Thesigers photos of Iraq.

18 Dec 200416 April 2006

A fascinating exhibition of photographs, taken by Sir Wilfred Thesiger during his travels in Iraq, is currently on show at the Pitt Rivers Museum, the Oxford Universitys Museum of Anthropology and World Archaeology, and winner of the 2005 Guardian Family Friendly Museum Award. Spanning the period 1949-1958, the photographs document the breathtaking landscapes in the Kurdish north as well as the day-to-day life of the Marsh Arabs in southern Iraq. Over 50 images have been chosen from among the 4,500 photos taken in Iraq by the distinguished explorer and travel writer, who died in 2003 at the age of 93, having spent his life journeying throughout the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The Pitt River Museum holds the complete collection of Thesigers over 35,000 photographs, which constitute an exceptional historical record of the regions through which he travelled. The Iraq exhibition gives the visitor a uniquely different perspective on a land whose name has become so tragically familiar in recent times. Admission is free. Mon-Sun 12.0016.30

Photo The Pitt Rivers Museum University of Oxford