Asrie Karma interviewed by Khulood Fahim, Contributing Writer

Architecture senior Asrie Karma spent her junior year in Córdoba, Spain. During her stay, she visited Granada to see one of the region’s architectural wonders. It was there that she stopped to take a photo of the Comares Palace at the Alhambra, a fortress built during the Nasrid dynasty, Spain’s last Muslim dynasty. Asrie talked to Global Impressions about what other aspects of this UNESCO World Heritage site inspired her to capture it in a photograph and why she wanted to share it with Smith through the International Photo Competition.  Here are her reflections about the photo:

I had wanted to go to Spain since I was a kid, and it was the reason I started studying architecture very early on. I felt like that moment was a culmination of why I’m studying what I’m studying. In terms of the photograph itself, it was very hard to capture because there were so many people trying to take the same picture; I had to snap quickly, and at just the right moment, or someone else was going to disrupt the photo. I was drawn to the structure itself, but also to its reflection.  I like symmetry, so when this photo appeared with the reflection perfectly mirroring the building, I was struck by it.

Contemplating the photo afterwards, I realized how representative the image was of my trip. Spain is one of those places that has such a rich history, and especially as a Muslim, I felt that I was able to see Islam through the architecture. It was beautiful and reminded me of the reason why I want to create things myself. I thought, “I’m here for the right reason, as an architecture student, as someone who identifies with Islam, and as an individual.” It was the culmination of who I am.

As I look at the photo now, six months later,  it reminds me of the fact that southern Spain looks like that everywhere. From where I lived in Córdoba to what I saw in Granada… it’s just amazing to me that it all looks like that, and that it’s such an old country but at the same time it’s incredibly modern. There’s this character to Spain that you can’t really describe unless you’re actually in the country, and I think the moment I was there I thought, “Ah, Spain is the place to be!”

I  hope this photo sparks for others the desire to go to Spain, to see the Alhambra, and to appreciate its uniqueness.

Asrie Karma is a senior Architecture major and Spanish minor. Outside of academics, she works as a tutor and student mentor as well as a student photographer. Her hobbies include art, photography, and spending time with friends.

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