The King Saud Mosque, Jeddah
A walk around Jeddah’s largest mosque as it began to fill up for prayer time.
Deyhouk, a dream of rebuilding the past
In the east of Iran, between the Lut desert in the south and Mashad in the north, lies the abandoned town of Deyhouk. After an earthquake in 1978, everyone left the town except for one person.
A walk around Samarkand
Some shots from a few days walking around the capital of the Timurid Empire.
Persepolis, 1st century capital of the world
Not far from Shiraz in southern Iran lie the ruins of Persepolis, the capital of the Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BC); the first great Persian empire that ruled over 44% of the ancient world.
Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar
Considered one of the first shopping malls of the world, construction of the Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar began soon after the conquest of the city by the Ottoman Turks in 1453.
The Wazir Khan Mosque in Lahore
In the heart of the Walled City of Lahore, lies the ornately decorated Wazir Khan Mosque. It was built between 1634 and 1641 by Hakim Wazir Khan, the Subedar of Lahore, during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.
The Badshahi Mosque in Lahore
Built by Emperor Aurangzeb in 1673, the Badshahi mosque remains the largest Mughal-era mosque and is the second-largest mosque in Pakistan.
The mausoleum of Amir Timur in Samarkand
This mausoleum in Samarkand in Uzbekistan is known as Gur-e-Amir, Persian for "Tomb of the King". Inside is the final resting place of one of the greatest Mongol kings.
The lonely caravanserai at Tash Rabat
In a remote valley of Naryn province in eastern Kyrgyzstan, not far from the border with China, you can find the remains of a 15th century caravanserai called Tash Rabat.
Khaplu Palace, Royal Residence of Baltistan
Built in 1840, Khaplu Palace is the finest surviving example of a royal residence in Baltistan, a provincial autonomous region in Pakistan’s north east. The palace was constructed with the help of Kashmiri and Balti craftsmen and combines the local architectural style with influences from neighbouring regions including Tibet, Kashmir, Ladak and Central Asia.
Memories of the Samanid Mausoleum in Bukhara
When I posted this on Instagram in September 2019, I received a beautiful message from Azeema Nur, a photographer and Bukharan who currently lives in California, about her childhood memories of this mausoleum,
The Ruins of Konye Urgench in Turkmenistan
In eastern Turkmenistan, not far from the Uzbekistan border, lies the ruins Konye-Urgench. The city dates all the way back to the 4/5th century but today only a few buildings constructed between the 11th and16th centuries remain.
Florence, from above
Some aerial shots of Florence’s Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore and its iconic ‘duomo’ designed by the early Renaissance master architect Brunelleschi.
The Hadži Kurt Mosque in Mostar
In the Hadži Kurt Mosque, I met Ilma, a young red-headed women with bright blue eyes. She told me about the history of this small Ottoman-era mosque.
Tabriz's Grand Bazaar
A photographic journey through the largest covered market place in the world.
Ashgabat, the otherworldly capital of Turkmenistan
Four days in undoubtably the most surreal place I have ever visited.
Ceilings of Iran
Images of the spectacular ceilings that can be found in Iran and the mosques, mausolea, madrasahs and palaces they belong to.
Ceilings of Uzbekistan
Images of the spectacular ceilings that can be found in Uzbekistan and of the palaces, mosques, madrasahs and mausolea they belong to.
Then & now: The Mausoleum of Oljaytu
Some historical lithographs and photographs of the magnificent mausoleum of the the Mongol general Oljaytu recently came to my attention via an Instagram post by Fartash Tours that included a photo I took of the mausoleum in 2019.
Rock breakers, northern Pakistan
After a glacial lake burst in 2015, Singal village was partly destroyed by flooding and the rock avalanche that came with it. The villagers would do everything in their power not to let that happen again.