The Aimani-Khadzhi Kadyrova Mosque, also known as “The Mother’s Heart” Mosque, is located in the town of Argun in the central part of the Chechen Republic, about 15 km east of Grozny. Opened on May 16, 2014, the mosque is named after the widow of Akhmat-Khadzhi Kadyrov, the first president of the Chechen Republic.

Construction of the mosque began in the center of Argun, on the site of the former town mosque, in mid-January 2011. It was built according to the design of the Turkish architect Deniz Ceyhun Baykan. The Aimani-Khadzhi Kadyrova Mosque on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

amazing futuristic mosque

Tags: Chechnya Republic · Grozny city · mosque

Dikson is an urban-type settlement located in the very north of Krasnoyarsk Krai of Russia, on the northwestern tip of the Taimyr Peninsula, on the coast of the Kara Sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean.

It is divided by a strait into two parts – an island and a mainland. In winter, cars and buses travel along the ice road, in summer, boats operate. In spring and autumn, you can only get from one part of the settlement to the other by helicopter. Dikson on Google Maps. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

frozen settlement at the edge of the earth

Tags: Krasnoyarsk krai

The Ecumenical Temple, also known as the Temple of All Religions and the International Cultural Center of Spiritual Unity is an architectural structure located in the Old Arakchino microdistrict in Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. Dedicated to various religions of the world, it is a popular landmark of the city.

The construction was started by the artist, architect, sculptor, and public figure Ildar Khanov in 1993. This idea came to him after traveling through Tibet and India. The temple was being built with the founder’s own funds until his death in 2013. After it, his brother Ilgiz and sister Flyura Galeeva continued his work.

unique building

Tags: churches · Kazan city · Tatarstan Republic

Alexander Vasilyevich Viskovatov was a Russian military historian who lived in the first half of the 19th century.

He was the author of a unique multi-volume book “Historical Description of Clothing and Armament of Russian Troops” with detailed descriptions of military and civilian clothing in Russia from 862 AD to the reign of Emperor Nicholas I.

Shirt.

back to the past

Tags: Russian Empire

This railway is located on the Yamal Peninsula in northern Western Siberia, in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug of Russia. Some of the world’s largest natural gas deposits are found here.

It consists of 5 stations and 70 bridges starting from Obskaya Station (Labytnangi) and going to Karskaya Station (the Bovanenkovo natural gas ​​deposit). The length of the railway is 572 km, and it is located entirely beyond the Arctic Circle. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

the railway at the edge of the world

Tags: Salekhard city · Yamalo-Nenets okrug

The Pashkov House is one of the most famous neoclassical buildings in Moscow. Today, it belongs to the Russian State Library. The building is located on a hill overlooking the western wall of the Moscow Kremlin, at Vozdvizhenka Street, 3/5, building 1.

This architectural monument, built by order of the captain of Semyonovsky life-guards regiment Peter Pashkov in 1784-1786, was designed presumably by the architect Vasily Bazhenov. The Pashkov House on Google Maps. Photos by: Vladimir d’Ar.

beautiful building

Tags: Moscow city

Putorana is a strongly dissected mountain range located in the northwest of Krasnoyarsk Krai. The nearest large settlement is the city of Norilsk. The surface of the plateau is covered with basaltic lava flows often referred to as the Siberian Traps. This is one of the most poorly studied and inaccessible regions of Russia.

The maximum height of the plateau is 1,701 meters. The name “Putorana”, translated from Evenki, means “lakes with steep banks”. The plateau area is about 250,000 square kilometers. The Putoransky Nature Reserve, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, is located on the plateau. The Putorana Plateau on Google Maps. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over the Putorana Plateau

Tags: Krasnoyarsk krai · Norilsk city

The mountain park “Ruskeala” is a tourist complex located in the Sortavala district of the Republic of Karelia, near the border with Finland. The basis of the complex is an abandoned marble quarry filled with groundwater – a cultural heritage site and historic monument.

The park is located near the village of Ruskeala, about 30 kilometers north of the town of Sortavala. The length of the former marble quarry from north to south is 460 meters, the width – up to 100 meters. Ruskeala Park on Google Maps. Photos by: Maria Mitrofanova.

picturesque abandoned quarry

Tags: Abandoned · Karelia Republic · Petrozavodsk city

The Commander (Komandorskiye) Islands are an archipelago of two large and two small islands located in the southwestern Bering Sea of ​​the Pacific Ocean, part of Kamchatka Krai of Russia. The archipelago is named after the navigator Commander Vitus Bering, who discovered these islands in 1741.

Bering Island is the largest island of the Commander Islands. It is about 90 km long and 24 km wide. The grave of Vitus Bering and several of his comrades are located here. There is only one settlement here – the village of Nikolskoye with a population of about 600 people. Bering Island, like all the Commander Islands, is located on an underwater ridge that extends from Alaska. The Aleutian Islands of the US state of Alaska are also located on this ridge. Photos by Andrey Grachev.

one of the most remote places in Russia

Tags: Kamchatka krai · Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky city

In 2024-2025, there is a peak in solar activity, which directly affects the intensity and beauty of such a natural phenomenon as the northern lights. These photos were taken in the Kotlas district in the southeastern part of Arkhangelsk Oblast on the night of August 12-13, 2024. According to the author of the photos, this was the most active and brightest aurora he has ever seen.

Each northern light is unique. Sometimes they look like green stripes that encircle the night sky. Other times, the northern lights appear as a shimmering canopy or resemble a glowing fog. Their primary color is green, often with shades of pink around the edges and purple in the center. Photos by: Evgeny Smolsky.

amazingly strong northern lights

Tags: Arkhangelsk oblast