202608 वॉलपेपर संग्रह

Stand in Registan Square and it's easy to see why it is considered the architectural heart of Samarkand—one of Central Asia's oldest cities. This plaza in Uzbekistan is framed by three magnificent madrasas—Islamic centres of learning—whose soaring portals draw the eye upwards. Yet some of the square's greatest treasures reveal themselves only when you look closer.

Today, International Whale Shark Day makes room for the world's largest fish. Despite their name, whale sharks are not whales but fish, reaching lengths of up to 18 metres and weighing around 18 tonnes. Found in warm tropical seas, they glide through the water with their mouths open, filtering plankton, fish eggs and other tiny prey. This species' distinctive white-spot patterns are unique to each individual, much like human fingerprints.

Off the coast of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil, the image captures a familiar ritual: surfers waiting beyond the breaking waves, their boards rising and falling with the Atlantic. From above, almost nothing seems to happen. But that's when the real work begins.

At sunset, Mont-Saint‑Michel rises from the waters of Normandy, France, like a fortress shaped by the sea. Perched on a rocky tidal island, the abbey and village stand at the centre of one of Europe's most dramatic coastal settings. Twice a day, the sea retreats to reveal vast stretches of sand before surging back to reclaim the landscape. At high tide, the mount becomes an island once again. For centuries, travellers timed their journeys to this rhythm, crossing the flats when conditions allowed and watching the sea return hours later.

Imagine a world without the natural wonders that hold about 90% of Earth's surface freshwater. Lakes are among our planet's most valuable resources, providing clean water, supporting wildlife, regulating climate and sustaining communities worldwide. Recognising their importance, the United Nations designated 27 August as World Lake Day, first observed in 2025. Earth is home to more than 117 million lakes covering nearly 4% of its land surface. Together, they sustain countless ecosystems, while Lake Baikal in Russia alone holds about one-fifth of the world's surface liquid freshwater. Yet many lakes face growing pressure from pollution, overuse and climate change.

As darker nights return to Iceland, visitors will soon look to the skies for a chance to see the aurora borealis. Better known as the northern lights, this luminous phenomenon occurs when charged particles from the sun collide with oxygen and nitrogen high in Earth's atmosphere, creating shimmering ribbons of green, pink, purple and sometimes red light. From September to April, Iceland's northern location and long winter nights make it one of the world's finest places to witness the display.

Some places make you feel on top of the world. Redwood National and State Parks do the opposite—and that's the point. Stand beneath these towering giants and you'll quickly realise who's really setting the bar high.

The Brooklyn Bridge doesn't just connect Manhattan and Brooklyn in the United States—it bridges history, engineering and a few surprising stories too. Opened in 1883 after 14 years of construction, it became the world's first steel-wire suspension bridge, forever changing the way New Yorkers crossed the East River.

At Katmai National Park, crowd-pleasers don't need a stage. Brown bears wait by the river, and when the salmon jump, the show begins.

That quick glimpse of blue fluttering through a field has a story that begins much earlier, with a tiny caterpillar and an unexpected partnership. The common blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus), named after Icarus, the figure from Greek mythology, is found across Europe, North Africa and parts of Asia. It begins life as an egg laid on host plants such as common bird's-foot trefoil. After hatching, the caterpillar feeds on the leaves before producing a sugary substance that attracts ants. In return for this sweet reward, the ants often protect the developing caterpillar from predators during one of the most vulnerable stages of its life. Depending on the climate, the species can produce two or three generations between spring and autumn.

Some mountain roads become destinations in their own right, and Julier Pass is one of them. Rising to 2,284 metres, this Swiss mountain pass has linked Alpine valleys for nearly 2,000 years. Long before modern traffic, Roman travellers, merchants and messengers crossed its summit. Archaeological discoveries, including hundreds of Roman coins and the remains of two stone columns, suggest there was once a sanctuary or resting place for those making the climb. The summit also marks the major European watershed dividing the Rhine and Danube river basins.

An orca breaks the surface of Lynn Canal against the backdrop of the snow-capped Chilkat Mountains in Southeast Alaska, United States. Also known as the killer whale, the orca is the largest member of the dolphin family and one of the ocean's most recognisable predators. The cold, nutrient-rich waters of Alaska's Inside Passage provide abundant feeding grounds, sustaining salmon runs and a rich variety of marine life that supports these remarkable animals.

The best route here isn't built with concrete. Instead, the tide reveals a rocky path leading from Whytecliff Park to Whyte Islet in West Vancouver, Canada. A few hours later, the sea quietly covers the crossing again, making timing part of the experience. This shoreline has drawn visitors for generations. The tide opens the path; wet rocks keep you humble. The reward is a sweeping view back towards the beach and the hillside homes of Gleneagles.

From above, Palmanova looks less like a town and more like a carefully drawn star set into the plains of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. Founded by the Republic of Venice in 1593, this fortress city was designed for defence, order and spectacle. Its streets radiate from a central square, while its walls are shaped into a precise nine-pointed pattern. That geometry was no accident. Palmanova became one of the most influential models of early modern military architecture. It was protected by concentric fortifications built first under Venice and later strengthened and expanded during the Napoleonic period.

Location matters. Just ask the false clownfish seen in the image at Lighthouse Reef, near Cabilao Island, Philippines. In these tropical waters packed with hungry mouths and fierce competition, they've secured prime real estate: a sea anemone armed with thousands of microscopic stinging cells.

What do swans, secret hideaways and a medieval fish tank have in common? They're all part of the story of Ross Errilly Friary. Founded around 1351, this well-preserved Franciscan friary in Ireland is often called Ross Abbey, though it never had an abbot because it was never an abbey.

Every 15 August, India celebrates its independence with flag-hoisting ceremonies, patriotic songs, skies dotted with colourful kites and visitors gathering around iconic places like India Gate in New Delhi, pictured here. Behind the festivities, however, are fascinating stories that make the day even more memorable.

Roads solved one problem but quietly created another. People could travel faster than ever, while wildlife now faced highways cutting across routes they had followed for generations. The result was more collisions, fragmented habitats and isolated wildlife populations. That challenge led to building wildlife crossings called ecoducts: bridges or tunnels designed to reconnect habitats and give animals a safe way across busy roads. Some of the earliest modern examples appeared in France during the 1950s, while countries such as the Netherlands refined the concept with broad, vegetation-covered bridges that blend into the surrounding landscape.

Not every summer tradition happens on the ground. Some unfold hundreds of miles overhead, one meteor at a time. The Perseids return each year from mid-July through late August, peaking around 12-13 August, when as many as 100 meteors an hour can streak across dark skies. Each meteor is a tiny fragment left behind by Comet Swift–Tuttle as Earth passes through its dust trail, appearing to radiate from the constellation Perseus. In Spain, the display is affectionately known as Lágrimas de San Lorenzo ('Tears of Saint Lawrence').

On 12 August, World Elephant Day shines a spotlight on the world's African and Asian elephants and the urgent need to protect them. In places like Amboseli National Park in Kenya, captured in this image, a herd doesn't simply pass through the landscape—it remembers it. Matriarchs guide their families between water sources, following routes shaped as much by memory as by terrain.

In Copenhagen, Nyhavn Canal is a burst of colour and history. Lined with bright, gabled townhouses reflected in the water, this 17th-century waterfront is one of Denmark's best-known landmarks.

Where two great deserts meet, Joshua Tree National Park reveals a stark, mesmerising landscape shaped by wind, time and extremes. In Southern California, United States, the higher Mojave Desert merges with the hotter, lower Colorado Desert, creating a unique blend of ecosystems and remarkable biodiversity.

Today, the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples invites a closer look at communities whose stories stretch far beyond recorded history. Proclaimed by the United Nations in 1994 and first observed in 1995, the day commemorates a landmark 1982 meeting on Indigenous rights. More than 476 million Indigenous people live across about 90 countries, representing thousands of cultures and protecting an estimated 80% of the planet's remaining biodiversity despite making up around 6% of the global population.

On 8 August, curiosity takes centre stage on International Infinity Day—a celebration inspired by the sideways figure 8, a symbol of something without end. Founded in 1987 by New York–based philosopher Jean-Pierre Ady Fenyo, the date (8/8) was chosen because the number 8, when turned on its side, becomes the infinity symbol, or lemniscate, first introduced by English mathematician John Wallis in 1655. The day celebrates philosophy, science, art and the endless possibilities of human imagination.

Nature has a knack for balancing the impossible. In New Mexico's Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness in the United States, towering hoodoos perch hefty rock caps on slender stems. Wind, water and ice have spent roughly 75 million years sculpting these remote badlands into an open-air gallery that feels more alien than terrestrial.

In the Masai Mara, Kenya, the ground seems to move. A vast surge of wildebeest—hoofed grazers built for endurance—travel in tightly packed herds, drawn by fresh grass and water replenished by seasonal rains.

In Fez, Morocco, the Royal Palace—known as Dar al-Makhzen—has stood as a seat of power since the 13th century, when Morocco's rulers established a fortified royal city around it. Behind its high walls lie gardens, courtyards, mosques and royal residences spread across a vast complex still used by the king today, making it both historic and fully active.

Owls take centre stage on International Owl Awareness Day, an annual observance highlighting their remarkable adaptations and worldwide distribution. Found on every continent except Antarctica, these birds are known for forward-facing eyes, flat facial discs that channel sound and specialised hearing. Many species hunt in near silence thanks to soft-edged feathers. Their eyes remain fixed in their sockets, so they rely on flexible necks to scan their surroundings. From forests to deserts, owls inhabit a wide range of environments and play an important role in maintaining ecosystem balance.

Colourful luzzus—traditional Maltese fishing boats—fill the sheltered harbour of Marsaxlokk, a village on Malta's southeastern coast. Just a short drive from Valletta, the island's capital, it remains one of the country's main fishing hubs, where daily life follows the steady pace of the sea. Home to roughly 4,000 residents, the village is also widely known for its lively waterfront, especially its popular Sunday fish market and for the steady return of boats carrying fresh catches each morning.

Finland is famous for the northern lights, its high happiness rankings, saunas and thousands of lakes. Helsinki adds history, design and the Baltic Sea to that list. The story begins in 1550, when King Gustav I of Sweden founded a trading town that would become Finland's capital in 1812. Today, a walk through the city can take you from Senate Square and the white-domed Helsinki Cathedral to the sea fortress of Suomenlinna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site accessible by ferry.

Most landscapes change over thousands of years. Volcanoes can reshape them in a matter of hours, and on Hawaii's Big Island, they continue to do just that. Recognising the scientific and natural importance of this ever-changing environment, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was established on 1 August, 1916. For more than a century, it has protected over 142,000 hectares of volcanic terrain, native forests and rare wildlife.