听月水榭

The city of Shibam, Yemen, rises from the Rub al Khali, or Empty Quarter, a sea of sand that occupies one-fifth of the Arabian Peninsula. The distinctive mud-brick skyscrapers that house Shibam's 5,000 residents have earned the city its nickname: "Manhattan of the Desert."

(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Empty Quarter: Exploring Arabia's Legendary Sea of Sand," February 2005, National Geographic magazine)

泥砖房屋，Shibam，也门，2005年

George Steinmetz摄

也门Shibam城，矗立在这片占据了阿拉伯半岛五分之一面积的、被称之为Rub al Khali沙漠或"空域"的沙海之上。这些与众不同的泥砖摩天楼里居住着Shibam的5000名居民，同时，这些楼宇也为该城赢得了一个昵称："沙漠曼哈顿"。

（图作而未刊，"空域：探索阿拉伯半岛的传奇沙海"，2005年2月，国家地理杂志）

These monumental stone pillars are among the incredible remains of the second century B.C. kingdom of Palmyra, Syria, an oasis and trade crossroads in the Syrian desert.

Roman forces sacked Palmyra in A.D. 273 after its powerful queen Zenobia challenged imperial rule. The city continued to be an important landmark after Roman conquest, hosting silk caravans from China, spice traders from India, and perfume merchants from Arabia.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Lawrence of Arabia: A Hero's Journey," January 1999, National Geographic magazine)

帕尔米拉遗址，叙利亚，1999年

Annie Griffiths Belt摄

这些不朽的石柱是公元前2世纪叙利亚帕尔米拉王国不可思议的遗址的一部分。这个王国位于叙利亚沙漠的一片绿洲之上，也是一个商路的交汇点。

当帕尔米拉王国强有力的皇后Zenobia挑战罗马帝国的统治之后，罗马军队于公元273年洗劫了这里。但在罗马人的征服之后，帕尔米拉城继续作为一个重要的商栈接待着来自中国的丝绸商队、来自印度的香料商和来自阿拉伯的香水商。

（图作而未刊，"阿拉伯的劳伦斯：英雄之旅"，1999年1月，国家地理杂志）

Explorers pulled this ancient Byzantine coin from a Black Sea wreck near Sinop, Turkey. Millennia ago, the Black Sea was a freshwater lake. When the last ice age waned some 12,000 years ago, salt water from the Mediterranean breached the Bosporus Valley, transforming the Black Sea into its current state-a toxic, brackish, oxygen-deficient pool, perfect for preserving ancient wrecks.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Deep Black Sea," May 2001, National Geographic magazine)

拜占庭硬币，Sinop，土耳其，2001

Randy Olson摄

勘探者们把这拜占庭硬币从土耳其Sinop附近的一个黑海遗迹中挖掘出来。数千年以前，黑海曾是个淡水湖。当大约12000年前最近的一个冰川期结束后，地中海的咸水穿过博斯普鲁斯海峡，把黑海转变成了现今这个样子--一个有毒的、碱化的、缺氧的内海，这种环境极其适合保存古代遗迹。

（图作而未刊，"深深的黑海"，2001年5月，国家地理杂志）