Gezicht op de minaret op de noordwestelijke hoek van het platform en een gezicht op barakken op de Tempelberg in Jeruzalem before 1865

This photograph captures the minaret on the northwestern corner of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, alongside a view of the barracks, and was taken by James McDonald in the 19th century. During this period, photography played a crucial role in shaping Western perceptions of the East, often reinforcing colonial narratives. McDonald, as a Western photographer, was inevitably part of this dynamic. What does it mean to look at a sacred and contested space through the lens of an outsider? The image invites us to consider the interplay of power, representation, and identity in the context of colonial encounters. How does this photograph reflect or challenge the complex histories and cultural narratives associated with Jerusalem and its sacred sites? It offers an opportunity to reflect on the gaze through which we understand places, cultures, and histories not immediately our own.