Entries about sun

In 2012 near the start of my journey along the Silk route between Istanbul in Turkey and China, I spent a month in Iran. A beautiful country and actually very hospitable people. Following the journey of Alexandra the Great to Persepolis, or next stop was the Lut desert to see the amazing sand formations known as "Kaluts". The Kalut is said to a sand mountain created by the effect of the dominant erosional agent in desert, i.e., wind making fascinating forms and shapes.

There are no threats, like scorpions or snakes, as the desert of Lut is an abiotic zone, which means that no single plant or creature can survive in such a harsh environment.

Rising from the sand dunes, these natural and astonishing sculptures are a real shock to your eyeballs and, while walking among them, you are likely to feel you are wandering around Mars or even better, a Star wars film set.

During my journey along the Silk Route to China, I was lucky enough to visit the Imam Asim Tomb in Jiya village, Xinjiang China. Set on the edge of the Taklaman desert, this shrine to the venerated Sufi imam and soldier who is said to have led the Muslim conquest of the region in around 1000 A.D. Serving under the khan of the Turkic Karakhanids, Imam Asim was part of any army that brought an end to the Buddhist kingdom of Hotan, ushering in an era of Islamic dominance of the oasis cities that ring the Taklamakan.

Sadly during my research of this place I am aware that the mosque and most of the holy banners and merits have been razed to the ground, around 2016. I have photos, I was there!! it did exist! (In 2012) and I was/am honoured to have been one of the few westerners to have made it to that destination.

I hope you enjoy these few images I have left of the mosque and surrounding area. They are all gone and all that is left is the mausoleum.

In 2012 near the start of my journey along the Silk route between Istanbul in Turkey and China, I spent a month in Iran. A beautiful country and actually very hospitable people. Following the journey of Alexandra the Great to Persepolis, or next stop was the Lut desert to see the amazing sand formations known as "Kaluts". The Kalut is said to a sand mountain created by the effect of the dominant erosional agent in desert, i.e., wind making fascinating forms and shapes.

There are no threats, like scorpions or snakes, as the desert of Lut is an abiotic zone, which means that no single plant or creature can survive in such a harsh environment.

Rising from the sand dunes, these natural and astonishing sculptures are a real shock to your eyeballs and, while walking among them, you are likely to feel you are wandering around Mars or even better, a Star wars film set.

Between our journey from Dunhuang to the Jade gate and the Yardang Geopark , we were taken to this movie Set, also the entrance gate of Dunhuang Movie Set known as Modelled Shazhou Town of Song Dynasty (960-1279), is about 25 kilometres (15.5 miles) south west of the city. The town, covering an area of 12,700 square meters (3.1 acres) was originally designed for the setting of the historical film Dunhuang in 1987. The film was made in cooperation with Japan and the set reproduced the layout and construction on a part of the famous scroll painting Qingming Shanghe Tu (The Outing at Bian River on Qingming Festival).

Dunhuang Movie Set presents its majestic appearance in the vast Gobi bearing a rich flavor of the west regions of China. Fully representing the military importance of the western regions in the Tang (618-907) and Song Dynasties, the complex here can give one an impression that the clock has turned backwards to ancient times. Gates are erected on the east, south and west sides of the town. The five main streets, namely the Gaochang, Dunhuang, Ganzhou, Xingqing and Bianliang, criss-cross each other inside the town. Various constructions with distinct characteristics of the Song Dynasty are scattered along the streets, housing arcades, temples, hockshops, warehouses, pothouses, restaurants, dwelling houses and so on.

Taking full advantage of its uniqueness for making movies with a military theme, Dunhuang Movie Set has become the biggest set for shooting movies in northwest China. More than twenty films and television series have been produced here, apart from the movie Dunhuang so far. You might be surprised to recognize the familiar scenes from one of your favorite movies when you are strolling around the town. So be prepared for the unexpected!

This scenic spot is very interesting both for its historical value for putting the vision of the ancient west China into perspective and for its important role in movie-making industry.

Dunhuang Yardang National Geopark is sited in China's Gansu Province, 108 kilometers (67 miles) to the northwest of Dunhuang city. It extends 25 kilometers (15 miles) from east to west and 13 kilometers (8 miles) from north to south. The park is well-known for Yardang landscape, which is a typical wind erosion landform. Yardang in Uygur language means a small mound with steep walls. The area contains 77 ruins and huge rocks formations in sculpted shapes. These images are from my visit in 2012 on my silk route journey, which finished at the Jade Gate in China. Music credits to:Intentions Anno Domini Beats free under creative commons licence and from You tube music library

Dunhuang Yardang National Geopark is sited in China's Gansu Province, 108 kilometers (67 miles) to the northwest of Dunhuang city. It extends 25 kilometers (15 miles) from east to west and 13 kilometers (8 miles) from north to south. The park is well-known for Yardang landscape, which is a typical wind erosion landform. Yardang in Uygur language means a small mound with steep walls. The area contains 77 ruins and huge rocks formations in sculpted shapes. These images are from my visit in 2012 on my silk route journey, which finished at the Jade Gate in China.

During my travels round Laos in 2013 I visited Luang Prabang and visited Mount Phousi and enjoy the stunning views of Laos.
I hope you enjoy it too!