Complicités du désert – Immidir , Algérie
Two Tuareg men exchange a glance and a few words. Their weathered faces tell as many stories as the landscape around them — that of a harsh yet familiar Sahara, made of stone, sand, and silence. Their dark chechs contrast with the brilliant desert light, filtered through the golden grasses in the foreground.
The Ethiopian Wolf, Sentinel of the Abyssinian Highlands
Bathed in golden light, a lone figure stands against the rolling backdrop of the Ethiopian highlands.
The Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), the world’s rarest wild canid, is a highland specialist, roaming open alpine grasslands in search of rodents.
This image captures the animal’s solitude and elegance within a vast, dreamlike landscape. Though elusive and threatened, it remains one of Africa’s most iconic predators—and a quiet symbol of the country’s vanishing wilderness.
Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) – Djibouti
In the deep, dark waters of the Gulf of Tadjourah, off the coast of Djibouti, emerges a majestic silhouette: the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), the largest fish in the world. With its enormous mouth agape, it filters thousands of liters of water each hour, harvesting plankton and tiny prey suspended in the ocean. Despite measuring between 12 and 18 meters long, this gentle giant is completely harmless to humans.
Its feeding strategy is simple yet remarkably efficient: it swims slowly with its mouth wide open, filtering up to 6,000 liters of water per hour. Each day, it can consume several dozen kilograms of plankton, fish larvae, and small crustaceans. The nutrient-rich waters of Djibouti, especially between October and February, attract these giants in search of food, offering rare and unforgettable encounters.
When the Desert Remembers – Algeria, Immidir Massif
In the heart of the Immidir Massif, in southern Algeria, the rocks tell a story that spans millennia. On the ochre walls of the desert, ancient paintings and engravings bear witness to human presence at a time when the Sahara was still green. Stylized human figures, hunting and dancing scenes, animals now long gone from the region—each stroke, each shape reveals a fragment of life, an ancient link between humans, nature, and the sacred. The rock art of Immidir, discreet yet powerful, carries the memory of a forgotten world.
The Smile of Tea – Kyrgyzstan
By the flickering glow of a storm lamp, each movement is precise, repeated since childhood. In this Kyrgyz yurt high in the mountains, black tea simmers in an enamel teapot. The hostess, her face lit by the firelight, pours the drink carefully into piala — small handleless bowls.
In Kyrgyzstan, serving tea is more than a daily habit: it’s a way of life, a ritual of hospitality deeply rooted in nomadic culture. The bowl is never filled to the brim — a gesture of respect and modesty — and is handed over with a warm smile, often accompanied by boorsok, homemade jam, or fresh bread.
Here, over tea, stories are shared, silences are welcome, and bonds are woven. Tea is the heart of the home, the warmth of welcome, the beginning of every encounter.
The Waltz of Stars Over the Dunes of the Rub al Khali (الربع الخالي)
In the vast, silent expanse of the Rub al Khali (الربع الخالي), literally “the Empty Quarter,” the largest sand desert of the Arabian Peninsula, the night sky turns into a celestial clock.
Captured with a long exposure, this image reveals the slow rotation of the Earth on its axis, as stars draw perfect arcs around the North Celestial Pole.
In the foreground, moonlit dunes glow with warm ochre tones. Shaped by prevailing winds, their flowing forms shift over time. The fine sand is the product of ancient sedimentary rock, weathered and eroded by wind over thousands of years.
Though seemingly still, this landscape speaks of constant motion: of wind, of stars… and of time itself.
Samarcande
