Megumi Yoshitake

Born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1965. Yoshitake was exposed to T.E. Lawrence (a
British militant and archeologist, known as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’) when she
was 15 years old, had romanticized notions for deserts that eventually lead
her to become a photographer, and she visited Syria for the first time in
1987. Since 1995, she has been visiting Syrian deserts every year, and spent
time with the same Bedouin family.

Yoshitake herself, who was single at the beginning, eventually had a spouse,
and became a mother. She visited Syria on her honeymoon and introduced her
husband to her host family. And when her son was a year and 4 months old,
she braved a trip to the desert with him. Since then, she has continued to
visit the family with his son.

Yoshitake was introduced to the family by Dr. Giro Orita in Aleppo, who had
lived in Syria for 44 years until he passed away in 2008.