Tempel op het eiland Philae c. 1870 - 1890

This photograph of the Temple on the island of Philae was taken by C. & G. Zangaki. The image presents the temple in a state of ruin. It raises questions about colonialism and the Western gaze. In the 19th century, Egypt was of great interest to European powers, both as a strategic location and as a source of ancient artifacts. Images like this fed into the West's fascination with the "Orient." It's important to remember that the act of photographing itself was not neutral. Photographers like the Zangaki brothers often catered to European tastes, creating romanticized or exoticized images of Egypt. They played a role in shaping Western perceptions and, arguably, reinforcing colonial power dynamics. To understand the photograph fully, we might research the biographies of the photographers, the history of tourism in Egypt, and the political context of the late 19th century. By doing so, we reveal how photographs, like all forms of art, are embedded in social, cultural, and institutional histories.