NAHID SULTANA
// Nahid is a passionate amateur photography enthusiast based in Bahrain. She loves capturing all types of images. Her approach to photography is instinctual and based on her feelings. The cultural institutions of Bahrain in black and white are her tribute to her country´s cultural history.
“To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand, And Eternity in an hour.”
William Blake
What draws you to the arts?
“Art is for the soul. It’s a personal experience that enlightens you from inside. It’s a space where you become happy ‘within and without’. A soulful connection one can make with supreme power.”
What do you like best about the black and white photography of that we are showing here?
“I feel I can incorporate a human element in any photo to make it more interesting! It not only gives you the feeling of scale but also makes it alive. The minimalist approach with a human element what I liked about this submission.”
Nahid´s series highlights several of the cultural institutions in her home country, Bahrain. Her compositions are based on her perception of curves and lines, found at local museums and theaters.
“I love black and white photography. It somehow takes out the distraction of colour around us and helps to focus on the main subject. I love working with lines, curves, light and shadow, especially when it comes to street and theme based documentary photography,” Nahid says.
Since some may be interested in what cultural sites are on view here, we provide a brief explanation for each of the buildings, you can see which is which by clicking on the image to enlarging – the name is in the file name:
The Bahrain Fort Museum: Qal’at Al-Bahrain, or the Bahrain Fort, is an important archaeological site that shows visitors the history of the country from the ancient Dilmun empire up until the 18th century. The museum houses a collection of five different historical periods.
The Bahrain National Theatre/National Museum – These two buildings are adjacent. the largest and oldest public museum in Bahrain, although not that old – it opened in December 1988. Adjacent is the National Theatre of Bahrain, which impresses with its modern architecture and the reflections in the surrounding water – opened in 2012.
The Pearling Trail Site – The Bahrain pearling trail is a 3.5 km trail on Muharraq island with many ruins and monumental buildings. Its name stems from the history of pearl diving in the country, which was a major part of the economy until the early 1930s. At that point the pearl market in Bahrain crashed due to the introduction of Japanese cultured pearls. The site is inscribed on the list of UNESCO world cultural heritage sites and is an important historic monument.
The Riffa Fort was built during the reign of Sheikh Salman bin Ahmed Al Fateh Al Khalifa in 1812 and is now a museum that offers view across the Hunanaiya valley.
Click on the photos to see the full image with title, some images are cropped for layout.
ALL PHOTOS © NAHID SULTANA
To see more of her photography visit Nahid´s Instagram page.
SPECTACULUM MAGAZINE 
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[…] To see more of her photography visit Nahid´s Instagram page. We have previously featured Nahid´s documentary of the cultural architecture of Bahrain, which you may want to look up here. […]