The old phrase goes “a picture is worth a thousand words,” however, what happens when you combine that picture with words?  Artist Lalla Essaydi overlays “deliberately indecipherable” caligraphy onto her photos.  These words are inspired by the subjects, telling their story in a secretive way.  Each photo is like a rich chocolate truffle to the eye, complex and delightful.  Each more detailed and grand than the last.  Lalla has created several photo series intended to invite the viewer into the more secret parts of the Middle Eastern culture.

With the news saturated with stories of death and destruction, these photos allow outsiders to see the civilized and beautiful aspects of the far off culture we can only see through the television.  It is easy to forget that these are real persons, all with stories of their own.

View more of Lalla Essaydi’s work on her website.

-this article was inspired by an article found on Huffington Post.  Check it out here.