His and hers door knockers, Yazd, Iran. The masculine door knocker is rigid and heavy that makes a strong sound. People inside the house wil be informed that a man is behind the door. The feminine door knocker is curly and ring like and makes a lighter sound. It informs the people inside the house that a woman is behind the door. This system is in place due to the Islamic custom that women should be private from men except their intimate ones.
The grand iwan of the Jameh Mosque of Yazd is crowned by a pair of minarets, the highest in Iran, and the portal’s facade is decorated from top to bottom in dazzling tile work.
A woman wearing a chador walks past the blue tile work of the the Jameh Mosque of Yazd, Iran
The grand iwan and Muqarnas of the mosque
The Jameh Mosque of Yazd, courtyard
Geometrical timber work, The Jameh Mosque of Yazd
The Jameh Mosque of Yazd (Persian: Masjid-e-JÄmeh Yazd) is the grand, congregational mosque (JÄmeh) of Yazd, Iran. Built 12-14th Century. The grand iwan of the mosque is crowned by a pair of minarets, the highest in Iran, and the portal’s facade is decorated from top to bottom in dazzling tile work, predominantly blue in colour.
Achaemenid Tombs at Naqsh-e Rustam
Tomb of Darius II. Achaemenid Tombs at Naqsh-e Rustam, Fars, Iran
Tomb of Darius II. Achaemenid Tombs at Naqsh-e Rustam, Fars, Iran
Bas releif detail of Tomb of Darius II
The Ka’ba-ye Zartosht meaning the “Cube of Zoroaster,”which is a 5th century B.C.E. Achaemenid-era tower-like construction at Naqsh-e Rustam, an archaeological site just northwest of Persepolis, Iran. This enigmatic structure is one of many surviving examples of the achaemenid architectural design.
“Cube of Zoroaster,” at Naqsh-e Rustam,
Achaemenid Tombs at Naqsh-e Rustam, also referred to as the Necropolis of the Persian crosses. The four tombs belonging to the Achaemenid kings are carved out of the rock face with the entrance to each tomb at the center of each cross, this opens onto to a small chamber, where the king lay in a sarcophagus. The horizontal beam of each of the tomb’s facades is believed to be a replica of the entrance of the palace at Persepolis. One of the tombs is that of Darius I the Great (c. 522-486 BC). The other three tombs are believed to be those of Xerxes I (c. 486-465 BC), Artaxerxes I (c. 465-424 BC), and Darius II (c. 423-404 BC) respectively.
West-side iwan of the Jameh Mosque, Isfahan
North-side iwan, Jameh Mosque, Isfahan
South-side iwan seen from North-side arch, Jameh Mosque, Isfahan
Muqarnas (decorative corbel) Jameh Mosque, Isfahan
Muqarnas (decorative corbel) Jameh Mosque, Isfahan
The Jameh Mosque is the congregational mosque (Jameh) of Isfahan city, Iran (Persian: مسجد جامع اصفهان – Masjid-e-Jāmeh). The mosque is the result of continual construction and reconstruction from around 771 to the end of the 20th century making it one of the oldest mosques still standing in Iran. I felt the Muqarnas (decorative corbels) are amongst the most beautiful in Islamic architecture for their sublime combination of subtle colour, complex geometry and heavily sculptural form.
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Thabang and family outside their home in Ha Motenalapi in the Senqunyane valley, Lesotho, 2000
Thabang and family outside their home in Ha Motenalapi in the Senqunyane valley, Lesotho. We were camped in tents nearby on an archaeological expedition and they invited us to sleep in this hut for three nights even though this meant the whole family slept in a smaller hut out of frame. They are wearing their Basotho tribal blankets. The door and window mouldings demonstrate Litema, the mural art of the Basotho. The hut floor and window mouldings are made from Daga, a mix of earth and dung. The high ammonia content of the dung acts as an antiseptic. The patterns engraved around the doorways may represent the surrounding furrowed fields.
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Vanishing Shanghai I. An area of Hutongs or traditional low-rise housing sits between already demolished housing and new high rise developments behind. 2007
Vanishing Shanghai II. The writing on the wall reads, “Overusage of Electricity Prohibited”. 2007
Vanishing Shanghai III. Path through the rubble of demolished houses that are still inhabited before the construction of new buildings. 2007
Vanishing Shanghai IV. The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is viable in the distance. 2007
I visited Shanghai in 2007 and the city was metamorphosing at breakneck speed perhaps due to the Shanghai Expo and the the Beijing Olympics of 2008. One area of the city that caught my imagination in particular was where the the traditional low houses known as Hutongs were being torn down to make way for the modern high rises. In between the new and the demolished buildings people lived amongst the rubble, the sides of their houses ripped open as if in the aftermath of shelling. As well as this melancholy contrast I tried to capture the strange emptiness and theatricality of this temporary part of the city.
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Oxford University Biochemistry Building at dusk, Oxford, UK. Architects: Hawkins Brown, Built 2008
Coloured glass fins of Oxford University Biochemistry Building in evening light
Abstract detail of the Coloured glass fins of Oxford University Biochemistry Building
Coloured glass fins set against the sky
Fire in the Evening, Paul Klee, Oil on board, 1929
Coloured glass fins of the New Oxford University Biochemistry Building, by Hawkins Brown frame views in and out of the building, creating complex and subtle patterns of colour as the light changes. According to the architects the fins reflect the rich red, terracotta, orange, brown and purple of the nearby buildings though to me they have a refreshingly assertive identity of their own.
The final combination and rhythm of colours was influenced by the Bauhaus artist Paul Klee’s theories as can be seen by looking at his works such as “Fire in the Evening” (above). This sophisticated use of colour in architecture won the building the WAN Colour in Architecture award in 2011. For another stunning use of coloured glass in architecture see my photographs of “My Rainbow Horizon” in Denmark
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Mural text reads “Martyrdom is the art of the men of God”. Imam Khomeini” and “Generals Shiroodi and Keshvari”
Mural commemorating martyrs of the Iran-Iraq war, Tehran (notice two windows in the wall)
Mural text reads “The Martyr Pilots of IRI Army Aviation: Major-General Mansour VatanPour, Major-General Seyed Shahrokh Azin”,
Mural commemorating martyrs of the Iran-Iraq war, Tehran
Obscured English text reads “Down with USA & Israel. His excellency the leader: Imam Khomeini’s followers are always supporting Palestinians and fight their enemies”
Mural commemorating martyrs of the Iran-Iraq war, Tehran
Mural commemorating martyrs of the Iran-Iraq war, Tehran
Murals commemorating martyrs of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) Tehran, Iran, 2008. Please let me know if you can help translating the Farsi in the images above where no translation is shown.
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Geometry & Silence 