Golden Hour

A vast field of cranes stands in the perpetual glow of construction lights as the massive expansion of the Great Mosque takes shape and much of Mecca’s history is erased. This view is from the top of the crane used to build the minaret where Al-Shamia Mountain once overlooked the Kaaba. As mountains are flattened, concrete walls erected, and a global city of travellers grows, I wonder how this transformed landscape will affect the collective memory and identity of Mecca’s inhabitants.