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Damascus, Syria |
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Male Composite |
Individual |
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Damascus , also called Sham or Dimashq, is the largest city in Syria with 2.75 million people and is also the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world having been settled for almost 5000 years. It was the capital of an Aramaic state in the 9th and 8th Centuries BC, before being captured by the Assyrians and subsequently falling under Persian and Roman rule. Damascus was conquered by the Arabs in the 7th Century AD after which the city's power peaked as the capital of the Umayyad Empire, which extended from Spain to India. 90% of the population is Arab with Kurds, Armenians and Circassians (a northwest Caucasian people) making up the other 10%. Arabic is the official language with Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic and Circassian also spoken and French and English widely understood . Syria is effectively cut off from globalization as the stultifying effects of a Stalinist dictatorship have resulted in years of low or zero growth. Many of its men seek employment in neighboring Lebanon or the Gulf States. Umayyad Square lies at the heart of Damascus next to the main Mosque and adjacent to the main market. With the help of my guide and a box of baklava it didn’t take long, under the watchful eyes of a couple of secret policemen, to persuade a hundred men to take part. Being a Muslim country, though, it was impossible to get women to stop on the street and have their photo taken. Despite the square being the main focus for tourists all the people who took part were locals. The composite face is strikingly handsome – much better looking than any of the individuals. It’s like there is an underlying beauty in each of us that has the potential to come through. In fact in every instance this seems to be the case – in each city the composite face is more beautiful than almost any of the individuals that make it up. Photographer: Mike Mike; Assistant: Hassan |
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| One poster is available for download: | ||
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© mike mike 2003, 2008 |
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