Cairo – Old Mosques in Southern Cemetery

The invention of photography was presented to the public in both France and England in 1839. Artists from those countries became interested in using the new medium to document the remains of early architectural histories in the Middle East. Many photographers, including Robert Murray, passed through Cairo as part of their tour of the region. In this image, he focused on the array of Islamic towers and domes for the tombs of rulers and elites erected over the centuries in an important cemetery. Early practitioners had to work within technical limitations, such as negatives made from paper, which did not transmit as much visual information as later glass and plastic negatives. Yet, they still produced aesthetically pleasing pictures in their handling of shape and light.