The city of Yazd is the main remaining Zoroastrian center in Iran. Zoroastrianism is (along with Christianity and Judaism) one of the three recognized and protected religious minorities under the Islamic Republic’s constitution. So worship and pilgrimages are officially tolerated, although probably not exactly encouraged. I hired a car and guide for the trip out […]
Browsing Posts in Travel
Zoroastrian Yazd
October 11, 2008
The Darvaza Gas Crater
October 3, 2008
The Darvaza Gas Crater is the debris from a disastrously failed Soviet gas well. After the failure, the escaping gas was left to burn itself out. It has been merrily burning for over 30 years now. (More Davaza photos.) Through StanTours, I had arranged a 4WD, driver and guide for the trip, about 150 miles […]
Ashgabat: Much Strangeness
October 2, 2008
Turkmenistan is by far the strangest of the ex-soviet Republics. The late President Niyazov (aka “Turkmenbashi”) ruled as an absolute monarch, with a personality cult that would have made Stalin blush. Strange relics of his reign still dot Ashgabat. The Arch of Neutrality is a 75 meter tripod tower, adorned with a 12 meter golden […]
Astana: Kazakh City of the Future
September 7, 2008
Astana is Kazakhstan’s new post-Soviet capital, in the Northern steppes. The faces on the streets seem mostly Central Asian, so it seems to have succeeded in attracting a large ethnic Kazakh population into what was formerly an ethnic-Russian part of the country. That may not have been President Nazarbayev’s sole goal, but it has certainly […]
Hong Kong’s Dark Tower
May 14, 2008
Hong Kong’s Dark Tower is one of my favourite buildings. It is officially called “2 International Finance Center”, but that seems very poor camouflage for such a mighty command post, obviously destined for World Dominion. I find it both wonderfully elegant and distinctly sinister. I particularly love the claw-like fingers gently cupping over its peak. […]
Karakoram Highway & Khunjerab Pass
May 3, 2008
Kashgar, April 30th 2008 The only road between China and Pakistan is the Karakoram Highway (KKH) which goes over the 4730 m (15,500 ft) Khunjerab pass at the border. It is a spectacular journey, over a wild road, across the Western edges of the Himalayas. The pass is closed in winter and nominally reopens on […]
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