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

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

The butterfly effect
29 Dec 2023Happy Hogmanay!
29 Dec 2024Borobudur temple, Java, Indonesia

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Hop into Lunar New Year
King of the jungle? Nope
28 Jan 2024Channel Country, Australia
8 Mar 2026Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland, Oregon, United States
12 Jul 2025Thomsons gazelles, Maasai Mara, Kenya
11 Apr 2025Tulips, Netherlands
29 Feb 2024Leap Day
3 Jul 2026Fireflies glowing above a stream, Okayama Prefecture, Japan
World Rivers Day
22 Sep 2024Autumn equinox
7 Feb 2025Blue hour in Trondheim, Norway
20 Feb 2024Kinder Scout, England
When only a hug will do
International Mountain Day
To the infinite and back
Will we be ready for the ‘big one?’
7 May 2026Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona, United States
Aug 31, 2023Saguaro cacti, Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona
The Riviera of India
29 Mar 2025Superbloom in Carrizo Plain National Monument, California, United States
9 Sep 2025Eurasian red squirrel, Switzerland
1 May 2025Lei Day
Towering trees of Tuscany
28 Jul 2026World Nature Conservation Day
19 May 2026Chelsea Flower Show
2 Jun 2025Skipper butterfly on an Echinacea flower
The lonely castle
26 Feb 2025Castle Stalker, Argyll, Scotland
25 Jan 2026Burns Night
11 Oct 2023The Painted Hills, Oregon, USA