Center for Middle East Studies
Date
October 3, 2023
Announcing the 2023 Center for Middle East Studies Photo Contest Finalists
CMES affiliated faculty as well as graduate and undergraduate students were invited to submit photos from their recent travels in the Middle East to a photo competition. Eleven photos were selected as finalists. These images will be displayed outside the CMES office suite on the 3rd floor of Stephen Robert Hall, 280 Brook street.
Doha Maaty is a graduate student in the School of Public Health in the MPH program, concentrating in health policy, law and human rights with an emphasis on SWANA populations. She took this photo at the Ibn Tulun masjid while visiting Cairo for a class she took last semester as a senior at Georgetown University titled Cultural Heritage in the Arab World. The course looked at religious architecture and art across Cairo to foster greater understanding of the history and heritage of many Cairenes and the impact and symbolism it carries into the present day.
Dorra Guermazi is a senior at Brown concentrating in Computational Biology and declaring a certificate in Intercultural Competence. As she traveled in the Middle East and North Africa this summer, Dorra was drawn to the beauty of the region and hoped to capture these precious moments on camera so they could always be remembered, both to reference herself and to transport others in the future.
Mara Kessler is a senior at Brown in her last semester studying Middle East Studies on the pre-medical track. She took these photos while living in Amman, Jordan to study Arabic and work for Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism in 2022 and 2023. Upon graduation, Mara hopes to pursue her passions in human rights advocacy—particularly in relation to Palestine—and healthcare.
Michelle Quay is Lecturer of Persian at Brown University. She has taught Persian Language and Literature at the University of Chicago, Columbia University and the University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on premodern Persian literature, particularly in the writings of Farid al-Din ‘Attar and other early Sufi mystics. She is a co-editor of The Routledge Handbook of Persian Literary Translation (2022) and recently won the inaugural Mo Habib Translation Prize in Persian Literature. Her literary translation work has appeared in such publications as Words Without Borders, Asymptote Journal, and World Literature Today, and her prize-winning translation of Reza Ghassemi’s Woodwind Harmony in the Nighttime is forthcoming from Deep Vellum in 2025. Her interest in Persian was sparked at a young age growing up in Southern California’s ‘Tehrangeles,’ the largest Persian-speaking diaspora community in the United States.
Sertac Sen is a Ph.D. candidate in anthropology. He works on how war preparedness and geopolitics shape ordinary people’s lives and the spaces they inhabit. His research interests include civil-military relations, political economy, borderlands, and urban life, with a particular focus on the Southeast Europe / Middle East.
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Sertac Sen, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Anthropology, Turkey | Conversation is Essential, Haircut is Incidental - A horror encounter for the introvert, a cost-efficient therapy for others, barbershop talk is often more essential than a haircut in Turkey. Meet Barber Hasan and Aydın, chatting over coffee and cigarettes on a weekend afternoon.
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Michelle Quay, Ph.D., Lecturer in Persian Language, Marrakesh, Morocco | View of a Minaret - Located in the historic medina of Marrakesh, Morocco, as seen from the Ben Youssef Madrasa, a Quran school built in the 12 century AD.
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Michelle Quay, Ph.D. Lecturer in Persian Language Giza, Egypt Pyramids of Giza Seen at night from the rooftop of El Hadaba Cafe in Giza, Egypt.
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Michelle Quay, Ph.D., Lecturer in Persian Language, Cairo, Egypt | Ottoman-style Mosque - Located not in the historic lands of the Ottoman Empire but in the heart of Old Cairo. Built in the 19th-century, the Muhammad Ali Pasha mosque has the unusual distinction of including a Western-style clocktower, adjacent to the fountain pictured here.
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Mara Kessler ’23.5 Wadi Rum Preserve, Jordan Sunset at Wadi Rum Three camels in the distance traverse the wadi as the sun begins to set.
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Mara Kessler ’23.5 Amman, Jordan درج الكلحة | Daraj al-Kalha The stairs are usually a bustling social scene: shopkeepers arguing over backgammon, musicians strumming the oud for passersby to sing along, young artists arming themselves with paintbrushes, and strangers trudging breathlessly up the staircase from downtown—their sticky hands balancing plates of syrupy knafeh while avoiding the feisty cats at their feet. In this rare instance of solitude, a street poet stands in the window of a popular artisan space.
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Mara Kessler ’23.5 Amman, Jordan View from the Citadel View of Jabal al-Qusoor and the Raghadan Flagpole from the Amman Citadel. The Jordanian flag flies high above the outskirts of the Jabal al-Hussein Palestinian Refugee Camp—a potential metaphor for the complex dynamics of Jordanian society. Kites and pigeon flocks dot the sky.
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Doha Maaty, MPH Candidate ’25 Cairo, Egypt Pillars of Prayer Description: Stucco artwork and carvings on the pillars and arches of the Ibn Tulun masjid in Al Khalifa in Cairo.
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Dorra Guermazi ’24 Algiers, Algeria Starlit Tranquility: Algiers Mosque Courtyard Through the Khatim This image offers a glimpse into the heart of the Algiers Mosque courtyard, which is home to the world's tallest minaret in the world. Through the intricately carved stucco design of the 'khatim,' an exquisite eight-sided star pattern, the viewer is transported into a world of architectural wonder and spiritual resonance.
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Dorra Guermazi ’24 Kairouan, Tunisia Portal to Serenity: A Glimpse into Kairouan's Sacred Threshold Captured in the heart of Kairouan, Tunisia, this photo showcases the entrance of a serene local mosque. The bicycle portrays one of the ways that people navigate the small, cobblestone streets while the vibrant orange door reflects the region's heritage. This tranquil scene invites one to embrace this timeless place of devotion and community.
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Dorra Guermazi ’24 Amman, Jordan Whispers of Time: Shared Gazes in Jordan's Streets In the heart of Jordan, a contemplative moment unfolds. A seasoned vendor, his weathered face a map of stories, sits at his doorstep, indulging in a moment of respite while a street cat beside him grabs his attention. Amidst the souvenirs, an unexpected friendship emerges, a fleeting reminder of the threads that weave us all together.