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A digital enhancement of a photograph taken by Hermann Burchardt in Siwa

October 21, 2026Sergio Volpi1 min readTravellers & explorers · Temples & monuments

A digital enhancement of a photograph taken by Hermann Burchardt in Siwa (spring 1893), processed to bring out the original structure and details of the Shali fortress during that period.

These early visual records quickly became essential references for illustrations in subsequent publications, complementing the 19th-century pictorial heritage of the oasis, such as Jean-Victor-Louis Faure’s painting depicting von Minutoli’s 1820 expedition, now preserved at the Neues Museum in Berlin

Original photograph of Shali by Hermann Burchardt, spring 1893 — The original photo

Eastern Shali, enhanced and colorized — Eastern Shali: The same photograph, enhanced in resolution and colorized to give a clearer impression of what the fortified town looked like in 1893.

Western Shali, enhanced and colorized — Western Shali: The same photograph, enhanced in resolution and colorized to better appreciate what the fortified town looked like in 1893.

Generalleutnant Minutoli in der Oase Siwah, painting by Jean-Victor-Louis Faure — The painting is held in the collections of the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung in Berlin, part of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. It is catalogued as Generalleutnant Minutoli in der Oase Siwah, meaning “Lieutenant General Minutoli in the Oasis of Siwa.”
Painted by JEAN VICTOR LOUIS FAURE (FRENCH, 1786-1879)

Catalogue entry of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin for the Burchardt photograph — The museum that holds all the photographs taken by Hermann Burchardt during his travels, and the catalogue entry for the one in question.

#Siwa #HermannBurchardt #Shali

#Siwa #HermannBurchardt #Shali

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