politik
8Minuten
January 12, 2025

Umayyad, Qasioun and Iconic Photographs

By Ahmet Özay

The ongoing debate about the 'Umayyad Mosque' in the context of military and political targets continues unabated through symbols, despite the past ten years.

Apart from the quality of the concept 'Umayyad Mosque' in shaping public opinion, the masses become familiar with Syrian history and geography through the symbols they support – 'Damascus', 'Mount Qasioun', 'Aleppo Citadel'.

Iconic Moments

Moments that are historical or could become historical are described as 'iconic moments'. Photographs taken for this purpose are called iconic photographs.

These moments are immortalized through actions and records that will mortgage the future. Establishing hegemony over time and space through images and films is not an action exclusive to governments.

Hitler's Bathtub

Such messages are not only given by us. Perhaps the most meaningful photograph was recorded in Berlin after World War II. After the Russian armies entered Berlin in the last days of the war, American armies also occupied West Berlin.

In memory of this victory, American military photographer Lee Miller bathed in a bathtub belonging to German dictator Adolf Hitler in 1945 and photographed herself. This photograph is used to describe the absolute defeat of the Nazi regime.

Let's Come to Damascus

However, when the challenger is Turkish, things change. They say 'What business do we have in Syria'. They say 'Israel won'. One even encounters people writing heroic stories for Israel while looking at the historic photographs of Ibrahim Kalin and Hakan Fidan at the 'Umayyad Mosque' and 'Mount Qasioun' in Damascus.

Turkey has made history in Aleppo and Damascus. 'If Aleppo is there, the measure is here' was said and all calculations were disrupted.

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