@tasneemalsultan

class="content__text" "I've stopped going to school for a few months now. I want to keep attending but the boys here harass me, asking me to sell myself since I'm a Syrian girl. They keep saying that pretty Syrian girls get a lot of money" I was walking with the 14 year old through a grave yard in the midst of Hashmi. "We never were harassed back home. We had the protection of the skies above us, and the men among us to always see us as their sisters...Syria is gone..." I took this photo eight years ago in Jordan. I saw so much devastation in the young eyes of these beautiful souls. I've never witnessed love for a nation or land as Syrians have. For a 10 year old to write a poem, and a 15 year old to draw a large collage, or a 7 year old photograph a photo essay, all on the missing of their beloved Syria is heart breaking. Was Syria this perfect? Or do we all only miss what we can't ever get back? As we exchanged hugs and tears, I realised that the strongest souls are the ones that keep smiling. She adds: "It's not being in denial, being positive is a must at a time we desperately need more of"

February 13, 2023

class="content__text" If you’re into snorkelling and diving, Umluj is your heaven in Saudi Arabia. A colourful array of reefs and underwater life in the Red Sea provides a beautiful gateway from city life. #drone #umluj #saudiarabia

February 06, 2023

class="content__text" It wasn’t the mutual friends introduction that set them up...it was months later, when Saleh emailed Nada asking for her advice on spots to hike in Switzerland, where she was interning. “I sent him this long list and pointed out the best, mentioning I was hoping to visit that spot too. He offered to book it for both of us...” Ladies, choose your hiking companions wisely! #kuwait #wedding #love #marriage

January 30, 2023

class="content__text" “We met when I was 16... He was 18 at the basketball court in Dhahran. We spent long nights on MSN and had a crush on each other, but acted as friends. I'd ask him for advise whenever I had problems and he would do the same but with girl problems. It took us 4 years to realize that we're in love. We stayed together for two years then he had to go to the United States to study. Another 2 years passed in long distance through Skype calls. Then...we decided to just be friends. The kind of friends that talk almost every day! In summer 2012 he proposed through Skype and I said yes! He still came to Saudi to officially propose. So it took us 10 years to realize that we can't live apart. We went through our ups and down but there was always that thing that I can't explain till this day. I can't live a day without him." Saudi couple Mai and Wayel share their story on their wedding day. #Saudiwedddings #weddings #arab #gcc #khlaeeji

January 20, 2023

class="content__text" Jean Marc Berger left his home in Geneva to follow Switzerland’s adventures in the World Cup with perhaps the most neutral piece of headgear in existence. His protection against the blazing Gulf sun would extend no further than a red cap emblazoned with a white cross, a homage to the Swiss flag. By the time he arrived at Stadium 974 for his country’s second game, though, the cap was long gone. In its place, Berger, 52, had adopted a ghutra, the traditional head scarf worn by men across the Arabian Peninsula. His was red and white, a nod to his homeland. Holding it in place was an agal, the tightly bound black band around which the scarf is carefully folded. It had never occurred to Berger, before arriving in Qatar, that he would wear one. He had worried that doing so might be seen as offensive by his hosts, assumed that it might be seen as making light of Qatari culture, feared that it would transgress local sensitivities. “I did not think it would be possible,” he said. He did not, as it turns out, have any cause for concern. Ghutras in the distinctive colors of the 32 teams in the tournament have emerged as this World Cup’s must-have accessory among the hundreds of thousands of visitors who have arrived in Qatar to follow their teams. They are for sale in stalls in Souq Waqif, the rebuilt market in downtown Doha, and in immaculate stores in upscale malls. They are even stocked in some supermarkets. Words by Tarik Panja & Rory Smith for @nytimes photos by @tasneemalsultan photo editor @esw_viz full story: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/01/sports/world-cup/world-cup-head-scarf.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

December 20, 2022

class="content__text" Albalad Beast was unique in every way compared to any music festival. The five stages were nestled around the old unesco heritage site of Jeddah’s old town. While many, including myself, were initially skeptical about how the loud music would affect the old architectural structures, a few of the historians and artists informed me that this was a great space for us to see how sound was absorbed by the walls as they were built with coral and wood. As soon as you turned into one of the alleyways leading to another stage, you could hear clearly the sound of bats and birds. As if there was only you on the streets. Mystical visuals and music, lively faces and genuine emotions was everywhere. I grew up in Jeddah and felt goosebumps and tears of happiness during the two days. Witnessing the moment that talented Saudi musicians walk into a stage that was built for them; by them, while knowing that they fought so many in the years before, was surreal. Jeddah is always special. And to the mdlbeast family/organisers…بدّعتوا! #jeddah #saudiarabia #mdlbeastfestival

December 20, 2022

class="content__text" “Painting the Roses Red” Imagine. It’s midnight. Your hair and makeup were finished hours ago. You’ve been zipped into your dress, heavy with embellishments, since 8 p.m. Your friends and mother and aunts have poked their heads into the room you occupy to check on you, but they’ve been busy greeting guests for the past few hours and making sure all the lights and flowers in the ballroom are perfect. It’s your wedding day—and there are hundreds of people working behinds the scenes to create the most memorable event for the hundreds of guests. You may never meet the people preparing for your big day, but they have orchestrated these weddings for many years, and by now it’s part of a production. Painting the Roses Red is a visual installation, partly inspired by the photographers career, for over a decade, as a successful wedding photographer. And partly with her fascination with the team and individuals who have dedicated time and energy in creating a wonderland of an event for just one night. The title “Painting the Roses Red” is a nod to the creators and the artists and their appeasments to the bride in fulfilling her every wish and desire in creating a fantasy world. Exhibiting with many artists this week at Riyadh’s @miskartinst .

December 20, 2022

class="content__text" Behind closed doors on Friday, in small rooms usually used for teaching catechism, the children celebrated Christmas. There was food, drink and songs. Wreaths and stockings decorated the walls. A few adults wore red Santa hats. Nearby, across the complex of mostly unmarked sand-colored buildings, a Mass was being celebrated in a 2,700-seat sanctuary, its altar backed by painted angels and Jesus on a cross. There would be another mass every hour, 15 of them on Friday, said in 10 different languages: English, Tagalog, Indonesian, Korean, Urdu, Malayalam, Tamil, Konkani, Sinhala, Arabic. “We do as many masses as possible, to make people feel they belong somewhere,” Rev. Rally Gonzaga said. Here, he leads people from all over the world, though most of his congregation comes from India and the Philippines. A majority of them are men, many working in Qatar to support families back home. Up some stairs, a hallway of doors was a real-life advent calendar; opening every one revealed a surprise. Here were a dozen people singing with arms raised. Here were 40 people listening intently to someone preach. Here was a 15-member band and a room full of singers. When their door opened, their music spilled into the hall. Soon they were back outside, into the bright sun and out the exits toward the parking lot, re-entering the desert world that they call home. About the same time, across the rest of Doha, loudspeakers called Muslims to prayer. Words by @johnbranchnyt photos by @tasneemalsultan for @nytimes photo editor @esw_viz https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/04/sports/soccer/at-qatars-church-city-sunday-comes-on-friday.html

December 20, 2022

class="content__text" Loved working with @bysarahkhan and @maheimerman on this issue of @afarmedia magazine. So many changes in #saudiarabia that I’m glad to have witnessed and documented.

December 20, 2022

class="content__text" When myself and three groundbreaking Saudi women embark on a journey to explore the untouched expanse of NEOM, something magical is bound to happen. The Kingdom's first female DJ, #DJCosmicat, along with photographer #TasneemAlSultan, professional racing driver #ReemaJuffali, and Motorsports athlete #DaniaAkeel recently took a trip through one of the region’s most spectacular landscapes, and #VogueArabia is inviting you to take in its vast beauty and potential with them. In this video, find out how their road trip unfolded, the lessons they learned, and their vision of Saudi and the world's future, shaped by NEOM Talent: @reemajuffali , @dania.akeel , @tasneemalsultan , @cosmicatx , Director: @araman_x DOP: @trappltd 1st AD: @ffion_hopwood Creative Consultant: @katieellentrotter Producer KSA: @nebrasfilms Production Manager: @sorelle_anthony Wardrobe: @ramonaTabita , @bulmabrieff Hair & Makeup:@raffaellafiore.makeupartist , @francescodangelo Client Director: @laurenhedley Video Editor: @irenezoedattini Colorist and Camera Assistant: @mattia_fpv Production: @astudio.ae Project Manager: @clarissekh NEOM Project Head: @ealyami1@mrarnaut@discoverneom , @VogueArabia , #VogueArabia #discoverneom

November 20, 2022

class="content__text" Four pioneering Saudi women, an open road, and the undiscovered landscape of NEOM—these are the makings of a journey of a lifetime. Get ready to join us on this epic road trip, taking off soon. Talent: @reemajuffali , @dania.akeel , @tasneemalsultan , @cosmicatx , Director: @araman_x DOP: @trappltd 1st AD: @ffion_hopwood Creative Consultant: @katieellentrotter Producer KSA: @nebrasfilms Production Manager: @sorelle_anthony Wardrobe: @ramonaTabita , @bulmabrieff Hair & Makeup:@raffaellafiore.makeupartist , @francescodangelo Client Director: @laurenhedley Video Editor: @irenezoedattini Colorist and Camera Assistant: @mattia_fpv Production: @astudio.ae Project Manager: @clarissekh NEOM Project Head: @ealyami1@mrarnaut@discoverneom , @VogueArabia , #VogueArabia #discoverneom

October 20, 2022

class="content__text" An unforgettable trip! @wiredme had four Saudi trailblazers on a unique road trip across the vast NEOMvexpanse. Check out #DJCosmicat uncovering new musical limits against the sandstone mountains in Saudi Arabia’s “future-proof” destination, while photographer #TasneemAlSultan captures remarkable views of the Hisma desert. You can't miss the motorsport athletes #DaniaAkeel and #ReemaJuffali in their element, as they drive the little-travelled roads of NEOM either. The group caught desert sunrises, explored abandoned seaplanes, and swam through NEOM’s marine life at dusk. @discoverneom , @WIREDME #WIREDMiddleEast #DiscoverNEOM Thank you @mrarnaut Talent: @reemajuffali , @dania.akeel , @tasneemalsultan , @cosmicatx NEOM Project Head: @ealyami1 Director: @araman_x DOP: @trappltd 1st AD: @ffion_hopwood Creative Consultant: @katieellentrotter Producer: @nebrasfilms & @razasiddiqui1 Production Manager: @sorelle_anthony Wardrobe: @ramonaTabita , @bulmabrieff Hair & Makeup: @raffaellafiore.makeupartist@francescodangelo Client Director: @laurenhedley Video Editor: @irenezoedattini Colorist and Camera Assistant: @mattia_fpv Production: @astudio.ae Project Manager: @clarissekh

August 20, 2022