POTD: Jerónimos Monastery

From 2025 12 27 Lisbon

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, Portugal. According to Wikipedia, "The Jerónimos Monastery is one of the most prominent examples of the late Portuguese Gothic Manueline style of architecture in Lisbon. It was erected in the early 1500s near the launch point of Vasco da Gama's first journey, and its construction funded by a tax on the profits of the yearly Portuguese India Armadas. [Think of that as a tax on billionaires.] In 1880, da Gama's remains and those of the poet Luís de Camões (who celebrated da Gama's first voyage in his 1572 epic poem The Lusiad), were moved to new carved tombs in the nave of the monastery's church, only a few meters away from the tombs of the kings Manuel I and John III, whom da Gama had served."

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"Da Gama rests here
Beside kings who sent him forth.
Untold wealth returned."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: Lisboa

From 2025 12 27 Lisbon

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Lisbon, Portugal, first stop on our New Year's trip this year whose highlight was a river cruise of Portugal's Douro River.

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"New year, ancient town.
With streets washed in winter rain,
Lisbon wakes anew."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: Uzbek Miscellany

From 2025 09 22 Samarkand

Today's photo-of-the-day is of miscellany from Uzbekistan. First, a sign for a public restroom. Next, a fast food place. Last, a common sight along the highways — storks nesting on power poles, chimneys, or any tall extension offering safety for nests.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Shah-i-Zindi Necropolis

From 2025 09 22 Samarkand

Today's photo-of-the-day is of the Shah-i-Zindi Necropolis in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. According to Wikipedia, the Shah-i-Zinda complex was formed over eight centuries, starting in the 11th century, and includes more than twenty mausoleums and other ritual buildings. "The name Shah-i-Zinda is connected with the legend that Qutham ibn Abbas, a cousin of Muhammad, is buried here. He came to Samarkand with the Arab invasion in the 7th century to preach Islam. According to one legend, he was decapitated during prayer, picked up his severed head, and walked to the deep well known as the Garden of Paradise, where he resides to this day."

Well, OK then. It's an impressive cemetery even without the legend.

A bonus photo is after the jump.

POTD: Street Food in Samarkand

From 2025 09 22 Samarkand

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken on the street outside the Observatory of Ulugh Beg in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. According to Wikipedia, "Ulugh Beg, the son of Shah Rukh and grandson of Amir Timur, became the ruler of Samarkand in the 15th century AD. Ulugh Beg was very skilled in mathematics and astronomy...[The observatory] could accurately measure the sun from the horizon, the altitude of a star and other planets. The duration of the year, period of planets, and eclipses were measured by this device. Ulugh Beg's measurements of planets closely relate to today's measurement."

Oh, the photo. It shows, not a model of Saturn's rings, but freshly baked bread offered by a street vendor outside the observatory.

A bonus photo of the observatory itself is after the jump.

POTD: Madrasa Interior

From 2025 09 22 Samarkand

Today's photo-of-the-day is of the interior of the Tilakari Madrasa in Samarkand, Uzbekistan's Registan Square. It was built between 1646 and 1660. According to Wikipedia, "The Tilakari Madrasa is widely regarded as a masterpiece of Timurid architecture, a tradition deeply rooted in the Persianate architectural and artistic legacy that dominated Central Asia during the 14th-17th centuries...The madrasa reflects the refined aesthetics developed in Iran, Khurasan, and Transoxiana, where Persian cultural and artistic norms shaped the visual identity of the Timurid Empire."

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"Samarkand still glows;
A thousand careful details
Defying the years."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: Mausoleum of Tamerlane

From 2025 09 22 Samarkand

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at the Mausoleum of Tamerlane in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. According to Wikipedia, "Timur (c. 1320s—1405), also known as Tamerlane, was a Turco-Mongol conqueror, first ruler of the Timurid dynasty, and the founder of the Timurid Empire, which ruled over modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia. He was undefeated in battle and is widely regarded as one of the greatest military leaders and tacticians in history, as well as one of the most brutal and deadly. Timur is also considered a great patron of the arts."

Surprisinly, this photo is not of his mausoleum. It's only the gate that leads to his mausoleum, which becomes visible after you walk through the gate. The photo of his actual mausoleum is after the jump.

POTD: Waiting for the Caravan

From 2025 09 22 Samarkand

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at Registan Square in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It shows a wooden bench outside one of the madrasahs, where "L" sits at peace in a city older than time.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Fashion Sense in Samarkand

From 2025 09 22 Samarkand

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at Registan Square in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It shows two women very fashionably dressed and posing for a photographer. For what reason, we didn't learn. We just snapped our own photos.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Registan Square, Samarkand

From 2025 09 22 Samarkand

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at Registan Square in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. According to Wikipedia, it's "a historic public square [that] served as the heart of the Timurid Empire and later as the city's commercial, educational, and ceremonial center. The square is famed for its ensemble of three madrasas which together represent some of the finest achievements of Islamic architecture in Central Asia. Renowned for its soaring iwans, turquoise domes, intricate mosaic tilework, and geometric ornamentation, Registan is considered one of the greatest examples of Timurid and Persian-influenced architecture."

We visited the square twice, once during the day and again at night when it's the subject of a sound-and-light show.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Uzbek Fashion Show

From 2025 09 19 Bukhara

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in the courtyard of the Nadir Devanbegi Madrasah in the old city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan. A fashion show accompanied dinner.

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"Ancient school at dusk.
Silk glides where scholars once walked.
Tonight, color speaks."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: Uzbek Women

From 2025 09 19 Bukhara

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at the Bahouddin Naqshband Memorial Complex outside Bukhara, Uzbekistan. According to Wikipedia, this complex "includes the tomb of Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari, the founder of the Naqshbandi order, who died in 1389... It has een a place of pilgrimage for many generations... During the time of the Soviets, it was forbidden to visit the grave here."

Out of respect, visitors to the site wear modest clothing. Still, that leaves a lot of flexibility in clothing style.

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"A saint rests nearby,
while bright scarves catch morning light"
along the pathway."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: The Ghosts of the Silk Road in Old Viewfinders

From 2025 09 19 Bukhara

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken on the street in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, where a pile of old binoculars and cameras was spread carelessly on a table. I wondered about all the images that appeared through their lenses in the years and decades gone by. And whose eyes had framed those images.

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"A faded minaret—
the tourist who framed the shot
has faded as well."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: Bolo Hauz Mosque

From 2025 09 19 Bukhara

Today's photo-of-the-day is of the Bolo Hauz Mosque in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. According to Asian Historical Architecture, the mosque "stands opposite the Ark Fortress... Its name means 'above the pool', referring to the octagonal hauz, or artificial pond, located directly in front of it Begun in 1712, early in the reign of Abu'l-Faiz Khan (r. 1711-47), it is one of the last and finest of Bukhara's major buildings prior to the modern era."

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"Pool mirrors the sky.
Carved wooden columns shimmer.
Ark watches silently."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: Kalyan Minaret

From 2025 09 19 Bukhara

Today's photo-of-the-day is of the Kalyan Minaret in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. The minaret was built in 1127. According to Wikipedia, "About a hundred years after its construction, legend has it that the tower so impressed Genghis Khan that he ordered it to be spared when all around was destroyed by his men." The Mongols likely spared it because its height made it an incredibly valuable watchtower. "It is also known as the Tower of Death, because until as recently as the early twentieth century criminals were executed by being thrown from the top."

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"Genghis spared the bricks.
Nine hundred years later on,
The story survives."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: A Living City on the Silk Road

From 2025 09 19 Bukhara

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in central Bukhara, Uzbekistan. The domed bazaars are centuries old, yet vendors still sell goods beneath them. Covered markets provide shade. Thick masonry walls provide insulation from the sun. Narrow openings minimize direct sunlight. They are well adapted to a hot, dry, environment.

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"Ancient market domes,
Children crossing sunlit square.
Centuries see all.
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: Heart of Bukhara

From 2025 09 19 Bukhara

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in the heart of Bukhara, Uzbekistan, where historic spaces formed by centuries of trade and daily life come together by the Lyab-i Hauz, a broad stone-edged pond shaded by trees.

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"Desert city rests,
Gathered around precious water
As it has for years."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: Food Truck in Bukhara

From 2025 09 19 Bukhara

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. I don't know the story of this food truck. No one was minding it. I'm not going to make up a story. Instead, it's just an intriguing photo.

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"Someone left in haste,
More likely just stepped away.
The photo won't tell."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: Ark of Bukhara

From 2025 09 19 Bukhara

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at the Ark of Bukhara. According to Wikipedia, it's "a massive fortress located in the city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan, that was built in the 5th century CE. The Ark's current structure began to develop during the 16th century under the Shaybanid Uzbek dynasty, while all of its existing buildings were constructed in the last three centuries."

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Stop! State Border

From 2025 09 19 Bukhara

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken along the banks of the Amu Darya, historically known as the Oxus River. It is the largest river in Central Asia, flowing through Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The oddest thing about the river (to me) is that it doesn't flow anywhere. Not to the ocean. Not even to an inland sea. Because of global warming and, even more, because of insatiable human demand for water for agriculture, today the Amu Darya just peters out in western Uzbekistan. Its mouth is in a dried-up area of what was once the Aral Sea.

This photo shows the desert the Amu Darya flows through. On this side is Uzbekistan. On the far side is Turkmenistan. Uzbekistan welcomes tourists. Turkmenistan, not so much. Signs warn visitors to stay on your side. Such has been life in Central Asia for millennia.

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"Ancient Oxus flows,
Carrying mountains to dust.
No sea waits below."
— h/t ChatGPT