
FirstLook: Aswan, Egypt, May 14, 1964
- Arts
- History
- Photography
Photo by Tor Eigeland
"Two years before my first assignment for Aramco World, I was standing in the middle of the Nile with two presidents looking on, and I nearly died making this shot. Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt and Nikita Khrushchev of the Soviet Union were inaugurating the first stage of the Soviet-financed Aswan High Dam.
"After the signing ceremony, the heads of state boarded an old ship. From the top deck,they and their retinues watched as bulldozers pushed the last piles of rocks into the river. When it was nearly done, workmen gathered to shake hands across the gap, and I had to get close for a good shot.
"A large floating hose that carried sand pumped from the desert to the base of the new dam reached out into the river. I had seen workmen walk on it. I could feel it throbbing as I made my way out to where it was anchored. The boat with the presidents floated behind me. Feeling triumphant, I made this image, and a moment later, the hose jerked loose. I dropped flat with nothing to hold onto and fought to stay on as it began swinging like a garden hose. How long this lasted I don’t remember. When the power was switched off, the hose came to rest, and I made haste for shore. To this day I wonder if it was President Nasser who shouted the order to turn off the pump.
"Half a century of unimaginably rich experiences in the Arab and Islamic-related worlds followed. There was so much to learn, and along the way, I have always tried to pass on my impressions, usually in photos and sometimes in words, to bring alive, positively, some of the people and places I came to love."
—Tor Eigeland
You may also be interested in...
FirstLook: Soaring off Ambon Island
Arts
This photo was taken off Ambon Island, East Indonesia in 2010. It is one of my favorites, illustrating the free-spirited nature of the children in the rural archipelago. While some children in the big cities may stay inside and play computer games, the children in Ambon with easy access to the water see the ocean surrounding their village as their playground.FirstLook: The Beauty of the Streets
Arts
This photo series began unexpectedly when I found that photographing people behind windows and maintaining a distance made me, and the people I photographed, feel more comfortable. I purposefully frame myself in the reflection of the window to see into the space I’m photographing. I feel every window tells a different story.FirstLook: Rain in Fayoum
Arts
I took this photo during a rainy day in November 2018 from the window of my family home in Fayoum, Egypt, located about 100 kilometers southwest of the capital. It hardly rains but a few times in the year in most parts of Egypt, and when it does, it is always something special, bringing Joy and happiness particularly for the local children.