Travel photographer Amos Chapple recently crossed into Turkmenistan on a three-day transit visa and was able to photograph many of the sights and monuments in Ashgabat, the capital and largest city. Turkmenistan is a single-party country, a former Soviet state, run by a president at the center of a cult of personality.

Photo: A young couple leave the Alem Entertainment Center in Ashgabat. The current president has a history of breaking obscure records. In 2012 the wheel atop this complex was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest enclosed Ferris wheel. The structure was built at a cost of $90m. (Photo by Amos Chapple via The Atlantic)

Burnouts became a serious form of competition and entertainment in their own right. Considerable prize money or goods are sometimes involved, and cars may even be sponsored or purpose-built specifically as “burnout cars”. Burnout contests are judged on crowd response, with style and attitude therefore being important factors. Such contests are particularly popular in Australia but often occur in North America as well. Wikipedia

A man wears a sweater covered in Irish themed pins as he stands with thousands of spectators to watch the 254th New York City St. Patrick's Day parade up 5th Avenue in the Manhattan Borough of New York, March 17, 2015. (Photo by Mike Segar/Reuters)

Model feebee poses as part of art installation “Dazzle room” made by artist Shigeki Matsuyama at Room 32 fashion and design exhibition in Tokyo, Friday, February 19, 2016. Matsuyama's installation features a strong contrast of black and white, which he learned from dazzle camouflage used mainly in World War I, in Tokyo, Friday, Feb. 19, 2016. (Photo by Shuji Kajiyama/AP Photo)

Amateur astronomer Bill Snyder has been involved with astrophotography since 2007. Photo: The Cygnus Wall is in the southern area of NGC7000 also known as the North America Nebula. It is approximately 1800 light years from Earth, and is in the constellation Cygnus. The Wall is an energized shock front and contains the most concentrated star formations in the nebula. The size of the North America Nebula is about 4 full moons. (Photo and caption by Bill Snyder)

A couple walks past a burning roadblock set up to protest against a recent kidnapping and shooting in the Petionville neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti on November 1, 2021. (Photo by Adrees Latif/Reuters)

A “caixer” (horse rider) rears up on his horse surrounded by a cheering crowd during the traditional “Jaleo” at the Sant Antoni Festival in Es Castell, Balearic Islands, Spain on July 27, 2019. (Photo by Matthias Oesterle/Zuma Press/Picturedesk.com)

A Beijing Opera performer dances for a show by designer Hao Weimin at China Fashion Week, China, October 28, 2019. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)