Environmental Graffiti

The Turquoise Waters of the Middle East’s Largest Salt Lake

Lake Urmia is a salt lake in northwestern Iran – the largest in the Middle East – known for its glittering turquoise waters and dozens of small, rocky islands. The lake is cherished by man and beast alike: People ascribe healing properties to the lake’s many minerals; and birds like flamingos, pelicans, storks, ibises and many others appreciate it as a food stop on their migration routes.

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Iran’s Human Termite Colony

Looking like a cross between a giant termite colony and a settlement from Star Wars, the village of Kandovan, tucked away in the northwest corner of Iran, is famed for its extraordinary houses carved inside cone-shaped rocks. Some of the dwellings in this unique and age-old place date back at least 700 years and yet are still inhabited. So what story is to be dug out of this strange-looking village?

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The 1979 Iranian Revolution in Pictures

Twenty years ago Iran's revolution began with a popular democratic movement and ended with the establishment of one of the world's primary Islamic states. Today the oppressiveness of such theocracies and the threat of Islamic Jihadists dominate the international agenda. Environmental Graffiti has decided to take a closer look at an event that lies at the heart of the West's difficulties with Iran.

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Black Gold Still Rules in Pipelineistan

The bottom line on the Iraq and AfPAK wars, and the American fixation on Iran, is oil. Obscene amounts of money, civilian lives and American integrity continue to be wasted on attempts to secure control over Central Asian energy resources, and the pipeline network that must be built to get this Black Gold to market.

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