Turkish Delights

The cavernous ceilings of Istanbul's mosques covered spartan interiors, the only embellishments being Arabic script with beautiful gold embellishments and floral patterns that stretched from floor to ceiling. The naturally ventilated mosques provided a welcome respite from the hot sun of mid-summer outside. In contrast, the Royal Palace was an exercise in lack of self-restraint, showcasing an over-indulgence of embellishments and decorations that yet were tastefully done.

It was a reminder that opulence of the gilded age in European castles continued to be a major influence in the styling of the Royal Palace. And of the strong contrast from the confluence of western designs and eastern culture. Istanbul is one of the few places that one can experience this amalgam in a single day.

Istanbul
Turkey

A Lattice on the Docks

When I first stepped inside, the complex vase shape formed by diagonal lines of steps cris-crossing and weaving through seemed confusing and chaotic. But as I climbed higher, order emerged from the chaos, and I had to stop to comprehend it. And admire the skyline of Manhattan peering through the hexagonal openings in the superstructure.

Hudson Yards, NYC
NY USA

Resting Places

We hardly think of where we go when we die. And even if we build elaborate structures to allow our mortal remains to decay, we will never get to experience it. And yet, all around the world, humans have built grand mausoleums, cemeteries and burial grounds to allow the dead to pass on to afterlife. Whether it be the mighty Pyramids of Gizeh, elaborately decorated structures of Recoleta and Pere Lachaise, or the grand mausoleums like Taj Mahal, they all strive to glorify their silent inhabitants to an exalted status.

Dating back to the 12th century, the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, belongs to this exclusive club of grand final resting places. Walking through metropolis replete with mausoleums and ritual buildings was a walk back in time. I made my way through sunlit passageways lined by pain-stakingly-restored blue shrines with exquisite architecture, admiring the intricate decorations and opulent tombstones.

I hope I get to see similar treasures around the world.

Shah-i-Zinda
Samarkand Uzbekistan

A Vessel of Art

The concrete jungle of Manhattan seems a world away from the lush rainforests of the Pacific Northwest to the concrete jungle of Manhattan was a sea of change. Towering mountainscapes with volcanic peaks and snow-capped summits were replaced by steel and glass skylines, mist-shrouded trees by towering concrete edifices lining narrow avenues and boulevards, and the peace and solace one can find along the tiny creeks and placid lakes by the chaos of an urban life teeming with the vibrancy of human energy.

And yet, there is beauty to appreciate here too, in the graceful spires of the Oculus or in the staircases to nowhere in the Vessel. I arrived here just in time for sunset, but couldn't stay long enough to capture twilight setting over the city that never sleeps.

New York City
NY

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Blue Hour in Colmar

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The aptly named Little Venice in Colmar, was full of surprising delights. Turning around one corner, I found a small garden replete with a period fountain adorned with a statue, crumbling walls covered in vine, and a timber-frame house standing gallantly. Around another street, and I found rows of beautiful historical houses and structures carefully nurtured, a testament to the city council. If those timber-frame houses could speak, they would narrate oodles of tales from its long storied history.

They might have been residences, shops and tanneries during their glory years, but now they have been converted to souvenir shops, cafes, and restaurants, serving the throngs of tourists exploring the heart of the Wine Route. As the sun sets and the light disappears, the tourist crowd dwindles, leaving behind fairly empty streets devoid of the energy and activity of the day. And while this may be forlorn, it is just perfect for photography, especially during the blue hour.

Colmar

Alsace, France

The Grand Library

The faint yet melodious serenade of a cello wafted through the centuries-old ruins. I continued along the old stone path, with wheel ruts still in place, passing by dilapidated yet artfully restored structures - houses, shops, markets, baths, and even an occasional amphitheater. Yet, as I turned around the corner and came to face the beautiful facade of the Library of Celsus, I was taken aback.

I stared at the grand entrance of the library for a long time, slowly savoring the beautiful marble columns, the ornate roofs, the festooned walls, and the realistic statues of ancient Greek gods and goddesses. And right below this entrance, on the steps, sat a cello player crafting tunes for the weary travelers who passed through the long Roman road in front of him.

It harkened me back 2000 years, to the time when this beautiful facade, and the library behind it, was constructed. I could imagine a busy street carrying traffic from one city entrance, past grand villas and crowded amphitheaters, passing in front of the library to reach the great Agora (marketplace) to peddle their wares. And behind those three doors would have been one of the best collection of scrolls and books, making it the third largest library of the 2nd century AD. While the rest of the library had been razed, the facade alone stands, having been painfully restored in the 1960s.

I tried to capture some of its ancient aura, but the camera could only do so much justice. This was shot at F22 (for the sun-star), ISO 800 at 1/50s

Ephesus
Turkey

Courting the Registan

I turned around the corner on a hot and dusty day in the city of Samarkhand in Uzbekistan. And the ensemble of madrasas came into view, carrying the impressive name Registan, meaning the "Sandy Place". And I had to pause a moment, nay many, to admire the scene that unfolded in front of me.

As I was working my way from West to East along the Silk Route, the historical monuments I had visited became more impressive with each new one. It, however, truly culminated in the Registan, the heart of the ancient city of Samarkand of the Timurid dynasty, which dated back to the 14th-16th century. The trifecta of three madrasas, the Ulugh Bek Madrasah, the Tilya Kori Madrasa, and the Sher-Dor Madrasa, suffered heavily from a lack of maintenance over the last few centuries, and it was the heavy-handed Soviet-era restoration that brought these beautiful edifices back to their former glories.

I returned back to the Registan during a summer evening, and I was surprised to see rare cloud formations take over the sky. As the sun slowly set and lent a bit of color to the sky, the lights of the Registan turned on, and provided it with its nightly attire. It was this that I had hoped to capture. And even with a wide field of view of the 16mm lens, the grand scene in front of me was hard to capture completely.

This image is a 3-image HDR composite shot at 17mm and F11 at ISO 100

Registan
Samarkand Uzbekistan