Azure Lure
Category: Places
Photo and caption by Nadir Aziz
This image was taken at a roadside in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf, which houses the shrine of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib. A man was selling an amazing array of talismans and calligraphic plates intended to ward off the evil eye. The arresting rich blue colour of the ceramic-ware and the staggering variety on display immediately caught my attention. As the late noon sun cast its glow on the mud-brick wall behind him, creating myriad hues, the seller only seemed interested in speaking into his mobile earpiece. The entire scene was absolutely surreal, almost beseeching me to capture it for eternity.
Location: Najaf, Iraq
