Earth Explorer

acquired 2012 - 2014 download large image (1 MB, JPEG, 3099x3323)                             In December 2014, scientists using a NASA-NOAA satellite announced that they had detected significant changes in the amount and distribution of nighttime lighting during holiday seasons in the Middle East and North America. For instance, nighttime lights in some Middle East cities were 50 to 100 percent brighter during the holy month of Ramadan. The maps on this page show changes in lighting intensity and location on the Arabian Peninsula and in the countries along the eastern Mediterranean coast. They are based on data from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite. The maps compare the night light signals fro...

These fascinating photos from 1880 feature pilgrims from 10 countries during Hajj. Back then, before the advent of modern transport such as commercial air travel, the journey to Hajj was far more difficult and perilous and these pilgrims would have undertaken journeys of weeks or months to reach Makkah. An interesting observation about these photos is the different clothing the pilgrims are wearing reflecting the customs of their place of origin. However during Hajj, such nationalities disappear as each person wears two pieces of un-stitched clothing making it difficult to identify their nationality. Hajj brings all nations and peoples together where the young, the old, the poor and the rich stand before Allah as equals. These photos were taken when the Ottoman caliphate still existed and pilgrims were able to travel hassle free without passports and visas through borderless lands. Basra, Iraq Baghdad, Iraq Aceh, Indonesia Sumatra, Indonesia Bahrain Zanzibar Yem...