When the sun goes down…

Sunset at Zaitonay Bay

When I planned to write a post on such a delicate and poetic theme like the sunset, I was going to refer to literature and mythology. I started to recall the facts and analyze. Sunset is an ambiguous, mysterious time, a symbol of the struggle between the light and the darkness, in other words, between good and evil. Since ancient times in the legends of different races, it is not recommended to fall asleep at the sunset, as during the sleep people are defenseless and vulnerable. And the spirits of darkness go on the hunt for the souls and lives of humans exactly at this time.

Definitely in such circumstances anyone would philosophize, think about eternal and non-eternal, about the brightness and the gloom. But the wider the topic is, the harder to collect all the ideas together and begin the story. Especially the sunset, so colorful, controversial and fascinating phenomenon that I’m totally lost for words. But do we really need words?

There are an infinite number of extraordinary images of the sunset all over Internet; each is excellently clear, retouched and honed to perfection. I deeply admire and respect the professionalism of modern photographers! However, I wanted to share my amateur photos with you, taken spontaneously and unexpectedly on a mobile phone, without filters or quality improvements. The images of the sun’s disappearance that we witnessed together with my camera in and around Beirut. After all, the most spectacular sunsets are always by the seaside.

I absolutely disagree with the prejudices of our ancestors towards the sunset. For me, it is a phoenix that fiercely burns in the red flame every evening to be revived and reborn again in the morning. Each sunset is a sign that we are alive, that the Earth still revolves around its axis, that a new day will bring us new thoughts, feelings and emotions.

Sunset in Byblos

Behind the fence

Sunset under doggy head in Beirut, no filter

Zoomed sunset, Beirut Waterfront

Sunset path, Rabieh

Sunset in Beirut

Formidable sunset, Rabieh

Doggy shaped cloud. No filter, no photoshop

Running doggy cloud. No filter, no photoshop