Photographer launches visual tribute to life in Jerusalem

AMMAN — Photographer Bashar Tabbah on Friday launched his latest photo book, "Between Moments", at the Design Centre in Umm Utheina, offering a powerful visual narrative of daily life in the Old City of Jerusalem.

 

Through more than 200 full-colour images captured between 2017 and 2023, Tabbah seeks to portray the resilience of Palestinian life under occupation, providing a counter-narrative to the dominant media focus on violence in Gaza and the West Bank.

 

"Between Moments is a photographic exploration of modern life within and around the Old City of Jerusalem, with a special focus on the Haram Al Sharif complex," Tabbah said in an interview with The Jordan Times.

 

The bilingual publication, in Arabic and English, is part of a wider project aimed at raising funds for medical aid in Palestine.

 

"Unlike some of my earlier work that combined visuals with historical narratives, this book is purely a visual journey — a reframing and humanising of a people and place living under occupation," Tabbah noted.

 

He described the emotional toll of creating the book amid ongoing violence in the region. "Beyond the usual challenges of funding and development, the hardest part was resisting the urge to give up in the face of continuous brutality. Oddly enough, that despair became my motivation to complete the project and contribute to something meaningful."

 

Divided into two sections, the book first presents intimate images of everyday life in Jerusalem's alleys, markets, and homes. The second section shifts focus to the religious and cultural significance of Haram Al Sharif.

 

By capturing what he calls the "quieter moments" of Palestinian life, Tabbah hopes to offer a fresh perspective — one that emphasises dignity, endurance, and humanity over conflict.