Walk Away from the City

This panoramic view has captured the rising planet Jupiter and parts of the summer Milky Way over the south (right) and the northeast (left). The beauty of the Milky Way challenges with the increasing lights from the nearby cities in this natural location on Alborz Mountains of Iran. Most of the light dome on the right is made by the capital metropolitan Tehran, over 100 km away. Behind the standing stargazer is the mountain fortress of Alamut (2160 m). It was built into the rock in the 9th century. The name means Eagle’s Nest. Home of the legendary Assassins, 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). Click on the second photo to see a day-time view of the TWAN photographer in this location.