There is an instant of hesitation before the coach bearing the Bey leaves, a moment of emptiness which inadvertently reveals the demands of staging the scene. Muhammad V al-Nasir can be glimpsed in a few frames, enough for a brief gesture of acknowledgement. So far, so good. But the road is narrow and behind the royal vehicle is a long line comprising young and old alike and we are plunged into a crowd that shows no sign of maintaining the distance that protocol would dictate.

Andrea Meneghelli