Archives
Then and Now: The Attack on Aqaba
Compare the beach at Algarrobico on the southern coast of Spain then and now in the video clip above. The city of Aqaba was reconstructed here in 1962 for the filming of this classic scene from Lawrence of Arabia. Though nothing remains of the set today, just the hulk of an abandoned hotel project. I previously wrote about the history of this spot on this blog here.
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Fifty Years Ago: Aqaba in Almeria
Fifty years ago, in April of 1962, the Algarrobico beach on the southeastern coast of spain was bustling with activity as two hundred local workers constructed a replica of the Red Sea port of Aqaba circa 1916 for the filming of Lawrence of Arabia. They took three months to construct 300 false-front buildings and a quarter mile sea wall. The crew planted palm trees, trucked in from Alicante, placed four full-size canons on the hills above, and brought 450 horses and 150 camels from Morocco. Hundreds of local fishermen and gypsies served as extras. In the film, British officer T.E. […]
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The Neighborhood Network
Along with a dozen Mid City Artists, I’ll be participating in the Social Network in the Neighborhood exhibit at the new DC Loft Gallery. I have three prints in the show from the Icon in Miami and Algarrobico in Almeria, Spain. Both are newly-constructed luxury real estate developments that have been left uninhabited (or uninhabitable) amid the real estate crisis. Unfortunately, I’ll miss the opening reception, but there are plans for an artist talk evening in December. The new space is near 14th and U streets, above Domino’s Pizza at 1926B 14th Street.
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Algarrobico 1
Over a year ago I blogged about the background to the controversial hotel at Algarrobico on the coast of Almeria in southern Spain. It has been over four years since a court ruling delared the construction to be in violation of laws protecting the Cabo de Gata natural park and coastline and work on the hotel was stopped. However, the unfinished construction still stands, surrounded by four enormous cranes (one out of view). I was back there in August and climbed the peak across from the hotel to get this image.
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Lawrence of Arabia and an Illegal Hotel 2
Almost half a century ago ago this barren section of the Almeria coastline in southern Spain was bustling with the activity of a small metropolis. Workers were constructing a replica of the city of Aqaba for the filming of the famous battle scene in Lawrence of Arabia. After the shoot, the entire set was dismantled, leaving the rocky coastline exactly as it had been before. The site now lies within the borders of the protected natural park of Cabo de Gata. A few years ago, a developer began construction on a mega-resort complex alongside the Algarrobico beach, a few hundred […]
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