Jérusalem, Porte de Damas, Intérieur
Auguste Salzmann French
Printer Imprimerie photographique de Blanquart-Évrard, à Lille French
Not on view
This photograph of the Gate of Damascus speaks to Salzmann’s fascination with the overlapping structures, histories, and cultures he observed in Jerusalem. Erected in 1537 by the Ottoman sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, the fortress was constructed atop an earlier Roman (second century a.d.) portal to the city. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Salzmann offers no clues to help the viewer judge the scale of the structure. Its crenellated form punctuates the clear sky above, while the arched doorways lead to the desert beyond.