Smiling, I guess

Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, December 2015.

new haute couture

Bordeaux, France, May 2015.

on the way to the mosque

Xi'an, Shaanxi, May 2013.

Tiles with spirit

Sunan Gunungjati (1448–1580), one of the Wali Songo, or Nine Javanese Apostles of Islam died close to Cirebon and his tomb is still one of the remaining spiritual places on Java. The tomb site reminded me of Sufi places I visited in Pakistan where a more tolerant version of Islam is being taught.   

Cirebon, Java, Indonesia, October 2009.

Muhammad's face

Muhammad

An excellent article on the development of portrayal of Muhammad was written by Wijdan Ali: From the Literal to the Spiritual: The Development of the Prophet Muhammad's Portrayal from the 13th Century Ilkhanid Miniatures to 17th Century Ottoman Art.

Kashan, Iran, October 2010.

Check point

Varanasi, India, September 2011.

The way ahead

New Delhi, India, August 2011.

Chadoristan

Shiraz, Iran, October 2010.

Islamic street fashion

Isfahan, Iran, October 2010.

Islamic face fashion

Shiraz, Iran, October 2010.

Walking in the right direction?

Shiraz, Iran, October 2010.

No shoes

Isfahan, Iran, October 2010.

Mullah advertisements

Tehran, Iran, October 2010.

Foreign tourists in Iran

It's not everywhere like that. Women have to wear a chador--usually a colorful one as shown above--in some bigger mosques only. Interestingly, even a manteau offers not enough disguise.

Isfahan, Iran, October 2010.

Color is everything

Shiraz, Iran, October 2010.

New stockings just arrived

Isfahan, Iran, October 2010.

Islamic fashion

Kashgar, Xinjiang, August 2010.