Map by Oncel Aldanmaz

Israel

oaldanmaz26 — 2025-09-11 01:05:58 UTC

Desert emphasizes isolation and resilience, so wanted to put a visual that describes this

Jordan

oaldanmaz26 — 2025-09-11 01:09:51 UTC

Chose this visual, as it combines the richness water brings with the stark desert archetypes I associate with the Dead Sea

Granada, Spain

oaldanmaz26 — 2025-09-11 01:16:06 UTC

Always thought of Granada as a typical historic European city because of its blend of old streets, palaces, and cultural layers

Pakistan

oaldanmaz26 — 2025-09-11 01:20:21 UTC

I associated Indus River with a dry-ish river, since I've thought of it as flowing through a hot, arid setting where water feels especially precious

Fez-Meknès, Morocco

oaldanmaz26 — 2025-09-11 01:24:38 UTC

I associated Fez with a typical crowded Moroccan city because I picture its old streets packed with markets, people, and constant movement

Samarqand Region, Uzbekistan

oaldanmaz26 — 2025-09-11 01:28:10 UTC

Associated Semerkand with this image of a Turkish motif in a Mosque due to shared Turkic roots, traditions, and historical and cultural ties between the nations

(36.32071152342635, 37.247150449085595)

oaldanmaz26 — 2025-09-11 01:31:34 UTC

Visualized Aleppo with ruined buildings from the war, and I think of it often because so many refugees from there have come to Turkey

14029 Córdoba, Spain

oaldanmaz26 — 2025-09-11 03:06:20 UTC

Wanted to choose an image with a fusion of motifs and stone buildings because it reminds me of the city's layered history and mix of cultures

Baghdad, Baghdad Governorate, Iraq

oaldanmaz26 — 2025-09-11 03:10:38 UTC

Wanted to visualize Baghdad with this to show both the beauty Baghdad once stood for and the loss/decline it has gone through

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oaldanmaz26 — 2025-09-11 03:22:13 UTC

I've always associated Red Sea with the story of Moses parting the sea. Since that image immediately comes to mind when I think of it, I chose this image.

Jordan

oaldanmaz26 — 2025-10-19 00:23:58 UTC

I associate Petra with this image because it represents the city both literally carved into rock and metaphorically as a threshold: between desert and city, isolation and connection, past and present, capturing its role as a gateway of cultural and historical convergence

Yemen

oaldanmaz26 — 2025-10-19 00:36:27 UTC

I associate Hadramawt with the desert emoji, as it reminds me of a city built alongside a valley where people built lasting cities and communities in a harsh/dry environment

Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem

oaldanmaz26 — 2025-10-19 04:34:28 UTC

A pivot point represents the Dome of the Rock well, as it can illustrate the moment when early Islamic history established its own sacred geography. Built under the Umayyads, it marked Islam’s confidence as a new faith linked to (but also distinct from) other religions

Ka’bah, Makkah Saudi Arabia

oaldanmaz26 — 2025-10-19 04:38:43 UTC

Wanted to represent Ka'ba with a core: it anchors the Muslim world both physically and spiritually. Since all prayer faces it, the Ka'ba signifies how Islamic belief and community revolve around a single unifying focus