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Joyce LaFontain
THEO 393 Israeli Culture
18 November 2010
Our Journey Through the Middle East
Breaking from our normal routine, the Israeli Culture Class gathered on the second floor
of Pius Library for a very special enrichment opportunity. The library’s walls are currently host
to a series of photographs, titled, “Steps Through Time: Journeys Through the Middle East,”
captured by SLU alum and retired college administrator Dr. Thomas Oates throughout twelve
years’ worth of regular trips to the Middle East. Through this set of images, the photographer
invites the viewer to join him on a journey through time, across borders, within various heritages,
among various groups of people, and to the crossroads of the three Abrahamic Faiths.
Our particular journey with Dr. Oates began with the first of five sections lining the
walls: borders. Upon glancing at the grouping of photographs, I was struck by one specific
image of a cluster of camels traversing the open plane of a desert. This was in stark contrast with
the largest image in the set, which depicted an elaborate, heavily fortified gate fixture. It was
explained that the latter picture had been taken at the border between Israel and Jordan, whereas
the former location was the boundary line between Jordan and Syria. This contrast in levels of
border security reflected the influence that Israel has placed on defense in response to the many
conflicts that have occurred between itself and its Arab neighbors. These conflicts, such as the
War for Independence in 1948 and the Intifadas of the past few decades, among others, are one
example of a theme covered in class that was elucidated through viewing Oates’s photographs.
Peppered throughout our tour of Dr. Oates’s photographs were anecdotes of his travels.
One in particular, concerning the photograph of the camels along the Syria-Jordan border
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sparked my interest. Mr. Oates remarked that just behind where he stood while capturing the
image was once a site where Lawrence of Arabia, the world-renowned British officer famous for
his role in the Arab Revolt during the First World War, had pitched his tent. This liaison with
the region’s wealth of historical significance continued into the next sections of the exhibit, titled
“Heritage” and “Sacred Sites.”
As explained through Dr. Oates’s comments, the photographs in the sections highlighting
the heritage and sacred sites of the region contained hints of the region’s several millennia of
history. In the first grouping was an aerial portrait of an ancient city destroyed by an earthquake
that had featured a sophisticated sewage and plumbing system. Also present was an image of
Petra, a city built in the fifth century in what is now Jordan that features elaborate architectural
structures carved into solid rock mountains. In the second was a picture of the Western Wall in
Jerusalem, in which the rough-hewn building stones of the Solomon-era First Temple are stacked
atop the carved stones utilized in the Second Temple, dating from the time of Christ. Also
within the sacred sites section was a large portrait of the interior of the Hagia Sophia, a religious
building constructed in the fourth century CE that served as both a mosque and a Christian
church at various points in history. Oates prompted the group to reflect on the fact that Easter
masses had occurred in the very spot depicted by the photograph over one millennium ago. The
historical richness of the Middle East resounded throughout the photographs, and was the single
most striking facet of the collection for me, personally.
The historical aspect of the image series recalled the discussions that we had had in class
regarding the historical aspects of the foundation of Israel. These discussions were centered on
the fact that both groups that inhabit the area that is now the State of Israel claim a right to the
land through reference to histories of being connected to the land since ancient times. The
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conclusion I drew from our class discussion, and even more strongly from Dr. Oates’s collection
of photographs was that although the region boasts a truly unfathomably large amount of
historical significance, the histories of the various groups inhabiting the land cannot be
separated, but rather are intertwined in a profound and meaningful manner. This concept of
shared experience and shared history in the Middle East has been, throughout my school career,
a source of immense intellectual curiosity. This interest is fueled by meaningful opportunities
such as the Israeli Culture class taught by Professor Lieberman and the tour of “Steps Through
Time: Journeys in the Middle East” by Dr. Thomas Oates.