Monthly Photos　July 2018

Photos taken by ILCAA staff and associates are posted here once a month; most of them are taken during their field research in Asia and Africa.

(The copyright belongs to the photographers.)

Abu al-Munajja Bridge (Egypt)

There is an old photo in which a bridge is standing in the middle of agricultural land (*). Probably, it was taken in the early 20th century. Oddly enough, one cannot find a river nor irrigation canal under the bridge. Why on earth such a bridge was built in the place?

The answer is because the water flow of the canal was changed due to irrigation development during the 19th century. Namely, the bridge in the old photo had already finished its role.

One can find the relief of lions on the sidewall. The lion is the crest of the sultan Baybars (r. 1260–77), which means the bridge was built in the 13th century. I had been looking for the historical bridge for about 2 years, and finally I could find it. Although it is preserved as a historical remains, it is all but unknown to people.

*Note: If you are interested in the old photo, search “Abu al-Munajja Bridge“ by image.

10 MAR 2017
Qalyubiya, Egypt
Photograph by Wakako KUMAKURA

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