One of my favorite travel documentary photographers is Pascal Meunier, the French photographer, who specializes in documenting the Arab-Muslim cultures.
I posted about Pascal's wonderful imagery of the decrepit public baths in Cairo earlier on TTP, and now bring you another of his galleries depicting the oasis of Oualata in the Mauritanian desert. I have some favorites; the one above and another (#09 in the gallery) which contrasts the hennaed design on a woman's palm to the geometrics on a house...maybe a bit of a cliche, but I liked it.
Before you visit the gallery, here's some interesting background on Oualata: it's a an ancient town on a caravan route in south east Mauritania, near Mali.The city was founded in the eleventh century, when it was part of the Ghana Empire, and was destroyed in 1076 but refounded in 1224, and again became a major trading post for trans-Saharan trade and an important centre of Islamic scholarship.
Today, Oualata is home to ancient Qur'anic manuscripts, and is known for its highly decorative architectural style, evidenced by beautiful geometric designs on the red-clay inner and external walls of its houses. It is also a World Heritage Site.
Some of you may find that the concept and designs of Oualata similar to those found in certain villages in Rajasthan. The main difference between the two is the absence of the human form in those of Oualata, because of the Qur'anic prohibition of such images.
Here's Pascal Meunier's Oulata
