Along historical walls Photo

Photographer’s Note

Along historical walls

The Great Mosque and the old cemetery

The Mosque of Uqba (Arabic: جامع عقبة), also known as the Great Mosque of Kairouan (Arabic: جامع القيروان الأكبر), is one of the most important mosques in Tunisia.
Built by Uqba ibn Nafi from 670 A.D. (the year 50 according to the Islamic calendar) at the founding of the city of Kairouan, the mosque is spread over a surface area of 9,000 square metres and is considered as a model for all later mosques in the Maghreb in the western Islamic world. The Great Mosque of Kairouan is certainly one of the biggest sanctuaries in all North Africa with a huge perimeter approximately equal to 415 metres (1,361 feet). This enormous space contains a prayer hall, a large marble-paved courtyard and a massive minaret. The prestigious Mosque of Uqba is universally reputed as a masterpiece of architecture and islamic art.
Under the Aghlabids, the fame of the Mosque of Uqba and of the other holy sites at Kairouan helped the city to develop and repopulate little by little. The university, consisting of scholars who met in the mosque, was a centre of education both in Islamic thought and in the secular sciences. Its role can be compared to that of the University of Paris in the Middle Ages. With the decline of the city, the centre of intellectual thought moved to the University of Ez-Zitouna in Tunis.

Construction

The present form of the mosque dates back to the Aghlabid dynasty (with the exception of a few partial restorations and several later additions). Prior to this era, the mosque had been reconstructed several times following the successive invasions of Kairouan. With the exception of the mihrab, no part of the mosque is older than the 9th century.
Shortly after its construction, the mosque was destroyed during the occupation of Kairouan by the Berbers, led at first by Kusaila (around 690). The mosque was reconstructed by the Arab Emir Ben Noman around 10 years later. In light of Kairouan’s growing population, Hichâm ibn Abd al-Malik, the Umayyad Caliph of Damascus, ordered work to be undertaken in the city, which included the destruction of the mosque (with the exception of the mihrab) and its subsequent reconstruction.
Under the Aghlabids, Kairouan was at its apogee and the mosque profited from this period of calm and prosperity. In 836, Ziadet-Allah I reconstructed the mosque once more. In 863, Abou-Ibrahim increased the size of the oratory with the addition of three bays to the north, and added the cupola over the entry. In 875, Ibrahim II constructed another three bays, thereby reducing the size of the courtyard which was further limited on the three other sides by the addition of double galleries. After this date, the mosque did not undergo more than minor changes or restoration work. (Source: Wikipedia & tourismtunisia)

snunney, LeeLoo, saxo042, lucasgalodoido, francio64, Royaldevon, paura, jjcordier, mikolaj_kawa, ymrk, leonorkuhn, danos, dareco, ktanska, Buin has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

snunney (35476) 2009-07-26 8:21

Hello George,
An interesting graphical image with good colour contrasts. The image is well composed on classical lines. Very good sharpness.

LeeLoo (5236) 2009-07-26 8:33

Dear George Rumpler!
Amazing lightness.
Superb colors.
Perfect contrast.
Ideal sharp.
Original work.
Very interesting note.
TFS!

saxo042 (16298) 2009-07-26 9:01

Hi George,
A basic, uncomplicated composition. Just enough colours to attract attention. A very good picture!
Kind regards
Gunnar

lucasgalodoido (16789) 2009-07-26 9:14

Olá George,
uma imagem bem interessante essa das muralhas e os túmulos na frente. A qualidade e as cores ficaram ótimas. Belo trabalho.
Parabéns e Abraço

Wandering_Dan (3293) 2009-07-26 9:26

Hi, George -

I don't know why, but the light looks a little funny. Might be my screen.

An interesting mix of materials - white stones for the tombs and brown stones for the walls almost the same color as the ground. A nice composition.

Best,
Dan

jurek1951 (26156) 2009-07-26 9:31

Hi George,
Amazing perspctive in perfect focus and DOF. Very good work with details and colours.
Georg

francio64 (11782) 2009-07-26 9:59

Ciao George,
davvero una bella foto, con colori caldi in perfetto contrasto con il bel cielo azzurro.
Il POV con la torre leggermente decentrata è una buona scelta.
Le tombe bianche contrastano bene con tutto il contesto della foto e richiamano subito l'attenzione dell'osservatore.

Well done!
Francesco

lousat (16116) 2009-07-26 13:15

Hi George,very nice choice of point of view from the muslim cemetery.It's a very good work,no people inside and a wonderful quality of sharpness and colors! My best compliments,have a nice week,Luciano

Royaldevon (5944) 2009-07-26 13:36

Hello George,

This site certainly lives up to its ideals of learning about the world through photography. The excitement of experiencing new places comes through loud and clear.

I was immediately struck by the strong colour contrasts between this location and the very green place where I live. There is very little green here, a good climate indicator!
The very angular images are beautifully composed, sharply focussed and detailed.

Kind regards,
Bev :-)
Many thanks for your warm critique on 'Above Ullswater'.

paura (39306) 2009-07-26 13:58

George,
Beleza de trabalho aqui, amigo, tomada de um lindo ponto e com eficiente fotometria. Muito boa.

Abraço

Paulo

Morac (20891) 2009-07-26 14:10

Hi George,
An interesting graphical image with good colour.
Very good work with details.
Regards
Marc

Greg1949 (8519) 2009-07-26 17:09

George, these are awesome, I'll get to the others later. I love your color pallet, it is just perfect and the exposure delicacies of the white foreground are perfect. Great stuff

Greg

gneufeld (15235) 2009-07-26 18:55

Hi George,
Good composition, good colors, and excellent historical note. Well done all around and TFS. Gerald

jjcordier (25256) 2009-07-26 22:28

George
Ces tombes blanches qui tranchent devant les murailles de la ville sont très esthétiques. Belle composition aux superbes couleurs.Je suis étonné de constater qu'il n'y a personne dans le cimetière. A chacun de mes passages ici, il y avait toujours beaucoup de monde que j'avais des scrupules à photographier.
Amicalement
JJ

ophelcia (5502) 2009-07-27 0:16

The light in those countries is so difficult to manage, the sunset is so quick...
Perfect contrast in colours and great presentation of the walls:)
Gosia

mikolaj_kawa (31287) 2009-07-27 0:50

Hello George! Amazing mosque and walls, wonderful graves, excellent cemetery. Nice lightness, marvelous colours. Good perspective, perfect exposure and capture. Nice frame. Well done!

mauro61 (16300) 2009-07-27 0:56

ciao george,
mi piace il tenue contrasto cromatico tra i vari campi della composizione.
Immagine molto particolare del luogo ben riportata.
buona giornata
maurizio

eversmile (6439) 2009-07-27 1:00

Hi George!

Beautiful graphic effect, with a superb luminosity, a good contrast of colors and a great sharpness. That's eye catching!
Bravo!
Regards
Marine

John_F_Kennedy (31994) 2009-07-27 1:27

That's really an impressive mosque and I love the interstign wall so much. Also good contrast wiht the blue sky
Best wishes,
Achim

hay_kes (28562) 2009-07-27 5:35

Hi George,
very beautiful mosque vith very nice architecture.Good POV, colours, light and perspective.TFS.
Cheers,

hAyAti

ymrk (9142) 2009-07-27 7:23

wonderful warm colors and historical details...congra. my friend...
Take care of yourself,

y.

leonorkuhn (14047) 2009-07-27 8:07

Hi George,

Great view of this old Mosque with its tall minaret. I love the Islamic art, especially its beautiful architecture. Excellent view from the old cemetery, good colors and sharpness.

Well done!
Leonor

danos (33300) 2009-07-27 13:46

Hello George,
nice presentation of this old and historical Mosque.The white graves of the cemetery,and the blue of the sky make the scene to have so great contrast.Informative your note too.

Regards,Danos

amaryllis (17826) 2009-07-27 13:49

Bonjour Georg
tres curieuse cette photo de cette mosquée et de ce cimetière, qui nous permet de voir les us et coutumes de ce pays grâce à ta belle série
une belle luminosité et une belle architecture
merci
juliette

jaywalker (12308) 2009-07-27 14:50

Hi George, A beautiful softly lit picture, I love the overall composition with the white stone spread across the foreground, great architecture & the light blue sky finishes the shot perfectly, kind regards Wilson.

ktanska (16695) 2009-07-27 23:52

Hi George,
Again a very interesting colour combination. That pale blue tone of the smaller stones is special. Interesting place and a good framing.
Kari

sacavem (8523) 2009-07-28 2:44

Olá George,

TFS, this photo is fantastic.Very good contrast between colors.The photo has a good composition and nice colours and light.
Regards,
Filipe

Buin (38280) 2009-07-29 9:48

Good evening, George!
Whata contrast between foreground and background. You managed the really difficult light here skillfully.
The absence of colours like red, yellow ... here somehow is fascinating ... What a sight!
Greetings from summerly Germany!
Frank

danyy (69465) 2009-08-01 13:36

Bonjour Georg,
elle est excellente cette capture des couleurs, un mariage parfait entre bleu très pale et les couleurs sables.
Les blancs très bien balancés ressortent aussi.
La cadrage qui convenait.
All the best.
Daniel.

Angshu (34119) 2009-08-02 22:47

Dear George
Interesting contrast of the whitewashed garve stones of the cemetery with the sand coloured wall. The clear blue sky also provides a fine contrast. A very informative note as always!
Regards
Angshu