Damascus, Syria; July 2008.
Where the Great Umayyed Mosque is about peace and sanctuary, the Sayyida Zainab Mosque is about pilgrimage and intense religious fervour. In a Shia part of town, about 10 kilometres from the centre of Damascus, this beautiful mosque is patronised by many Iranians and Iraqi Shiites.
I had to cover myself from head to toe to enter, removing my shoes as you do in every mosque. There is a separate entrance for men and women and inside the mosque is divided. The women’s half was completely packed at 10 o’clock in the morning with women clamouring to touch the tomb of Lady Zainab, the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammed.
Outside, the gold dome glinted in the sunlight, offset by the minarets decorated with geometric designs in white and aqua blue. Inside, the walls shimmered with silver and chandeliers hung from the ceilings. All around people were praying, prostrating themselves with a small stone tablet for their forehead.
I was accompanied by a Muslim friend who encouraged me to take photographs. It was only on the way out that I noticed the ‘no photography’ sign.
This post is part of Photo Friday, hosted at DeliciousBaby.
Love the unusual angle here
How beautiful! I love taking photos in “no photo” areas, I got a great picture of David before I was yelled at by a guard. That’s the key, do it before they yell at you and what can they do??
The doctrine is called ‘it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission’ and it’s one that professional photographers use all the time. In this case though, it was not at all deliberate. For me, whether I’ll flout a no-photo rule depends on the location and the circumstances. I’ll never use a flash inside – that really does damage artworks – but luckily my little digital camera has a high ISO mode that works wonders indoors. – Caitlin
Thank you so much for sharing this photo.