At first glance, Cityscapes (2010) seems to be a collection of well-documented panoramic photographs of the city of Istanbul, which might be found on postcards in souvenir shops. However, closer examination reveals that the one element has been removed from the cityscape which subsequently strips the history and religious character of the city: the minaret. The work is a response to a November 2009 referendum in Switzerland that approved a ban on the construction of new minarets in the country. It was also a crucial moment of Turkey’s negotiation for her entrance to the European community. Instead of making direct and didactic comment on the controversy, Abbas brings forward the question about how symbolic landmark is interpreted vastly different in various cultural contexts. On the one hand, the minarets have been seen as symbols of political Islam in the Western imagination. On the other hand, in the Muslim world, they stand as memory organs that allow the city to recognize itself which are part of everyday objects, belonging to the communities.