The real life of the Middle East in rare photographs of the 19th century

The Middle East was once associated with fairy tales, but in recent decades, these associations have completely replaced the ongoing military conflicts. This vast territory has repeatedly acted as a field for the battles of different nations: back in the 16th century it was the Ottomans who could not share the territory with the Iranian Safavids, then the British tried to control the Persian Gulf, and the French tried to control Lebanon and Syria. The Italians also tried to win back a piece of the Middle East, and when oil was discovered here in the 20th century, interest in these territories tripled. At the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, the rulers of the Middle East tried to keep up with the times and modernize their states so that they could compete with leading European countries. But despite the regular conflicts and constant attempts of Europeans to infiltrate this territory, the East remained a special world with its strict foundations, norms and rules. The streets paved with stone, mosques that call for prayer, colorful carpets and women with their heads covered - all this can be seen both today and in the past. We found rare photographs of the Middle East taken more than a hundred years ago: in the 19th century.