A place that is amongst the most
visited on Earth, yet ~ 1/4 of the worlds population is restricted from
entering its bounds. A place where millions of people dressed in nothing but
white towels stand in straight lines and face this simplistic black structure.
A place dotted with specks of black and white yet it radiates vibrancy, A place
like and unlike so many other places. Ladies and gents, Lo! The Makkah of the
Muslim.
But what I see in this picture is
beyond the scope of Religion or any of its entities.
The third tallest building in the world
hovers in the air behind the solid façade of structure erected eons upon eons
ago by the hands of Abraham. The old juxtaposed with the new. Where
the latter merely facilitates the former. The past being the stronghold,
linking itself with the present and what to come in the future.
Above
the entire frame of the picture hovers time; a constant in the making. It is
like the π in
the equation of the circumference or the k
in Hooke’s law. Despite the frantic nature of man, which can be seen in the
bottom of the picture, time keeps moving.
In
addition to expressing the oxymoronic themes of past and present, time and
ignorance thereof, depth of simple complications and over complication of
simplistic things, this picture is also an exquisite portrayal of beauty and
perception. Unlike other pieces of art, and yes I dare call it so, the beauty
of this piece doesn’t demand a certain perception or analysis. It radiates
beauty and harmony therefore inviting understanding and perception. And
regardless of how you perceive its connotations, the picture in itself remains a
masterpiece.
“A
picture is a secret about a secret, the more it tells you the less you know.”