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Balbal (statue-menhir), Burana, Kirghizistan, Western Turkic Khanate, 6th-10th century CE. Kurgan stelae, also called balbals, are human-shaped stone monuments placed on or around burial mounds known as kurgans. They were created by many different cultures over more than 3,000 years, from the Bronze Age through the Middle Ages. The earliest examples date to the 4th millennium BCE, particularly among the Yamna and Kemi Oba cultures of the Pontic-Caspian steppe. These monuments were probably created as memorials to the dead and were sometimes associated with burials, funeral rituals, and sacred enclosures. In some traditions, balbals may also have represented enemies killed by the deceased. Kurgan stelae are distributed across a vast area, including Eastern Europe, southern Russia, Ukraine, Siberia, Central Asia, Mongolia, Turkey, and the Caucasus. Because different peoples produced their own versions over many centuries, they should not be regarded as belonging to a single culture. Among the cultures associated with such monuments were the Scythians, Sarmatians, Slavs, and Turkic peoples. The appearance of the stelae varies considerably: some are simple stone slabs with only a face carved into them, while others depict detailed human figures wearing specific clothing and displaying weapons, jewelry, hairstyles, and drinking vessels. Warriors are often shown carrying swords, daggers, bows, or drinking horns. Medieval Turkic balbals sometimes formed long rows extending from burial monuments. Historical accounts describe them as memorials, with individual stones possibly representing people associated with the deceased. Another important group is the Hakkari stelae, thirteen Bronze Age monuments discovered in southeastern Turkey that depict mostly armed male figures holding drinking vessels. Dating approximately to 1500–1000 BCE, they show similarities to artistic traditions found across the Eurasian steppe. Historically, these monuments are important because they provide evidence about ancient peoples' burial customs, warfare, clothing, social status, religious beliefs, and artistic traditions. Many stelae have been lost or destroyed over time, often being reused as building or fencing material, while surviving examples are preserved in museums and archaeological sites. In short, kurgan stelae are ancient stone representations of people connected with burial and memorial traditions, and their long history and enormous geographic distribution reflect repeated cultural developments and interactions across the Eurasian steppe.
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Vajrapani, India, Kashmir, 8th century CE. Cleveland Museum of Art (ID: 1971.14)
The name Vajrapani means “he who holds (pani) the thunderbolt (vajra)” in Sanskrit. Adopted by Buddhists as a protector not only in India and the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Tibet, Vajrapani also was incorporated into art of China, Korea, and Japan. The attributes of the thunderbolt and the club were derived from images of Zeus and Hercules that travelers from the Mediterranean world brought to the region as early as the 320s BCE.
This rare, early bronze image of Vajrapani visually conveys his power to overcome fear and obstacles to enlightenment, and for this reason he is invoked by Buddhist practitioners. He sits on a pedestal in the form of a rocky mountain populated with wild lions, and he has tamed poisonous snakes to use as ornaments. (Cleveland Museum of Art)
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LHAKPA SHERPA // MOUNTAIN CLIMBER
“She is a Nepalese Sherpa mountain climber. She has climbed Mount Everest ten times, the most by any woman in the world. Her record-breaking tenth climb was on May 12, 2022, which she financed via a crowd-funding campaign. In 2000, she became the first Nepali woman to climb and descend Everest successfully. In 2016, she was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women.”
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AHED TAMIMI // ACTIVIST
“She is a Palestinian activist from the village of Nabi Salih in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Best known for appearances in photos and videos in which she confronts Israeli soldiers, she has been hailed by pro-Palestinian activists as a symbol of Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation. Her memoir They Called Me a Lioness was published in 2022. In December 2017, Tamimi was detained by Israeli authorities for slapping a soldier, which was filmed and went viral, attracting international interest and debate. Tamimi was sentenced to eight months in prison after agreeing to a plea bargain and released on 29 July 2018. After her father was arrested and placed under administrative detention during the Gaza war, she too was arrested again in November, in connection to an Instagram post allegedly belonging to her that called for a massacre of Israeli settlers in the West Bank. She was released on November 29, as part of an exchange deal between Israel and Hamas.”
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Princess Jenna Norodom of Cambodia performing on stage with traditional Apsara dancers for the Miss Cosmo Cambodia beauty pageant. She wore 2 dresses created by the native brand "ALmeé Couture". She also presented a new dress from the same brand just 2 weeks ago. All images from the official "ALmeé Couture" Pinterest account
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Baharna Arab man's clothes, Bahrain, by mustafaa7
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A Christian pilgrim attends a Mass in the Basilica of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, northern Israel, Aug. 6, 2026.
Many Christians in Israel, who make up less than 2% of the country’s population, are worried visible signs of their faith will draw harassment, which has increased as multiple conflicts grip the region.
(AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Photo of a Spanish Mestiza. c 1900. Henson Studios, Cabanatuan Philippine Islands. Courtesy of Reyes-Berenguer Museum.