Gezicht op de sluizen in de haven van Alexandrië c. 1895 - 1905

This photograph by Maison Bonfils captures the sluices in the harbor of Alexandria. Note the ships, symbols of transit and connection, laden with a heavy symbolic weight that transcends mere commerce. We see them echoed through time, from the barques of ancient Egypt carrying souls to the afterlife, to the vessels of exploration charting new worlds. The water itself, contained by these locks, evokes a liminal space—a threshold. Water, as a primordial symbol, can both nurture and destroy, cleansing yet chaotic. Consider how, across cultures, water features in myths of creation and destruction, a recurring motif in our collective unconscious. These motifs are not static; they evolve, their meanings layered by historical experience. Here, the ships stand as a potent reminder of human ambition and the cyclical nature of civilization, forever navigating the currents of history.