Shatt and Shatta
(Shatt) The Beach & ( Shatta ) the chili pepper, was created at 2020-2023
These photos are part of a big series that is documenting the social and cultural anthropology of the city.
Shatta is one of the main ingredients of most Palestinian dishes in Gaza. The burning taste of this spice symbolizes what life means inside Gaza.
On the other hand, Shatt is the masculine version of Shatta & the definition for “beach” – our beach which is filled with people from winter to summer.
Using both terms is important in interchanging the masculine and the feminine. By chance, Shatta, the hot sauce, is delicious yet stinging on the tongue and the belly. Not a single day in Gaza can pass without it. Neither can a day pass without the sea, the Shatt, where residents resort to in order to escape aggressions.
Using this approach to observe the everyday life and changes that occur around us from the home to the beach. Photographing the same people in two different places and showing opposite states or movement and calmness.
I have been working as a street photographer since 2010 and since then have been passionate about conveying a direct and spontaneous image from the Gazan streets to the world.
After 12 years of shooting spontaneously, the idea of this project comes prior to the work itself.
Last year, I was searching for images and looking at changes of the landscape during Corona. My first observation was the changes in colors around us – including the Shatt and Shatta. It was saying something different from what you have heard about her.
Gaza`s collage
I created a photography series that captures daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions that came with it. (we experienced fifteen years ago)
I focus on a closed and open door, and started play the color game which gave me
An interesting way to convey the idea of being trapped and limited in my movements during this time.
In addition, the scenes in front of the sea creates an interesting contrast, as the sea is often seen as a symbol of freedom and limitless possibilities. By cutting and pasting these scenes, I I played with the idea of breaking free from the restrictions and limitations of the pandemic.
Works on Road
It is a series of photos that shows the everyday lives of the people on the roads of the Gaza Strip. These roads bear the differences and similarities among people. All differences in age, educational levels, social classes, etc. melt away in the streets who embrace all people.
People, in Gaza, usually turn the biggest and the most spacious spaces into small and narrow ones. They find the street as the only place where they can express their feelings, anger, upset, joy etc. in. It is where they share their ideas without the fear of being restricted. They find the streets as the most suitable places to share most of their daily interests, happy moments, or even the sad ones.
For example, you might find a wedding party or a funeral that blockade the street, and you should wait three days to pass until the road reopens again. Then, the children can go out and play in the middle of the street. Also, demos always start from the streets, for the mundane usually find their freedom in the street. Needless to say, they find the road as a refuge from poverty and other daily concerns in the roads during the peaceful days.
Further, some people find the roads as cultural reviving for their knowledge, past stories, etc. Then, the road appears to be the most suitable place for the night coffee conversations.
People are in dire need for this free space, as they did not get used to such spaces for multiple reasons including the siege and the long history of the Israeli occupation closure. So, they take the sidewalks as permanent places.
Conclusively, the roads of the coastal enclave remain as a mirror for the unstable conditions the people of Gaza are going through
Memory of tomorrow – صدري أنا متراس
Photo essay chronicles my walks at Omar Al Mokhtar street – 8-kilometer street that connects East and West Gaza city over the duration of 6 months of intermittent lockdowns imposed on Gaza city due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The lockdown reduced the crowded movement of bodies and cars of the street enabling me to observe in more detail the use of the street walls as spaces for public messages. My walks through this street made me observe more clearly the aesthetics and content of the remaining political graffiti that preceded covid-19 in Gaza. They also made me realize the different style, tone and colors of the new Covid-19 messages relating to health warnings that now make up the streets. My photographs capture this transience between the old and the new – at times hinting at the bodies who might have occupied the chairs we see, other times capturing the little movement in motion where it happens.
Memory of tomorrow – صدري أنا متراس Read More »
Thread Connecting the City
Its photographic series, created in Gaza between 2018 and 2023, delves into the unseen line that binds a city caught in a unique and unparalleled existence—hovering between reality and imagination. This thread stretches across Gaza, tethering its edges to the sea, carrying stories, the echoes of fleeting footsteps, and the music of passersby.
In a landscape where time seems suspended and movement is held in perpetual stasis, these images trace a map: from the northwest’s tranquility to the southwest’s openness, passing through the dense, chaotic heart of the city. The work attempts to capture that fragile, liminal moment—a threshold between what is real and tangible and what exists only as a wishful construct, a longing for the unknown.
This project is a pursuit of memory: an effort to reclaim fragments of what has been forgotten or lost in the constant intersection between life and its shadowy semblance. It’s a reflection of the city’s rhythm—where time collapses, and existence is both fragmented and whole.
At the end of every journey, we find ourselves drawn to the sea—a stage that mirrors and amplifies the city’s narrative in intricate detail. Here, the sea becomes a canvas, a framed portrait suspended against Gaza’s skyline, embodying its unspoken truths and endless yearning.
Thread Connecting the City Read More »
Everything lies except lies
Is part of photography project, (51 Land)
This project boldly presents 51 portraits of Palestinian women across diverse landscapes in the Gaza Strip, capturing them in the midst of their daily routines while sharing their personal stories. It stands as a powerful testament to the resilience and authenticity of these women, whose narratives have long been distorted by media narratives. In an era where media often distorts and manipulates the image of Palestinian women, this project serves as a defiant act against such misrepresentation. By showcasing these women in their raw and unfiltered reality, it challenges the stereotypes and preconceived notions imposed upon them. Amidst ongoing Israeli hostilities and attacks targeting Palestinians, this project takes on added significance. It boldly asserts the importance of preserving and honoring Palestinian identity, especially in the face of attempts to erase it. These portraits become not just a documentation of individual lives, but a collective assertion of Palestinian existence and resilience. Through this project, Palestinian women reclaim their narratives, rejecting the media’s attempts to diminish their voices. It is a celebration of their strength, beauty, and humanity, defiantly proclaiming their right to be seen and heard on their own terms.
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Hakoora
The Hakoora,” linguistically, is a place for agriculture behind the house, an ancient design adopted by our ancestors when all their food came from their own cultivation.
Figuratively, it’s a slice of paradise. The Hakoora I know and recognize, since childhood, is that vast open space that accommodates everything, no matter how big or small. When we gather there, its space becomes a whole universe. And when I’m there, it becomes my kingdom, my personal realm, where I discover myself, my desires, and where all the ideas that inspire me for life, renewal, and survival come to me.
Not just as an artist, but as someone who appreciates the value of every blade of grass that grew above the walls before rooting into the earth.
This collection of photos somewhat describes something close to my inner self when I enter our family’s Hakoora. It’s as if it works a miracle in my heart every time I pass through there. Sometimes, it cuts through all the distances I need to cross long roads to define the meaning of my roots, to whom I belong, and what the manuscript of my personal identity is. And sometimes, I see it giving birth to me from the womb of the earth every time I fall into it with the rains of winter, and it dries up with the spring breeze and summer air, in another state of expansion and tranquility.
One Day Before
On October 6th, 2023,
A collection of 15 powerful images capturing Sea Street in Gaza City, frozen in time from that significant date—a date etched into memory, a date of upheaval and uncertainty, a date that echoes through the silence of history. From the moment the shutter clicked, time stood still, yet the world around continued to evolve, leaving us suspended in a moment of profound significance.
Awakening to the sea, an unwavering beacon amidst the chaos—a testament to resilience, a sanctuary of solace. For over twenty-five years, it has been more than a mere body of water; it has been a lifeline, a companion through tumultuous times. From joyous celebrations to somber reflections, from moments of solitude to communal gatherings, the sea has borne witness to our collective journey.
Yet, beneath its serene surface lies a narrative of struggle and defiance. Once a source of boundless freedom, it has become a symbol of confinement, a stark reminder of the barriers imposed upon us. Despite the challenges, the sea remains a source of inspiration—a catalyst for exploration, a gateway to new horizons.
As we navigate the currents of uncertainty, let these images serve as a testament to our resilience, our strength, and our unwavering spirit. With each frame, we reclaim our narrative, forging a path forward amidst the wreckage of the past. Together, we stand on the precipice of change, poised to write the next chapter of our shared history.
Thread Connecting the City
Its photographic series, created in Gaza between 2018 and 2023, delves into the unseen line that binds a city caught in a unique and unparalleled existence—hovering between reality and imagination. This thread stretches across Gaza, tethering its edges to the sea, carrying stories, the echoes of fleeting footsteps, and the music of passersby.
In a landscape where time seems suspended and movement is held in perpetual stasis, these images trace a map: from the northwest’s tranquility to the southwest’s openness, passing through the dense, chaotic heart of the city. The work attempts to capture that fragile, liminal moment—a threshold between what is real and tangible and what exists only as a wishful construct, a longing for the unknown.
This project is a pursuit of memory: an effort to reclaim fragments of what has been forgotten or lost in the constant intersection between life and its shadowy semblance. It’s a reflection of the city’s rhythm—where time collapses, and existence is both fragmented and whole.
At the end of every journey, we find ourselves drawn to the sea—a stage that mirrors and amplifies the city’s narrative in intricate detail. Here, the sea becomes a canvas, a framed portrait suspended against Gaza’s skyline, embodying its unspoken truths and endless yearning.
Thread Connecting the City Read More »