Lattice

I've photographed the Shaikh Isa bin Ali House in Muharraq, the old capital of Bahrain many times and am always looking for new ways to see it. On my last trip there, I discovered that the price of entry had increased tenfold and, as it was the end of the day, didn't think I'd have enough time to get many shots anyway. This provided the challenge of seeing the building from the outside only. Set in the adobe walls are plaster lattices which provide ventilation and yet maintain privacy and security. I wondered how many visitors to the building had paid their money and never seen the beauty and simplicity in this one. I was grateful for the opportunity to notice it and make the work of its unknown craftsman more prominent.

Courtyard

As soon as I entered this courtyard from the alleyway where tour guides were leading groups of German tourists, I felt a great sense of peace. I hurriedly set up my tripod to capture this with a photograph that still gives me peace as I look at a framed print of it hanging on my wall at home. The building, a merchant's house, has been exquisitely restored and the care that has been taken has no doubt contributed to the atmosphere in the courtyard when you enter. I was told that this is also a guesthouse with bedrooms on the balcony above. It would be a lovely place to retreat from the busyness of modern Bahrain.

Arch

The interplay of light and form in this image captivated me. We're looking through an archway into an alley between two restored buildings in Muharraq, the old capital of Bahrain. The building opposite has stained glass windows which look like dartboards. As is usual in Bahrain, it was a sunny day, and the light from the whitewashed alleyway is thrown through the archway, effectively removing any colour from the stained glass opposite. I took this into account when deciding that this image was better off monochrome than colour. In sepia, the forms of the open archway and the closed one to the left are seen much more vividly. The textured ceiling also contrasts beautifully with the smooth angular forms of the walls. The building we are in is now a museum for tratrees, the historic art of gold embroidery in Bahrain.

Wall

Sometimes the simplest images are the most powerful. For me, although there is virtually nothing happening in this facade, it had an elegance and simplicity that drew my attention from below. It made me wonder what extra work went into constructing a facade like this and what relationship, if any, it bears to the structure that lies behind it. This shot is actually of the facade above the windows on the balcony of the image Courtyard in this collection.

Triangle

The wonderful geometry of Islamic architecture never fails to mesmerise. But triangles like this over a doorway of a restored building in Muharraq, the old capital of Bahrain, are fairly unusual. I actually took this shot while a party of German tourists milled about underneath in the alleyway. The contrast between this and the serenity and strength of the final image is quite stark.