Gezicht op een weg naar de kust van Oran, Algerije before 1893

This photographic print of a road to the coast of Oran in Algeria was created by Jules Gervais-Courtellemont. Dominating the composition are two formidable fortifications, ancient guardians of the coast. These structures echo motifs of defense and enclosure found throughout history, from ancient city walls to medieval castles. The gate, cut directly into the rock, is an archetypal image seen across time in a multitude of cultures. These gates evoke a sense of both protection and restriction. As we delve deeper, psychoanalytically, the gate can be seen as a representation of the threshold between the conscious and the unconscious, a space where transformation and revelation can occur. This idea resonates with the collective human experience, reflecting our constant negotiation between safety and the unknown, the familiar and the foreign. Such motifs are not linear but cyclical, resurfacing throughout time. The gates and fortifications speak to our deepest psychological needs for protection, control, and the negotiation of inner and outer realities, forever imprinted in the human psyche.