This project titled “Al Naft ”, is the result of a road trip through the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. An allegory to the North American “Road Side Culture”, which inspired many authors like Kerouac, Ruscha, Frank, Adams and Friedlander. Al Naft photographed in 2003 is an archeological portrait through the visual representation of the Saudi cultural landscape and roadside architecture. Gas stations are an integral elements of motorways and mandatory stopping points, these modern oasis are part of the region’s architectural prosperity and diversity of its builders. Ancestral surrogates of the ancient “caravanserai”, where travellers and camels leave out for shelter and rest before the start of a new journey, still fulfill their old function, shortening distances and easing the arduous desert crossing, while playing a part in the ongoing dynamics of the oil market. Saudi Arabia holds one of the world´s largest oil reserve and its importance is globally recognized and already left their mark in the History of the 20th Century.
