Desert Kingdoms of the Silk Road

How a desert city is built

A desert town is shaped by heat, wind and scarce timber. Walls are thick, windows are small, streets are narrow and shaded, and roofs become domes because there is little wood for beams. When you paint or model a desert city, these rules make it believable. The packs below show them on real buildings.

The Ancient Islamic Walled Desert Town is the most complete set in this collection. Its 734 photos cover Khiva's mosques, madrasas, minarets, mausoleums, palace and harem quarters, gates, squares and streets. Aerial views were taken from the top of the town's highest tower, which gives you the roofscape and street plan as well as ground-level detail. The buildings date from about 1000 to 120 years ago, so you can see how one style changed over centuries.

From the bazaar to the citadel

Every Silk Road city had a trading heart and a seat of power. Fotoref photographer atenitsky documented both in Bukhara:

• Islamic Medieval Domed Bazaar: 39 photos of a covered market. Markets like this were named after their number of domes, for example the 3-dome or 5-dome market.
• Bukhara Islamic Medieval Fortress: 149 photos of the emir's fortress and palace quarters, including walls, the open throne room and the mosque. About 20% of the complex survived a siege in 1920 and was later renovated. That mix of ruin and restoration is useful for a city that has seen war.

For learning, prayer and burial, go to Samarkand. Giant Islamic Medieval Universities shows 15th-century madrasas in 185 photos, with their inner yards and small student rooms. The Tamerlan Islamic Mausoleum (158 photos) covers the tomb's interior and exterior.

Brick that lasts 1000 years

Dry air preserves brick well. The 1000 Year Old Brick Mausoleum in Bukhara was built around the 10th century and has stayed largely intact. Only minor reconstruction was needed, to restore the collapsed dome ceiling. Its 50 photos show early decorative brickwork up close. This is useful reference for texture artists, and for anyone who wants an ancient building that does not look like a ruin.

The desert around the city

A city needs a landscape. The Tunisian packs by MGELEY, all shot at 6000 × 4000 on a Sony Alpha 7, give you the setting:

• Tunisian Desert Oasis: 190 photos of rocks, water and desert, plus panoramas of the views.
• Tunisian Desert Canyon: 39 photos of a dry canyon where a small stream lets vegetation grow.
• Star Wars Tatooine Tunisian Location: 32 photos of what remains of an original Star Wars filming set in Tunisia, for $2.99.

For open sand and rock, see our desert reference photos. For tilework, calligraphy and domes in more depth, see Islamic architecture reference.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly were these photos taken?

The Silk Road packs were shot in Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand in Uzbekistan. The landscape packs were shot in Tunisia. Each product page lists the location, the photographer and the camera.

Some packs are 4000 × 3000. Is that enough for matte painting?

For most backgrounds and photobashing, yes. The Uzbek packs are 4000 × 3000, which is 12 megapixels per frame. The Tunisian packs are 6000 × 4000. If you need very large prints or extreme crops, check the Quality field on each product page first.

Several buildings are mosques and tombs. Can I use them for fantasy art?

Yes, as reference for form, construction and decoration. Some of these sites are still religious places, and the Islamic Medieval Necropolis in Samarkand is decorated with calligraphy from the Quran. If you adapt them, treat sacred text and symbols with care rather than using them as decoration.

Can I turn the brickwork and tilework into 3D assets?

Yes. The license allows you to create your own 3D models, photogrammetry meshes and textures from the photos for your projects, so a mausoleum wall or a bazaar dome can become a tiling material or a game asset. Reselling the photos or the packs is not allowed.