Ottoman Modernity and the Biblical Gaze
This chapter talks about the representation of Palestine in the photography of Khalil Raad. The early photographers of the Levant were almost exclusively Armenians, and Raad was one of the few Arab photographers who became prominent in this period. His photos indicate to what extent local artists had internalized the orientalist discourse of European photographers in their “documentation” of the Holy Land. Moreover, Raad's portraits of Ahmad Cemal Pasha and Mersinli Cemal Pasha, the two main commanders of the Ottoman forces in Syria, appearing in relaxed family and social settings, were circulated widely during the war. Raad's portraits of the two men helped him gain access to the inner circle of the Ottoman administration.