Gezicht op de ruïnes van het Alcazaba van Málaga 1862 - 1876

This photograph captures the Alcazaba of Málaga, evoking the enduring image of fortified walls climbing a hill. In their original context, such fortifications represented power, protection, and the assertion of control over a territory. Yet, as time passes, the image of the defensive wall transforms, resurfacing across cultures from the Great Wall of China to Hadrian's Wall, each embodying a unique story of civilization's interplay with the threats it perceives. Consider the psychological implications of erecting barriers, both physical and metaphorical. The impulse to delineate ‘us’ from ‘them’ arises not only from strategic necessity but also from deeply ingrained anxieties about the unknown. These walls are more than just stone and mortar; they are physical manifestations of our fears and our desire for security. Note how the very act of constructing these barriers shapes cultural identities, influencing societal development and personal psyches in a continuous cycle of creation and interpretation.