Great Silk Road

Almaty, Kazakhstan (Aug. 2008) - the #beautiful ascension (or zenkov) #cathedral in #almaty`s panfilov park was completed in 1907, and is one of the tallest wooden #buildings in the world (and was also built without any nails!) ...

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan (Jul. 2008) - my #sketch of the otherworldly #arch of neutrality #monument when it was still in central #ashgabat, topped with a golden statue of former authoritarian president niyazov, which rotated with the sun (seriously!). It has since been dismantled and moved to the outskirts of the city, and while the statue is still there, it no longer rotates 😉 ...

Istanbul, Turkey (Aug. 2008) - the beautiful #hagiasophia in #sultanahmet #istanbul, one of my favorite cities in #europe! ...

Khiva, Uzbekistan (Jul. 2008) - the unusual shape of the #beautiful yet stumpy kalta minor #minaret in #khiva was not intended, as the khan who commissioned it died during its construction and it was never finished ...

Selçuk, Turkey (Jul. 2008) - a close up view of the temple of hadrian`s intricate arch details at the impressive archaeological site of #ephesus ...

Dushanbe, Tajikistan (Aug. 2008) - an old man arrives for prayers at the intricately-tiled entrance of the haji yakoub #mosque in central #dushanbe.  with room for 3000, the mosque is the capital`s largest, but will soon be surpassed by the almost-complete central mosque of dushanbe, slated to become central asia`s largest, accommodating roughly 115,000 worshippers! 😮 🇹🇯 ...

Samarkand, Uzbekistan (Jul. 2008) - the bright #turquoise blue #dome and ornate brick and tile work of the tilya-kori #madrasah in #samarkand`s monumental #registan square ...

Konye-Urgench, Turkmenistan (Jul. 2008) - the #mausoleum of il-arslan is #konyeurgench`s oldest standing monument and famous for its unique #architecture ...

Bukhara, Uzbekistan (Jul. 2008) - the chor minor (meaning "four minarets") #mosque in #bukhara, one of the most #beautiful and unique #buildings on the #silkroad ...

Edirne, Turkey (Aug. 2008) - the #selimiye #mosque in #edirne, completed in 1754, is considered one of the most #beautiful examples of #islamic #architecture in the world, and #architect #mimarsinan`s #masterpiece ...