23.05.2025

The Danish Institute in Damascus co-funds the publication of Henrik Brahe’s latest photobook “The Middle East: An Odyssey”

The Danish Institute in Damascus is pleased to announce the publication of The Middle East: An Odyssey, a new photobook by photographer and field archaeologist Henrik Brahe (b. 1965). Co-funded by DID, and printed as an oversized hardcover tome, this volume brings together more than twenty years of Brahe’s explorations in Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, and Turkey.

An Unflinching Visual Record

Brahe’s dual training as both archaeologist and photographer has given him access to sites and communities off the beaten path. His photographs range from stark aerial views of desert fortresses to tightly framed portraits of local inhabitants. Rather than embellish, the images offer a precise record of transformation: the slow weathering of Ptolemaic columns, the scars of recent conflict on medieval mosques, and the determined everyday gestures of people living their best lives.

The Middle East: An Odyssey traces an arc from ancient monuments through the upheavals of the Arab Spring, the rise and fall of the Islamic State, and into the present moment of cultural recovery. Interweaving landscapes, architectural detail, and human portraiture, the book reveals how layers of history and contemporary reality overlap—often in surprising ways.

In the first review of the book, critic Lars Movin hails it as “an artistic triumph,” noting that “Brahe punctures the overlying mythology of the Middle East using contemporary realities.” Movin emphasizes how Brahe balances “grand narratives” with “the peoples of the desert,” creating a body of work that is as thought-provoking as it is visually compelling. “Like great poetry, Brahe’s photos are at the same time imbued with the mysterious and exotic, while the mythological aspect is deconstructed by hardened human faces and the banality of everyday life”.

Launch Reception

A public book launch took place on May 16, 2025, at Gallery Tom Christoffersen in Copenhagen, where Brahe was joined by early mentors—including Finn Thrane, former director of the Museum for Photographic Art, who also contributed the volume’s introductory essay. Their reunion underscored the long personal and professional trajectory that led to this landmark publication.

Priced at 375 DKK, the book is currently available at Gallery Tom Christoffersen (Skindergade 5, Copenhagen), through select independent booksellers and the author’s website (henrikbrahe.com), and via the Danish Institute in Damascus.

Press Release

Download press release in English, Danish and Arabic here.