Beside historical walls Photo

Photographer’s Note

Beside historical walls

Sfax (Arabic: صفاقس‎, Safaqis, or /sfa:qs/ in Tunisian Arabic, whence the French name) is a city in Tunisia, located 270 km (168 miles) southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD 849 on the ruins of Taparura and Thaenae, is the capital of the Sfax governorate, and a Mediterranean port on the Gulf of Gabes. Sfax has population of 340,000 (2005), and is an industrial center for processing phosphates. The city is often described as Tunisia's Second city, because only Tunis has more inhabitants.

In short, a Kasbah is an official fortified residence, often defended by armed guards. It can be the dwelling of a sovereign (for example the Tunis Kasbah, not much of which has survived) or that of the representative of authority in a province. By extension, the word has come to designate the quarter adjoining the building.
In fact, all North African towns have their Kasbah. Their use spread in the XIIth century under the Almohad dynasty established in present day Morocco. In time, they were integrated into larger defensive works comprising fortifications and ramparts. This is the case, particularly, of the Sfax Kasbah that today is a monument flanked by two towers and an artillery bastion dating to the XVIth century and is located in the continuity of the city walls.
The Kasbah was painstakingly restored and has now recovered its original majesty.

History

By the end of the 10th century Sfax had become an independent city state. The city was conquered by Roger of Sicily in 1148 and occupied until it was liberated in 1156 by local forces, and was briefly occupied by European forces again, this time by the Spanish, in the 16th century. Sfax became an integral base of the Barbary piracy, prompting an unsuccessful invasion by Venice in 1785. In the late 19th century Sfax and the rest of Tunisia were conquered by France and incorporated into the French empire. During World War II, the Axis powers used the city as a major base until they were defeated by British forces. After World War II, Tunisia was returned to France only to gain independence in 1956. (Source: patrimoinedetunisie.com & wikipedia)

asajernigan, gervaso, besnard, jhm, ChrisJ, portmanndominic, saxo042, vasilpro, Cretense, mikolaj_kawa, Angshu trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

gervaso (5502) 2009-09-29 3:31

Hello, George!

Wonderful picture of this great wall, with good inclusion of the people as a reference. The colors are beautiful, especially the dark blue sky. Wonderful composition! Good job!

asajernigan (14236) 2009-09-29 3:31

George,
This is a nicely composed shot of this impressive structure. The people add a nice sense of scale for the scene. The lighting and colors are great with the deep blue sky providing excellent contrast for the yellow architecture.
TFS,
Asa

mauro61 (16048) 2009-09-29 3:33

ciao George,
mi piace l'incrocio del cammino fra i due soggetti sotto il grande bastione.
ottimo il colpo d'occhio
buona giornata
maurizio

besnard (30920) 2009-09-29 3:38

Bonjour George
Une belle image de cette impressionnante structures. Les promeneurs nous donnent une appréciation de son immensité.
Merci pour le partage et bonne journée.
Nicole

jurek1951 (26020) 2009-09-29 3:39

Hi George,
Beautifully exposed shot. Looks very well balanced and textured,lovely composition with wonderful light and colors.Interesting architecture.
Georg

jlbrthnn (38527) 2009-09-29 4:05

Hello George,
A strange image of meeting without seeing itself at the bottom of ramparts. It is an image which details and precise the historical architecture of Sfax. Beautiful composition, captured at the good moment. Cheer.
Have a nice day.
Cordially.
Joël

jhm (83035) 2009-09-29 4:35

Hello George,

The people add a nice sense of scale for the scene.
Indeed very historical wall.
Nice composition, good presentation too. TFS.

Warmest regards,
John.

Ola_Kwiatek (2698) 2009-09-29 4:38

Original scene, good momment, very good capture. Nice frame. Very nice colors. Interesting info.
Cheers

ChrisJ (70357) 2009-09-29 5:20

Hello, George!

The man & woman about to pass each other on the triangular support column structure, 'make' this shot for me, even though their size is quite small & insignificant, in comparison with the rest of the image. The yellow ochre colour contrasts superbly against the blue sky. Good sharpness, & tfs!

smarcell (14471) 2009-09-29 5:24

You caught a "meeting" under a beauutiful wall, and a strong sunlight. A good composition
Regards Stefano

portmanndominic (2388) 2009-09-29 7:49

Godd evening Georges

a nice shot under the wall of Sfax , good inclusion of people , the sky is a bit too dark for me
regards
Dominic

npecanhuk (14364) 2009-09-29 8:06

Hello George!
Very nice minimalist composition, with excellent sharpness, exposure and colors!
The two walking people that pass by each other was a great moment that you had the skill to capture so beautifully!
TFS - congratulations!
Best regards,
Neyvan

saxo042 (16038) 2009-09-29 9:48

Hi George,
A capture in exactly the right moment! Two persons meeting in the photo, just beside this part of the impressive wall. Very good and very lucky! Very interesting architecture again and very good colours!
Kind regards
Gunnar

ymrk (8969) 2009-09-29 10:49

wow,wonderful timing of encounter...homogeneous sky and sharpness are very fine,indeed...Have a nice day George!

Yağmur

vasilpro (9134) 2009-09-29 10:50

Hello George,
Wonderful composition with the people walking along these historical walls, very good contrast, clarity and sharpness, useful notes.
Have a nice evening, Vasilis.

lousat (15768) 2009-09-29 14:21

Hi George,beautiful point of view whit the couple walking that make a difference,top quality of sharpness and colors as usual,thanks for share,Luciano

Cretense (56688) 2009-09-30 0:07

Hello George!

Very impressive and imposing walls, great architecture and excellent daily life scene with the "meeting" of the the lady and the gentleman, that not only add life but also give a sense of scale! Great composition and framing, excellent light management, brilliant colours! Congratulations!

Hercules

mikolaj_kawa (30785) 2009-09-30 1:11

Hello George! Perfect composition, ideal exposure, very good lightness and sharpness, nice colours. Very interesting scene and architecture. Good info. Well done!

johannita (369) 2009-09-30 10:19

hello George,

beautiful capture from Tunisia,
looks like a postcard, I like the
human presence and the typical
architecture. Congratulations.

Regards,
johannita

Angshu (33947) 2009-10-04 7:39

Dear George
Excellent picture of the historical wall, combining architecture and daily life well. In fact you caught the two people in the right place, in front of the most interesting part of the wall. The colour contrast with the blue sky makes the architecture pop-up. Fine work with a fine note
Regards
Angshu