Riyadh, from mud-brick to high-rise
[Development of the city of Riyadh in pictures].
Oblong 4to (270 x 200 mm). 15 ff. with 15 black and white gelatin silver photographs in photo corners, each 128 x 175 mm. Tissue guards bound between each leaf. Black saddle stitched wrappers, hand-titled in Arabic.
€ 7.500,00
A unique, hand-captioned set of photographs that capture the development of the city of Riyadh, from the demolition of traditional mud-brick buildings to the construction of high-rise apartments, factories, widened and repaved roads, and more. An incredible glimpse at a city, and a country, in the midst of transformation, comprising not simply before-and-after shots, but many photographs taken in the midst of the action, on construction sites and demolition days.
Captioned in tidy Arabic, the album shows the construction of the Wadi Hanifa dam, King Saud Street with its rainwater drain, part of the old wall of Riyadh prior to demolition, the new airport street and administrative buildings, and the new Limonalco and Sinalco factory buildings. One photo shows a construction site for new family residences, the poured concrete of the next house to go up already visible in the foreground. In another, one sees a modern residential building, with a car parked out front. In the foreground, a sign proclaims "You are in control of your future!" and advertises night school in English, French, and legal accounting: a snapshot of a city and a people in the midst of changes to both infrastructure and daily life. Taken altogether, with its equal treatment of mudbrick houses and of the new Riyadh in the making, the album sketches the mid-century social change undergone by Saudi Arabia itself.
A few hints of wear to album, with occasional minor edge chipping to tissue guards. Photographs in excellent condition throughout.
