An Arabian Portfolio - Azzi, Robert (photography)

I cannot escape what I am.
As an American of Arab origin I have lived
in the Middle East since 1968,
discovering and embracing a people,
a religion and a culture
that belonged to my forebears—
and which now belongs to me.
This book
documents some of those discoveries.
It is a collection of photographs, perhaps
uncommon, always personal—a portfolio—
that expresses what feel about
the Arabian Peninsula.
It is not a comprehensive view.
I have chosen
to limit the photographs to those I feel most
closely represent my reactions
—visceral, visual perceptions—
to a people, a landscape, a land in flux.
Arabia.
The way it was.
The way it is.
The way I am.