(update: gallery of photos for the news & observer now up)
cliche as it sounds... raleigh is a melting pot. and i don't just mean northerners and southerners. we have a large latino population and many immigrants from india and east asia.
there are also many followers of the muslim faith.
as witnessed today at dorton arena where five or six thousand gathered to celebrate Eid ul-Adha or "festival of the sacrifice."
it's a holiday that marks the end of the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to mecca, and commemorates abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son ishmael as an act of obedience to god.
dorton arena is no mecca for sure. but it is unique and its mesmerizing parabolic design does add a sense of a destination to travel to and seek out. and in the end it really is about the journey.
5 comments:
That last photo is really special.
I like this one, the patterns of the lights and windows flows with everyone praying on the floor of the arena.
I love your photos. You really managed to capture the feeling of unity at these events and they are all very powerful.
thank you for the kind words everyone. the opportunity to photograph events like this certainly balances out all the negativity we find ourselves swirling in in today's newspaper climate. -shawn
Wonderful work, I was supposed to be there, but work restrictions didn't allow me to. Thank you for the pictures! Absolutely love the first one.
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