I remember that since I was very young, this building always caught my attention when I used to pass by this part of the city. It was obvious that it was a mosque, which is not so common in my country, Venezuela, where the majority of the population is Catholic, speaking about religion, although also because of the arrival of many people from Arab countries, you can also see a great influence of their culture, architecture and religion, as can be seen with this construction.
But the thing is that this construction has always caught my attention because of all the times I pass by it when I go to work, however I had never taken the time to stop and take some photos of this place that has been abandoned for years. However, a man informed me that they were already doing certain restorations to rescue its spaces and of course the work itself, which from my point of view, despite the time, remains well preserved.
Today I had a little time to appreciate it in more detail and take photos from different angles, since I had previously taken some photos but I always did it from a car and never had the time to be in the place touring it, but on the other hand I imagine what it must be like inside, although you could not access the mosque just by being in its surroundings.
For me this type of tour is a way of getting to know and finding places that are not so common, as well as being part of the approach, as in my case, in looking for more perspectives for photography, together with what can be appreciated as architecture and everything that can entail history in certain places. This mosque is located in San Félix, Bolívar state - Venezuela, sister city of Puerto Ordaz that is characterized by being surrounded by large rivers such as the Orinoco and the Caroní.
On the other hand, I took advantage of this intense sun to take these photos, so that I could contrast it in the case of the photos that I captured in black and white, because I saw it as meritorious for this type of places where architectural constructions are highlighted, and as it could not be missing before this jewel that is a heritage of the city in every sense, which makes me think how we are connected by the world, with the influence of a work like this that has origins from far away lands, and that somehow arrived here, forming part of our culture.
I hope to have the opportunity to enter the interior of this mosque next time and be able to appreciate its content, because I have never entered one per se, I am simply curious to know what its design may be like and what its walls may tell, in addition to possibly appreciating the art of it, undoubtedly a wonder that has been abandoned but will soon be restored to beautify this entire environment of the city.
All photographs are my own.
