St. Gregory Church in Ani Ruins, Kars, Türkiye Dec 29, 2025

St. Gregory Church in Ani Ruins, Kars, Türkiye

On a windswept plateau in eastern Türkiye, along the border with Armenia, the ruins of the ancient city of Ani rise from the landscape with striking clarity. A millennium ago, Ani was a thriving Armenian capital on a major Silk Road route, its fortifications and busy streets shaping trade and culture across the region. Today, the city is quiet, but its outline still carries the weight of its past.

© Kenan Talas/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Dec 29, 2018When science looks like magic
Dec 29, 2019Helloooooo, Innsbruck
Dec 29, 2020Where the glow of the holidays lingers
Dec 29, 2021Mountain goats
Dec 29, 2022Silver-studded blue butterflies
Dec 29, 2023Oud-West, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Dec 29, 2024Borobudur Temple, Java, Indonesia

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Apr 16, 2018The Bazaruto Archipelago of Mozambique
Oct 29, 2025Ancient til trees in Fanal Forest, Madeira, Portugal
Dec 11, 2024International Mountain Day
Apr 4, 2025National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, DC
Apr 28, 2019A good time in the Badlands
Aug 21, 2025A wheatear in Peak District National Park, England
Mar 28, 2023The Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Italy
Oct 6, 2025Anshun Bridge, Chengdu, China
Feb 24, 2021Getting to the bottom of the underwater waterfall
Apr 6, 2022Crested caracaras
Aug 16, 2025World Honey Bee Day
Oct 7, 2020The circular castle of Cornwall
Aug 9, 2025International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples
Apr 3, 2024Find a Rainbow Day
Jul 14, 2025Shark Awareness Day
Jan 15, 2022To Sua Ocean Trench
Nov 5, 2024US Election Day
Jun 18, 2018Here, fishy!
Jun 23, 2019Adorable activism
Nov 18, 2024Porthcawl Lighthouse, Wales, UK
Nov 19, 2019Zion National Park Turns 100
Jul 31, 2022Noctilucent clouds
May 2, 2024Craters of the Moon centennial
Sep 17, 2022Oktoberfest
Aug 20, 2019Lakeside serenity in Finland
Jun 9, 2018Yarn bombing in the village of Gurnard, England
Aug 9, 2018Ruins of Inca temples and terraces on Huayna Picchu, Peru
Apr 24, 2020Celebrating 30 years of eye-opening images
Feb 9, 2025Alstrom Point, Lake Powell, Utah
Nov 7, 2024Vancouver Coastal Sea wolves, Great Bear Rainforest, Canada