The Max von Oppenheim photo collection

Max Freiherr von Oppenheim (1860-1946) was not only a famous explorer but also a well known diplomat and collector of oriental artifacts. As an employee of the German consulate general in Cairo, he observed the Arabian world and excavated Tell Halaf in Syria. In his many expeditions, most taking several years, he explored the region between the Levante and Mesopotamia.

Oppenheim was always accompanied by professional photographers. The Near East and its people as well as its nature and architecture kept him mesmerized for decades. The result was a collection of 13.000 photos that captured the life and culture of a world gone by.

Max von Oppenheim's literary contributions and the photo-collection are kept in the house-archive of the Bankhaus Sal, Oppenheim jr. & Cie. in Cologne. It is owned by the Max Freiherr von Oppenheim Foundation and was established in 1929 by von Oppenheim himself.

Max von Oppenheim's photo-collection is accessible to the greater public by the Arachne database. In order to view images of the Max von Oppenheim photo-collection in a higher resolution, interested persons should contact the house-archive of the Bankhaus Sal. Oppenheim by e-mail to request the necessary rights.

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The photo-collection contains 75 albums (show all) and many single photographs. The photo volumes form chronological and spatial units regarding the following topics:

1. Travel through Asian Turkey in 1899	2. Journeys (1911-1939)	3. Excavations in Tell Halaf (1911-1929)	4. Special collections and single pictures (1899-1939)
1.01 Expedition through Asian Turkey in 1899, vol. 1: Beirut-Baalbek-Damascus 1.02 Expedition through Asian Turkey in 1899, vol. 2: Damascus 1.03 Expedition through Asian Turkey in 1899, vol. 3: Tell Nebi Mend – Homs – Hama - Salamia 1.04 Expedition through Asian Turkey in 1899, vol. 4: [Salamia – Aleppo] 1.05 Expedition through Asian Turkey in 1899, vol. 5: Aleppo 1.06 Expedition through Asian Turkey in 1899, vol. 6: [el Bab – Orfa – Waranschahar] 1.07 Expedition through Asian Turkey in 1899, vol. 7: [Waranschahar – Tell Halaf – Diarbakir – Kazan Ali] 1.08 Expedition through Asian Turkey in 1899, vol. 8: Adana - Konia 1.09 Expedition through Asian Turkey in 1899, special edition: Pictures of Syria, Mesopotamia and Anatolia 1.10 Expedition through Asian Turkey in 1899, special edition of secretary Hänichen 2.01 Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 1: Beirut – Aleppo (1911) 2.02 Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 2: Aleppo – Balis (1911) 2.03 Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 3: Balis – Tell Halaf (1911) / Tell Halaf – Mardin and back (1911) 2.04 Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 4: Tell Halaf – Orfa – Harran and back (1911) 2.05 Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 5: Tell Halaf – Mosul and back (1912) 2.06 Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 6: Tell Halaf – Aleppo (1912) / Beirut – Tell Halaf (1912) 2.07 Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 7: Djebel Abd el Aziz (1913) 2.08 Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 8: Djebel Abd el Aziz (1913) 2.09 Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 9: Djebel Abd el Aziz (1913) 2.10 Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 10: Djebel Abd el Aziz (1913) 2.11 Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 11: Djebel Tektek (1913) 2.12 Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 12: Djebel Tektek (1913) 2.13 Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 13: Djebel Tektek (1913) / Journey back from Tell Halaf (1913) 2.14 Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 14: Journey back from Tell Halaf (1913) 2.15 Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 15: Beirut – Tell Halaf – Djebelet el Beda and back (1927) 2.16 Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 16: Beirut – Tell Halaf – Djebelet el Beda and back (1927) 2.17 Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 17: Naples – Aleppo (1929) 2.18. Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 18: Aleppo – Tell Halaf – Gharra (1929) 2.19. Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 19: Djebelet el Beda – Deir ez Zor (1929) 2.20. Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 20: Deir ez Zor – Aleppo (1929) 2.21. Journeys (1911-1939), vol. 21: Expedition of 1939 2.22. Journeys (1911-1939), grand panorama 3.01. Tell Halaf, vol. 1: Landscapes 3.02. Tell Halaf, vol. 2: Pictures of artifacts and of surveys of the temple-palace facades, the great orthostates 3.03. Tell Halaf, vol. 3: Eastern and western Sphinx, giant lion 3.04. Tell Halaf, vol. 4: Giant bull, giant lioness, the three giant Gods 3.05. Tell Halaf, vol. 5: Giant sun bird, brick altar, temple-palace facade 3.06. Tell Halaf, vol. 6: The two enthroned Godesses, the chambers below, scorpion-men 3.10. Tell Halaf, vol. 10: Small stone-sculptures, pillar foundations and capitals, engraved stones 3.11. Tell Halaf, vol. 11: Orthostate-engravings 3.12. Tell Halaf, vol. 12: Fragments of great stone images 3.13. Tell Halaf, vol. 13: Excavation pictures: Temple-palace, tombs, gates, clay crag 3.14. Tell Halaf, vol. 14: Excavation behind the expedition-house, sanctuary, idols 3.15. Tell Halaf, vol. 15: Urban area, city wall, city temple, cists 3.16. Tell Halaf, vol. 16: Water lines, clay arches, skulls and bones, general excavation photos 3.17. Tell Halaf, vol. 17: Excavation pictures: The North palace 3.18. Tell Halaf, vol. 18: Excavation pictures: The North-eastern palace and southern part thereof 3.19. Tell Halaf, vol. 19: Excavation pictures: Investigative trenches 3.20. Tell Halaf, vol. 29: Stone devices 3.21. Tell Halaf, vol. 21: Hellenistic ceramic 3.22. Tell Halaf, vol. 22: Babylonian-Assyrian ceramic 3.24. Tell Halaf, vol. 24: Great ceramic 3.25. Tell Halaf, vol. 25: Prehistoric ceramic 3.26. Tell Halaf, vol. 26: Prehistoric ceramic 3.27. Tell Halaf, vol. 27: Terra cotta, clay tablets, baking oven 3.28. Tell Halaf, vol. 28: Bronze and iron, seals and stamps, pearls, gold and ivory, various small discoveries 3.29. Tell Halaf, vol. 29: Drawings, Fecheriye, Ras el Ain 3.30. Tell Halaf, vol. 30: Tent and camp pictures, expedition-house, transport of stone images, snow pictures 3.31. Tell Halaf, vol. 31: Ethnic groups, genre pictures 3.32. Tell Halaf, vol. 32: Ethnic groups, genre pictures 3.33. Tell Halaf, vol. 33: Ethnic groups, Europeans, animals 3.34. Tell Halaf, vol. 34: Exhibition hall of Tell Halaf, Tell Halaf museum-house 3.35. Tell Halaf, vol. 35: Djebelet el Beda 3.36. Tell Halaf, vol. 36: Djebelet el Beda 3.37. Tell Halaf, vol. 37: Panorama pictures 3.38. Tell Halaf, vol. 38: Panorama pictures 4.01. Tell Halaf, show series 4.02. Tell Halaf Collection, vol. 1 4.03. Tell Halaf Collection, vol. 2 4.04. Museum of Tell Halaf, vol. 1 4.05. Museum of Tell Halaf, vol. 2 4.06. Museum of Tell Halaf, Excavation photos and pictures of beduins, maps and sketches, small orthostates, small discoveries 4.07. Tell Halaf – rough draft 4.08. Tell Halaf, public photo archives 4.09. Photos of Tell Halaf city parameter 4.11. Max Freiherr von Oppenheim Foundation 4.12. Cairo 4.13. Max Freiherr von Oppenheim's appartment in Berlin: Kurfürstendamm 203, 1914-1926 4.14. Miscellaneous

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