thephotosocietyのインスタグラム(thephotosociety) - 11月26日 04時27分

Photo by @rezaphotography /Saudi Arabia
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A fragile Tower of Babel

The pilgrimage sites of the world’s great religions are profoundly moving places, not because of their rituals but because of the serenity that radiates from the believers as they pray. Absorbed in their private communication with their deity, they look peaceful, open, and trusting. Such fervor is quite different from militant religious fanaticism, and when the ineffable bond with God is expressed in this tranquil and receptive manner, it erases every distinction of social class, skin color, or national origin. But at the holy sites of Arabia, oil has made such differences more pronounced. Millions of pilgrims come from around the world to the Muslim holy land to worship God and his prophet. Poor but hospitable, the local tribes of yesteryear withstood all types of desert storms and, for centuries, survived thanks to the pilgrims’ offerings. The noble lords of the desert, who once had simple wants, have grown enormously rich from the black gold that lay beneath their bare feet. Today, they hold on tight to their riches, and the gap in wealth between them and the menial workers they employ is striking. The princes of Arabia and of some of the gulf countries seem to have forgotten an important legend. Now focused on material goods, they want to erect ever-higher buildings, gripped by the desire to have the tallest skyscraper. For the construction, they use laborers who have come to Arabia from the world over and speak a variety of tongues. But the legend shows that a Tower of Babel will not endure the test of time.

The oilfields of Shaybah in the middle of the Rub al Khali Desert. Photograph created during a reportage for National Geographic Magazine on Saudi Arabia.

Text written by Rachel Deghati. Published in "War + Peace" (National Geographic Publishing, 2007), "Reza, entre guerre et paix" (National Geographic Publishing, 2008) and "Sinbad by Reza" (Glénat publishing, 2009). #oilfield #man #alone #night #saudiarabia #desert #Shaybah #RubalKhali #colours #purple #light #pilgrimage #religion #fervor #photooftheday #photojournalism #reza ​#rezaphoto #rezadeghati​ #rezaphotography @thephotosociet

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