In a Middle East overwhelmed by war, politics, destruction, and conflict, it is easy to forget that it is, like any other, just a place where life goes on; people live, people grow, people die. Communities flourish and decline. People come and people go. Mired in the hellfire of media and politics, it is easy to overlook the simple truths about life in the Middle East.
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- That there was civilization here before the advent of modern politics. Near Petra, Jordan.
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- There is a long history here: the legacy of the Romans, and its permanence. Outsiders before modern times. Roman Amphitheater, Amman, Jordan.
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- Even in modern cities, there was something here first. Original Haifa architecture, damaged and dwarfed by pervasive modernization. Wadi Salib, Haifa.
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- That there are pilgrims who travel from every corner of the world to touch the history in these stones. Old City, Jerusalem.
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- Those whose communities and families are torn between two warring nations. The Golan Heights.
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- Those who, despite a life of faith, must always walk behind. Women's Balcony, Western Wall Cave, Jerusalem.
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- That there are those who would put themselves in harm's way to defend a homeland they know of only from their dreams. Nabi Saleh.
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- Those for whom modern boundaries mean little. Eastern Jordanian desert, between Amman and Baghdad.
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- and that fruit still blooms in the desert. Irbid, Jordan.
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- Those whose playground is composed of ancient alleys. Old City, Jerusalem.
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- Those children who play in the winds of change. Bar Hai, Carmel, Haifa.
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- That there are children whose homes are destroyed, victims of politics in which they have no part. Al-Araqib, Naqab.
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- That soldiers are still children. Israel Train.
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- and that such childhood is short-lived. Wadi Nisnas, Haifa.
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- There are those who carry on the craftsmanship of their ancestors. Naqab.
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- Those who keep alive the music and the culture of their ancestors. Terez Sliman concert, Akka.
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- That poetry exists even in dark places. Haifa.
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- That art is hidden in plain sight. Rainbow Street, Amman, Jordan.
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- There are those who rap in protest, and those who listen in solidarity. DAM Concert, Fattoush, Ben Gurion St., Haifa.
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- That despite everything, this day is just like any other day. Haifa.
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- Against a backdrop of never-ending political gaming and war, life goes on as usual. A restaurant kitchen, Haifa.
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- And that, inevitably, the end comes. Here, a moment of forgotten history. British WWI Cemetary, Haifa.
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- There is a past, a present, and a future. Old City, Jerusalem.