The Pair and the Castle

The Moon and Venus are paired in a close conjunction as seen in the morning twilight above mountain fortress of Alamut in the central Alborz Mountains of Iran. Alamut Castle (2160 m) was built into the rock in the 9th century. The name means Eagle’s Nest. Home of the legendary Assassins featured in the adventure movie Prince of Persia, Alamut was also historically a center for libraries and education. For a time, it was the residence of important 13th century Persian scholar and astronomer Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (or simply known as Tusi). The image is made during a joint trip of 5 TWAN photographers (from Iran, Turkey, and Hungary) who came together for TWAN annual workshops in Iran. Click on the second photo to see a behind the scene group photo of the TWANers.