23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Travel
Lalish Light New Year's Pilgrimage

Lalish, the 4,000-year-old Yazidi holy site in Kurdistan, Iraq. Inside the main temple I observed Yazidi pilgrims crossed into the temple’s light, kissing the entrystone in reverence.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 04.2025
Date Uploaded: 11.2025
Photo Location: Nineveh Plains, Iraq, Iraq
Camera: NIKON Z 8
Copyright: © Ryan Kost