The Medieval Fortress of Enisala

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Romania | Tuesday, November 8, 2011 | 4 photos

The medieval fortress of Enisala (Yeni-Sale as it was known in the Middle Ages to the Otoman Turks in the area or Heraclia as the archaeological site it stands on is called today) was built in the Romanian region of Dobruja by the Italian traders from Genova in the 1400s to control sea and land trade in the region.

I found about it a while ago and all those who talked about it spoke about it as being a great place that was slowly succumbing to human neglect.

As such, one day, I grabbed my camera and drove about 400 miles to reach it. I arrived there early morning and, contrary to the weather forecast, I was greeted with ominous clouds and chilling winds.
By the time I had set up a tripod, the rain already had started. But I was already there and I wouldn't let rain stop me. So I braved the rain and cold and continued snapping away, trying to capture some of the spirit of the once great fortress until I was soaking wet and my fingers couldn't operate the camera no more.

I didn't do it out of any higher purpose. I did it to satisfy my own selfish curiosity. I wanted to be there, to feel the spirit of the fortress and to capture it in images. I was happy to be there. Old wisdom says that such a fortress is built at the convergence of powerful forces. Yet for all my tries, I feel I haven't yet fully captured the power of the fortress at Enisala.
That is the reason I entered this contest:
I hope to have the opportunity to learn and hone my skills as a photographer as to better capture and share places like Enisala.