Mosque of Omar, a photo from West Bank, East

Photographer's Note

We are visiting Bethlehem to see the roots of Christianity. We see the churches but alos this impressive mosque.

(source Wikipedia)
The Mosque of Omar (Arabic: مسجد عمر‎) is the oldest and only mosque in the old city of Bethlehem, located in Manger Square, near the Church of the Nativity.

The mosque is named after Omar (Umar) ibn al-Khattab (c. 581–644), the second Rashidun Muslim Caliph. Having conquered Jerusalem, Omar had traveled to Bethlehem in 637 CE to issue a law that would guarantee respect for the shrine and safety for Christians and clergy. Only four years after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Omar reportedly prayed at the location of the mosque.

The mosque was built in 1860, but did not experience renovation until 1955, during Jordanian control of the city. The land used for its construction was donated by the Greek Orthodox Church. In the past, before the advent of light bulbs, it was common for Muslims and Christians in Bethlehem to offer olive oil to light up the surroundings of the mosque, evidence of religious coexistence in the city.

adores, pierrefonds, Sonata11, PaulVDV, besnard, josepmarin, papagolf21, Budapestman, siolaw, danos, kordinator, Cricri, Didi, edcone has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Graal (88808) 2012-01-31 6:41

Hi Achim,
nice view and presentation from Bethlehem. Nice architecture of minaret and the mosque. Amazing light, contrast and dark BG. Good note. Photo I like.
Have a nice day.
Aleksander

leo61 (0) 2012-01-31 10:20

Hallo Achim!
Ich liebe Fotos mit diesem Kontrast .Sonnenschen auf dem Objekt ,hier die Stadt und ein dunkler grauer Himmel.
Soweit ich weiß,gibt es 194 anerkannte Länder,über die Hälfte hast Du wohl schon bereist.....Bei Mir kommt Indonesion in April/Mai dazu.......
Tolle Qualität hier und gute Tiefe.
Gruß,Leo

Pentti (1443) 2012-01-31 10:45

Hi Achim,

the place is well presented in your photo
the cars are a nuisance in old historic places but that’s the reality and it is good that we have these realistic photos too here in TE

Pentti

Ninello52 (7065) 2012-01-31 12:39

Hello Achim!
Very, very interesting light! Beautiful gray of the sky and beautiful light over the city! Interesting to see the definition that is also fine details at the bottom!
Best regards, Nino.

luckybamboo (410) 2012-01-31 13:06

Hi Achim,
I really like this dark cloud background contrasting very well with this beautiful mosque. Very good sharpness too.
Julien

adores (28182) 2012-01-31 15:09

Hi Achim!
Great moment and a very good shot, not just because of the architecture, but also because of the sun light and that really dark sky - such a nice atmosphere!Hope you enjoyed your trip there!

pierrefonds (48301) 2012-01-31 16:05

Hi Achim,

The length of the street is giving depth to the composition. The point of view is showing the details and colors of the architecture of the Mosque of Omar. There is a good contrast between the colors of the sky and the colors of the Mosque. Have a nice day.

Pierre

Sonata11 (28235) 2012-01-31 20:17

Hello Achim,
beautiful composition of Bethlehem and great framework . Colors, light, sharpness, clarity pov and dof as well. This architecture of this Mosque is impressively beautiful and interesting. Perfectly well done. Thanks for sharing. I like it.
All the best,
Barbara

cargus (6434) 2012-01-31 22:11

Interesting idea,a very nice place , especillay an excellent shot with a perfect composition, magnificent colors, clear and bright..well done.!!
All the best,
Adrian

PaulVDV (15017) 2012-01-31 22:20

Hello Achim,
Nice to see the minaret of the mosque and the church tower side by side on this picture.
While the overcast sky is very dark, the sun lits the buildings well. However judging the clothing of the people it's not very warm there.
Good capture of the busy town center.
Best regards, Paul

Nicou (97543) 2012-01-31 22:30

Hello

fantastique compo e tiamge quel ciel en fond gris-bleu et ce minaret qui file dans ce ciel quel ensemble et vue avec la rue l'animation superbe.

bravo et amitié

Nicou

besnard (48755) 2012-01-31 23:13

Bonjour Achim
Le ciel chargé, le temps incertain donne une lumière parti ulière et intéressante sur la mosquée.
Merci pour le partage et bonne journée.
Nicole

Fis2 (73032) 2012-01-31 23:37

Witaj Achim!
Interesting place.
Curious cky, phpto has climate.
Good frame and light.
I like tower.
Nice day
Krzysztof

serp2000 (29144) 2012-02-01 4:56

Hello, Achim,
Outstanding photo! Impressive contrast of this architecture and the stormy sky. Very interesting informative note. Hmmm, the mosque was built on the place of church? Why can we see a confrontation between these two religions everyday in the world?
An interesting report, no doubt!
Serghei

josepmarin (55011) 2012-02-01 7:10

Hallo Achim,
in this good framing you show us an interesting combination of architectural styles, with a good contrast between the mosque, its slender minaret, and the modern building at the right side.
The image has a great graphical wealth, and the threatening sky adds a bit of dramatic quality to your composition.
It is a beautiful work, executed perfectly.
Friendly regards,
Josep

papagolf21 (76465) 2012-02-01 11:36

Bonsoir, cher Achim,
Le ciel d'une grande beauté fait ressortir à merveille l'architecture de cette mosquée et des bâtiments environnants.
La lumière est parfaite pour valoriser l'ensemble.
Sujet très bien traité.
Amitiés.
Philippe

Budapestman (82620) 2012-02-01 12:09

Hi Achim,
a beautiful photo of this mosque with spectacular composition and dramatic sky, the POV is attractive, great view, Tfs! Have a nice evening! Kellemes estét kívánok!
György

siolaw (37568) 2012-02-02 0:08

Hi Achim
The dark and threatening ssky gave good contrast to the picture and make the mosque and street scene lokk nicely bright and colourful. Beautiful architecture.
Greetings
Laurent

danyy (0) 2012-02-02 0:09

Bonjour Achim,
Magnifique !!!!
L'ambiance que j'aime pour faire des photos dramatiques, un ciel des plus noirs et malgré tout, du soleil.
Une exposition soignée au poil.
My best regards.
Daniel

anokutan (15097) 2012-02-02 5:15

Hello Achim,
Good contrast to the picture and make the mosque and street scene lokk nicely bright and colourful.

danos (73926) 2012-02-03 0:31

Hello Achim,
nice the view of this part of the city of Bethlehem despite of the cloudy weather, the Mosque of Omar dominates the image and outlined perfect against the moody sky.I like the clarity of the image as the informative note.

Have a good day,Danos

Silvio1953 (98001) 2012-02-03 0:50

Ciao Achim, great POV on lovely mosque, fantastic Grey sky, splendid light and beautiful soft colors, very well done, my friend, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

kordinator (13411) 2012-02-03 1:24

Hello Achim
This is a good image of this building complex and impressive mosque.
I like the light management here, the architecture combination is interesting, well seen.
Excellent positioned main motiv between dramatic sky and street life scene.
Excellent photo job,perfect composed.
Best regards
Saša

Cricri (86327) 2012-02-03 10:07

Hi Achim
Belle vue et lumière sur la Mosqué contre le fond gris du ciel, une rue très animés, beaucoup de détails a voir, belle présentation
Belle soirée
cricri

mauro61 (52527) 2012-02-05 3:31

ciao Achim,
mi piace il contrasto tra il grigio del cielo e il chiaro dell'architettura con la piazza affollata di auto.
Buona la resa del'immagine,
un saluto
maurizio

Angshu (51174) 2012-02-07 20:43

Hello Achim
One more country to your map! Not many pictures we see from Palestine! This is a good picture with the minaret of the mosque against the dark clouds. there appears to be a bell tower of the church in the BG. Well done!
Best Regards
Angshu

Didi (48880) 2012-04-13 10:57

Hi Mr President
Nice dramatic sky with the sunlight presence.
Well done.
Best regards

holmertz (26876) 2012-04-14 12:45

Hello Achim,
There is a great beauty of thunderous black clouds. They provide great backgrounds and sometimes give the colours a marvellous tone. Here the minaret is very nicely set against the background of dark clouds, just slightly lighter behind its top showing the moon's crescent.
Regards,
Gert

jemaflor (68837) 2012-04-15 9:07

Hi Achim,
Very well taken this interesting mosquee, well composed and great result with this light and this cloudy sky in the bg, impressive effect, Yor photo is very sharp.