Azad Hye, United Arab Emirates
Dec 19 2008
Zohrab the royal photographer
Azad-Hye Special
From a young man, who used to be a guitar player in a local band, to
Jordan’s King Hussein’s royal photographer, a company and a magazine
owner ¦ meet Zohrab Markerian, a proud Armenian and a proud
Jordanian.
Born in Amman, Jordan, the son of poor Armenian refugees, Zohrab grew
up with his brother and sister in a very humble neighborhood. He lost
his father when he was 12 and had to leave school and find a job to
improve his living conditions. Thanks to his hard work, he was able to
earn a decent living and he succeeded to go up all the way to the
royal palace!
Azad-Hye had the following interview with him:
Can you tell us about the main phases of your life, and how you
reached the royal palace?
I used to play the guitar in a band called `The Believers’. The cream
of the society always came to listen to our band perform songs by the
Beetles. Later, I decided to learn photography like my brother and
together we opened a photographic studio, which, thanks to the support
of our fans, was a success.
One thing led to another, and in 1973 during an exhibition by a
British photographer -held under Queen Alia’s auspices – I suggested
that she allow me to have my own exhibition under her patronage to
show her the country depicted through the eyes of an Armenian-Jordanian.
The answer was yes; It took me months to prepare for it but when I was
ready, she was thrilled and more than supportive. The same year she
announced a competition among Jordanian photographers to present
photos of Jordan. I won, and the prize was to become the King’s Royal
photographer! What great honor!
King Hussein sent me to New York to specialize in photography. I
completed the two-year course successfully and returned with several
prizes and an honor certificate. I accompanied the King in each of his
private and official trips; I traveled around the world taking his
photos. I have even been to the White House five times, whenever the
king went to congratulate a new US president.
What about your relations with the current King Abdullah?
After King Hussein passed away, I kept in touch with king Abdullah,
whom I started to photograph when he was only eight. Like his father,
he is a great man who strives to achieve the best for his country.
I have made seven different photo albums about the King and Jordan
with its tourist attractions which are now presented by the King to
his guests, as souvenirs.
We have seen copies of `I Celebrating Jordan’ magazine. How did it
come to life and what kind of articles does it include?
Along the way I have always dreamed of running my own magazine,
something which became a reality in year 2005.
We naturally write about Jordan, tourism, art and culture. We give a
positive image of the country, and the magazine is distributed in all
five-star-hotels. Besides the mainstream Jordanian topics, we always
include articles and photos about Armenians and Armenia, about
Karabakh and April 24th. I had the opportunity to go to Artsakh
(Karabakh) in 1994 and took photos of the war. At that time, the
Church of Shushi was bombarded and there were tragic scenes
everywhere.
Living all those years in close connection with the royal palace, is
there a particular incident you recall?
I recall an incident when King Hussein and I met with a photographer
from France who turned out to be Armenian as well, but couldn’t speak
Armenian, the King’s comment was: `What good can a man be to his
nation if he doesn’t speak the language!’ Yes, He was a man who taught
me a lot, and whatever I do, I will not be able to compensate for all
that he and his family have done to the Jordanian Armenians in general
and me in particular.
What is your message to Armenians?
Live in harmony with the nation that has welcomed you. Do not hold any
negative attitude towards it, because if you are not good for the
country you live in, then you are good for nothing.
END OF INTRVIEW (Text prepared by Nanor Mikayelian)
Photography in Jordan was not much known in the past, but with the
help of sophisticated people like the Late king Hussein and his son
King Abdullah and some hard work by names like Zohrab and other
Jordanian colleagues, the concept of photography has changed and it
became one of the most appreciated arts in modern times.
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ADDITIONAL READING
Books and Publications by Zohrab:
King and Country 1985
Jordan – Land for All Seasons 1988
Jewels of the Crown 1989
Kingdom of Peace 1995
King Hussein 1999
Dawn of a New Century 2000
Jordan in the Eyes of Saraya 2005
Amman 2007
`I Celebrating Jordan’ Magazine
`I Celebrating Jordan’ magazine announced the launch of its first
issue on 31st of July 2005, at a colorful event held at the Kempenski
Hotel in Amman. The magazine is a unique concept, with content, and
photography that describes and examines the many different facets of
Jordan in a creative and insightful manner. One of the important
features, in this young and state-of-the-art magazine, is the
showcasing of the rich talent of the internally renowned, award
winning photographer Zohrab, portraying through his images, a voyage
of discovery of Jordan – a land filled with history and untapped
potential.
Official website of Zohrab:
Email: info@zohrab.net
To purchase any of the photos featured in the website, please contact
melissa@zohrab.net
Jordan through the eyes of Zohrab:
Zohrab images available for sale:
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