Digging the Ruins: 19th-Century Photographs (1867-1880) of Old World Buried Architecture by Bonfils

Jarid Boosters
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19,692 views Mar 29, 2025
Howdy. Today we will look at a collection of photographs produced between the years 1867 and 1880 by the French photographer Felix Bonfils. Felix, who has a known history in secret societies, was sent by France to the Middle East to settle a conflict in 1860. Enamored with the architecture he witnessed, we are told Felix returned home and taught himself the practice of photography.

He then went on to take some of the most detailed photographs we have from the 19th century of locations such as Jerusalem, Athens, Cairo, Baalbek, and many others which we will focus on in today’s video. Be on the look out for numerous buried structures, and while much of the Old World looks destitute, it’s still glorious and revealing of the dichotomy between different locations during this time. We also have a remarkable amount of visible tunnel systems depicted in these images. Enjoy!