This is a love story between an African Princess and an Arabian Forte. As she walked through the forte gates, hummingbirds sang to herald her arrival. She closed her eyes and pictured herself in one of her favorite Arabian folklore; The Lost City of Atlantis of the Sands.

The Lost City of  Atlantis of the  Sands is a legend very similar to that of the lost city of Atlantis, only instead of water this lost ancient city vanished after a Sandstorm was sent to punish the people. This sandstorm lasted seven days and eight nights after which the city vanished beneath the sands as though it never existed. 

Seeing this Forte made me feel like I was in the city, especially as it was located in the Desert of Mugatrah, UAE. The Forte inspired such a sense of wonder and imagination. It was hard to not be caught up in the wonder. 

Did that sound pretentious? Maybe just a tad. Honestly though, the minute I walked into the Bab al Shams Desert Resort all I could think of was styling a modern African resort look to juxtapose this traditional Arabian Forte. 

To do that I mixed three African Wax Prints with brown undertones to bounce off of the warm golden tones of the Forte. 

I also wanted to achieve a vintage feel to these images, so I made them extremely grainy. 

What are some of your favorite folktales of any origin and have you ever been someplace that made you feel like you were transported right into that time?