The Style Files
My thoughts on design, writing and entrepreneurship.
Photo credit (background): www.pexels.com
Photo credit (background): www.pexels.com
Timimoun
Lately, Algeria has been on my mind. I've had the pleasure of meeting lovely Arabic speakers who introduce me to their countries and cultures if only briefly. Sometimes all it takes is a sliver of information to open you up to something unexpected. As it turns out, Timimoun was that spark for me and a very real place I'd love to visit eventually. I should also add that the Arab world is a vastly underappreciated area in terms of architecture, in my humble opinion. Their mosques, ornate tiles and tucked-away courtyards are the stuff of design dreams. While all of that solidly entrenches Algeria in the Arab world, African desert architecture takes on a quality all its own. Buildings like the Great Mosque of Djenne in Timbuktu are not unlike Timimoun's between their earthen structures and spikey exteriors. Can we talk about color for a second? Even if buildings aren't your jam, the monochromatic style of this city is breathtaking in and of itself. It's a baked desert red not unlike the Grand Canyon that imbues every inch of the city like Harold and the Purple Crayon. Only in this case, it's more like Terki and the Ocre Crayon thanks to one lone architect on a mission to save the country's iconic architectural material and tradition. Did I mention she's female in an industry dominated by men? Way to inspire all of us, Yasmine! Back to the topic at hand. As I was saying, what's also notable about Timimoun is its natural state of decay. Some of the buildings have begun to crumble and instead of seeming incomplete, the collective mass looks like it's rising from the ground. The appearance of an ancient ruin adds to the lure of a city sprouting up out of nowhere: it's a wayward oasis of timeless resilience. Elsewhere in Algeria, engineers go about their day drilling for oil and living in heat. I'm told excess oil is burned as small fires that dot the landscape like little pockets of flames that eventually die down. Whether I see Algeria up close and personal remains to be seen; There's still no denying the magnetism of this desert city steeped in warmth and wear.
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AuthorHi, my name is Martha Oschwald and I'm a content writer focused on design. This page is meant to give you a taste of my writing style and latest musings. Archives
April 2022
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