in open places like this place took their last stand against the English.
Just so this is not entirely a history lesson, and to prove the point that there is some incredible natural beauty in the highlands, I feel obligated to share a few scenes from the Highlands, that although there is history and great stories to be told, I’ll largely let the scenes speak for themselves.
West Highland Way - Glen Coe
Glen Coe is a steep valley that runs from Glencoe, a village at Loch Leven (a sea loch) to Rannoch Moor. It’s apparently also known to some as the weeping valley, at least in part due to all the streams running off those mountains into the valley below. The little trail through the middle resembles a stream but is actually the West Highland Way, a long hike through the Scottish Highlands that around 50,000 people a year walk. I’m not sure I would get very far very fast with incredible vistas like this begging for a photograph every few feet!
Ancient Shores - Loch Ness
It’s hard to imagine venturing into the Highlands without stopping by the infamous Loch Ness! There have been sightings of the “Loch Ness Monster” affectionately called “Nessie” for centuries. The first written report was from an account of an Irish monk, Saint Columba. The account was written down in 565 AD, about a century after the sighting. The modern sightings began in 1933. Alas, no sightings of the rumored prehistoric beast who lives in this ancient body of water, but our dusk encounter with Loch Ness did generate this lovely image of a deep blue sky against the bones of this tree. Certainly anyone who visits cannot forget their time on these storied shores.
There are more photos from Scotland and the Highlands in my Britain Gallery – I hope you’ll take a look!
23
Jul
2009
Redbubble T-shirt Sale
Redbubble T-Shirt Sale!
Redbubble has a cool promotion going on through July 30th – they are knocking 15% off the price of t-shirts (plus buying 5 or more shirts equals free shipping).
To sweeten the deal, I’ve knocked down the mark-up on all my shirt designs at least an additional 5% (some more than others, I temporarily moved all my shirts to the same mark up for this sale).
Pertinent Links Follow:
Redbubble T-shirts – I certainly hope you’ll pick up one of my designs, but the 15% sale is site-wide, so you could definitely find some cool shirts for yourself or as gifts or both! Happy shopping!
Please let me know if you have any questions!
