From a 777

Several hours before landing, looking out the window, there are clouds and there are burning oil fields. You cant see the clouds because it is night, but you can see the flames from the oil refineries glowing through them. Flying over Kuwait at night there were no stars in the sky, only red constellations to the horizon down below.

Prior to landing we were held in a holding pattern as dozens of supertankers circled below waiting to be filled with oil. The only other boats at sea were the trailing suction hopper dredgers drawing islands in the ocean, and the U.S. aircraft carriers from the 6th fleet, keeping Iraq on its toes.

© Nakheel

We dropped in over Deira, the old city. In the distance you could see the towers along Sheik Zayed Road and of course the Burj Dubai. As I shot this photo, someone in the cabin commented how the city looked like every other city in the middle east. I’m not sure what that means, but this photo of Deira stood out to me.

© Vincent Appel

It looks as if it could be a scale model, not an architect’s, but for a set designer in Hollywood. I was reminded of how many films from Hollwood find their plots in the middle east. I don’t remember their name, but there is a photographer who shoots whole series from these cities so that all the architecture is presented as if it were a scale model.