Behind the first photos known to the world are interesting stories - according to CNN.
Mecca, Saudi Arabia today (1881)
Muhammad Sadiq Bey, a surveyor and engineer in the Egyptian army, is believed to have taken the first photos of Mecca and Medina, along with religious sites around the two cities.
For many Europeans, his photos provide the first detailed look at the world's largest Grand Mosque and surround the Kaba - one of the most sacred places in the Muslim world.
This photo was put on display because it shows the architecture of the Islamic church and the architecture of Mecca at that time. In addition, this photo also recognizes the work of a pioneer - who derited a greater role in the history of global photography - CNN quoted Ms. Christine Barthe, a tour guide at the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, as saying.
"We don't know much about the history of photography outside of Europe and the US, so we don't know about these first important photographers. Sadiq Bey is a typical example. You won't find his name in traditional history," Barthe explained.
crocodiles die on a boat in the Nile River, Egypt (1852)
As an exploration photographer, Ernest Benecke took many photos during his trips across the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Middle East.
But instead of simply capturing the architecture and landscape he encountered, the German-American photographer turned his lens into daily life and local culture to create what Barthe called "poetic and surreal" photos.
Barthe chose a 1852 photo of a crocodile that died on a ship in the Nile River, taken right before the more famous photo, the crocodile autopsy.
"The atmosphere seems more vague or mysterious. Benecke's photo is different from the usual photos (of Egypt at that time) - a photo of women holding water pots or palm trees.
A street in Tong Can - Canton, today's Guangzhou, China (1870-1890)
Lai Afong was one of the most important figures in the history of early Chinese photography. In addition to opening one of the first portrait photography studios in Hong Kong in 1859, he also created large-scale paintings of the city's landscape and scenery.
Lai's street photos are especially noteworthy, because the long exposure time of the first cameras makes it difficult to take photos of the crowded streets without blocking the image.
"This photo is special because it is a vertical photo and the idea of taking street photos with all these movements gives us a feel for a very modern photo - Barthe said - it could be a photo taken in the 20th century."
Portrait of Mr. Pratab Singh and his accompanying delegation, India (1882)
Unlike many 19th-century portraits in India, the photo was taken by local photographer Lala Deen Dayal. Lala Deen Dayal has opened several commercial studios and is the official photographer for British officials and the Indian royal family.
Guide Barthe explained that including Dayal's works in the exhibition was to erase the idea that the early history of Asian photography was influenced by the colonial elite.
This photo shows that the way local and European photographers take photos may be quite similar. In this case, the portrait shows power and wealth - a way to show the strength of the people (India)" - Ms. Barthe said.
"It's interesting to compare (with studio photos of rich Westerners), because sometimes, when the goals are the same, the photos taken are the same," the tour guide added.
Portrait of Prince Abdelkader, Paris (1865)
This portrait, painted in Paris in 1865, was put on display not because of the photographer - French an economicist Jacques Philippe Potteau - but because of the subject of the painting - Prince Abdelkader.
An important figure in the Algeria resistance war against French rule, Abdelkader was also a theologist and philosopher interested in photography. He was also an Islamic idealist who wrote one of the earliest texts on photography.
He has a very positive attitude towards photography and he wrote about the emergence of photography. It's interesting to compare this with the fact that he was often photographed ( himself)" - Barthe said.
