Israeli travel photographer has front-row seat in history

Snapping pictures of people practicing centuries-old faith traditions in her native Jerusalem makes award-winning Israeli photojournalist Gali Tibbon feel like a time traveler.

“Every stone you step on has so much history, and if you have imagination your brain can fly,” Tibbon tells ISRAEL21c after returning from London with the title of Sony World Photography Awards Travel Photographer of the Year.

Her winning series, “Journey to Jerusalem of Africa—Lalibela, Ethiopia,” resulted from conversations with Ethiopian pilgrims and priests walking those history-soaked stones in Israel’s capital city.

Tibbon learned that in the 12th century, Muslim rulers banned pilgrims from Jerusalem. So the Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, one of the oldest Christian sects, built their own local version of the holy city.

For full story go to Israel21c.org