Columbia, Pennsylvania, USA

The Susquehanna River in Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary, 3rd ed., 1997, p. 1141: "River; cen. New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, rises in Otsego Lake, Otsego co., cen. New York, flows S across Pennsylvania border and across E Pennsylvania and NE corner of Maryland, to empty into N Chesapeake Bay; 444 mi." [2013]

THE BACKSTORY ~ Posted on the 12^th Anniversary of Geographically Yours, 4 August 2022: Posts in late June 2022 were spent honoring some of America’s great rivers, including two of my besties: the Susquehanna (on whose banks I was born) and the Potomac (close to whose banks I lived for a while). For the photo captions, I decided to use entries from Merriam-Webster’s Geographical Dictionary, which, for decades, was a standard reference work for geographers and librarians.

It is now in its third edition, and it may be the last. Esoteric knowledge that used to be bound in books is now universally accessible digitally. The dust jacket of the revised 3rd edition is shown here. If you look at it closely, you will see a yellow starburst with a quote: “This is a masterful revision.” That quote was lifted from a review I wrote for “The Geographical” (its nickname) back when it was first published. In the 1990s, I loved walking into almost any bookstore and finding my name on the cover of a book I didn’t even write. At the same time, it made me feel a little bad. That’s because not even the editor, the one who did all the work, had his name on the book cover (though it is inside, along with a nice preface). He and I were friends in graduate school at the University of Rhode Island and we continue to be friends to this day. He got his M.A. and became an editor with one of the most revered publishing houses in lexicography. His expertise is geography, but he tended to other duties, too. As he attended professional meetings, he listened to paper presentations took notes on new words that were being used or on old words used in new contexts: for the files at headquarters in Springfield, Mass. Low-key but exciting. Together, we even gave a paper at one of those meetings. It was on generic place names (geographers call them toponyms). I posted our maps on Geographically Yours. We spent a lot of time plotting all those towns with endings like -burg and -boro. We did it by hand. Now, with Geographic Information Systems, a computer can do it instantly. DJ.Z.

Växjö, Sweden

When the international border between Sweden and Denmark was here, Kronoberg Castle was necessary for Sweden to guard its frontier. Lots of resources went into fortification, expansion, and upkeep. When the international border was moved to the Øresund, Växjö lost its strategic significance and the castle declined. Today, only ruins remain. [1984]

THE BACKSTORY ~ Posted on the 11^th Anniversary of Geographically Yours, 4 August 2021: From my travel log on the two days a friend and I spent in Växjö, Sweden, in the summer of 1984. “We headed inland and got off at Alvesta, then caught another train to Växjö. In Växjö we stopped at an outdoor museum (closed), saw a windmill, and a few folk barns, stopped to see the cathedral, and fortunately bought a few things for supper at the grocery store. Växjö was dead though. It was Saturday afternoon and almost everything was closed.”

The next day we rented an Opal Corsa for a single day and drove out into the countryside from which so many Swedish immigrants to the United States had come. My friend was a descendent of one of those immigrant families. “We  drove back to Växjö, after eating in the car, on a very rural road that wound its way through the woods and among the lakes of Kronoberg. It rained the whole day and prevented a lot of picture taking. In Växjö we rushed to the Emigrant House Museum, which is undergoing considerable expansion. It was located next to the Smaland Museum where they have some buildings moved in from around Sweden. Nobody in the museum knew anything about the outbuildings and didn’t have anything in writing about them either. The Emigrant House Museum was very nice. It had both English and Swedish descriptions which made it more meaningful for us."

“One more stop we made before returning to the hostel. We went to see the ruins of Kronoburg castle, the best castle we have yet seen. It is situated on a point of land which juts into Helgasjön Lake. The ruins were restored with a few bricks to support the arches and a few new stairways made of wood.  The castle is open to the weather, however. The only contrived aspect was the wooden stage and simple benches which were set up in the central courtyard and some passageways that were blocked off. We had the whole castle to ourselves. The castle is on the site  of a medieval bishop’s castles (Bishop of Växjö). The present castle was built in Gustavus Vasa’s time and was added to in the 1550s.” The next morning, we boarded the train to Stockholm. D.J.Z.

Fuheis, Jordan

Markets in the Euro-American world don't typically offer hens for sale. Yet, only a century ago even town dwellers had a few chickens in the back yard so they could have fresh eggs in large quantities and chicken soup now and then. For Americans, seeing what's available in Middle Eastern suqs is a bit like turning the clock back a hundred years. [2001]

THE BACKSTORY ~ Posted on the 12th Anniversary of Geographically Yours, 4 August 2022: Amazing how few pictures of Jordan have been posted on Geographically Yours! Amazing because I lived there for three months in 2001 (still looking for the pictures I took). I was a visiting scholar at the American Center of Oriental Research in Amman. My project was on the Christian population of Jordan. Every day, I would return to the library at ACOR and type up my field notes for the day. These are from March 16, 2001: “Passed up the Friends of Archaeology Tour to go to Fuheis. The mini-bus there costs only 150 fils. Fuheis is not far, just on the other side of the ridge from Suweillah. It is a Christian village. From several sources I have now heard that Muslims do not own property in Fuheis, although they live there. There seems to be a ‘conspiracy’ among the Christians to keep the town totally Christian. I am told there is a mosque, but I did not see it. You arrive in the square (a roundabout with a statue of St. George) in the middle of the village. There is a toy/trinket store, a grocery, a lunch take-away (where they gave me a free bottle of Coke), and a liquor store (yes, it sells arak along with many other liquors; you can tell it is a Christian place; and it’s not the only one in town). In the trinket store, I met the owner, Riad Jreisat and his two sons, both of whom were born in the United States. I took a picture of him and his son Ali (a Christian name?) and promised to send him a copy. The Christians in town are of three churches: Latine [essentially Roman Catholic], Roum Orthodox [Greek Orthodox], and Roum Catholic [Greek Catholic]. The medinah churches are the Latine and Orthodox churches. I took a look inside the Orthodox church, splendidly colorful icons and usual iconostasis; cruciform in shape. There must have been choir practice at the Latine Church; I could hear singing when I went by. The Greek Catholic Church is apparently upslope; I did not see it. Took a picture of the wadi, fed by a powerful, gushing spring, now channeled in concrete. Flat bottom with a small trickle of water along the side, but it must fill up in wetter weather. Trees were planted on the flat bottom land. There was a wire mesh over the stream but I could not find out why. Along the watercourse, you could see the remains of the Ottoman buildings, many of which were no longer being used. There are new houses on every vantage point all around town: suburban sprawl. I met a young man from Iraq, a village near Mosul. He was Chaldean Christian and his home village was all Christian. I think that is why he took up residence in Fuheis. The Iraqi Christians are trying to get to the US, Canada, Australia, or Denmark. They do not see themselves as permanent residents of Fuheis. The Chaldeans worship in the Latine Church – because they are catholic.  He pointed out some passing young woman who he said would be going to Canada. They need money to get into these countries though, or a sponsor. Someone told me that Jordan would only have them for 6 months. There are 50-60 Iraqi Christians in Fuheis.” D.J.Z.

Harrisburg and the West Shore, Pennsylvania, USA

Today is the 10th anniversary of Geographically Yours. At one picture per day, that amounts to over 3,600 photographs, all taken by me. To celebrate, I am posting a few favorite pictures from high school: pictures that I thought captured each moment well, pictures taken as slides on a Kodak Instammatic. [1968 and 1969]

THE BACKSTORY ~ Posted on the 10^th Anniversary of Geographically Yours, 4 August 2020: By the time I got to high school, cameras were cheap enough to be affordable, and I was old enough to be responsible. Some of my first photos are posted here. They reflect the advantages of growing up in Central Pennsylvania. East of where I lived was the state capitol which offered performance art on a regular basis. West of where I lived were the great outdoors, which offered places to walk, to camp, and to hike, places where you might find a hillside spring proffering a cool drink. The performance art at the capitol was usually political. It was good theater whether or not you liked the politics (and I didn’t); I just enjoyed the idea that I could get close enough to a political candidate to take his picture, right there on the front steps of the capitol, right near the spot where my grandfather and I used to feed the squirrels on the capitol grounds. In the other direction were the woods in Rossmoyne, the meadows along the Yellow Breeches Creek, and, yes, those springs. Where this one was, I have long forgotten! Whether alone (which I was in two of the pictures) or with friends, I discovered how much fun it was to document the people and places of my world, a world that would gradually expand from Central Pennsylvania to six of the seven continents and four of the five oceans. You can see my world, as documented in Geographically Yours on the map below. D.J.Z.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Wheel chair rolling. Pedestrian strolling. Corner approaching. Two souls rendezvousing.
An uneasy feeling. Back pocket starts squealing. Wallet's revealing some ringgits for dealing.
Some gracious accepting. Lives intersecting. Good deeds compiling. God must be smiling.
[2011]

THE BACKSTORY ~ Posted on the 10^th Anniversary of Geographically Yours, 4 August 2020: When I saw this transaction unfolding on the streets of Kuala Lumpur, I had to get to my camera fast. I knew something was taking place that everyone should see. I had to document it. Snap, snap, snap: Done. This is the way “almsgiving” works in a Muslim society. People take care of those who can’t easily take care of themselves, even if they are strangers. Just don’t call it charity! It is nothing “over and above”; it is the least that God expects. Here were a few seconds of performance art that made tangible one of the pillars of Islam. It reminded me so much of my studies and travels in the Arab World, where I met some of the kindest and most hospitable people anywhere. I am so glad I was quick on the draw with my point-and-shoot (so much more responsive than those old 35mm varieties I used to strap around my neck). After I returned home, I found the images here to be among my favorite mementoes. I liked the scene so much I wrote the poem above. D.J.Z.

Havana, Cuba

Sunday afternoon means going to the movies for many Cubans, especially if  they're lucky enough to live in Vedado. The films are Cuban and so is the ice cream across the street. As for the Model T: not exactly Cuban, but very popular with visitors. [2017]

THE BACKSTORY ~ Posted on the 12^th Anniversary of Geographically Yours, 4 August 2022: Sometimes photos from Geographically Yours end up in other places, such as the covers of academic journals, in this case the Journal of Geography. Here is an example from my first trip to Havana. Cuba was off limits to U.S. travelers throughout my adult life.

Then, during the Obama Administration, there was a lifting of some restrictions. With the right travel agent, group ventures became relatively easy to arrange. At that point, a travel-inclined friend began putting together a “friends group” to make the trip. I was the first to arrive on the island, and used the time to visit the Havana Zoo (nice park for the kids, so sad for the few animals that were left). Later that day, our group convened at the O’Farrill Hotel and readied ourselves for a week of formerly forbidden travel pleasure. We had a guide, but also had plenty of time to wander around on our own. On one occasion our wanderings brought us to a famous ice cream parlor called Coppelia. Of course, there was a long line and few choices, but the ice cream was great. The line gave us a chance to gawk at the people in front of the Yara cinema, complete with its own line. That’s when I snapped this picture. I later sent it to the editor of the Journal of Geography who was looking for some cover art. He liked it. In fact, he ran a few covers with my photos. The Journal of Geography is published by the National Council for Geographic Education, which I served as President in 1997: an unbelievable 25 years ago! By the time I became President, though, I had already been a member of NCGE for 30 years. I joined in 1967, when I was a junior in high school. I may be the only high school student ever to join. But it was even before that when I became a geographer. It was 7th grade. That’s when I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life, and I did it! Never has there been a single regret. D.J.Z.

Palmyra, Syria

The ancient Roman city of palms, Palmyra, may soon be no more. It may have survived the elements and marauders for 1800 years, but it may not survive the Islamic State's take-over of the Syrian Desert. Next stop: Damascus, only 150 miles away. This view is from the Ayyubid castle atop a nearby peak. [1995]

THE BACKSTORY ~ Posted on the 11^th Anniversary of Geographically Yours, 4 August 2021: Life in Syria was such an adventure. I lived there in the spring of 1993 as a visiting scholar. A scholar I was, and my mission was to be visiting as much of the country as possible. One of the places that cried out for a visit was Palmyra, the ancient oasis city in the middle of the Syrian Desert. Built by the Romans and abandoned, the city was slowly reclaimed by the desert and then unearthed by the archaeologists. Yes, I wanted to go so badly and would let my friends on the Aleppo University campus know of my desires. ‘Aiwa’ (أيوة), they would say, ‘we will go’ or, on one occasion: ‘The English Department has a special trip planned.’ I thought aiwa meant ‘yes,’ but my three months came and went without ever visiting Palmyra. Three years later, however, I returned to Syria with a friend to set up a seminar for Virginia teachers. That trip was not going to end until I got to the ancient city of palms, where I could ground truth the vocabulary of Roman city planning: forum, cardo, decumanus, tetrapylon. Once there, though, the big picture was hard to grasp: I needed to change scales. The old fort on the top of a nearby hill became the next stop on our itinerary. I hoped that a bird’s-eye view would put the puzzle of Palmyra together for me. But, how to get up there (‘cause it wasn’t that close)? We started asking around the ruins. Local voices always know: ‘The old fort is locked,’ they said, so you must go into town (the adjacent modern town named Tadmur) and find the man who has the key. We did, and not only did he have the key, he also had a three-wheel drive. The elevation of the fortress (built to protect the date palms and the caravan trade) gave us the perfect wide-angle view. Suddenly, geographical relationships became clear: This was a place in the desert where water collected underground, setting the stage for palm groves that seemed to go on forever. When you are walking down the cardo of the ruins, however, you would never guess that a super-sized palmarie was at hand. That’s because the ancients knew where to build a city: not in the oasis, which yielded wealth in the form of dates, but perched on the up-slope ledge where the desert begins. The size of the oasis clarified two more pieces of the puzzle: With all those dates, of course (1) you would need a service center the size of Palmyra, and (2) caravans would find it profitable to brave a great desert to get there. To finish the story, though, required another change of scale and a map of the Fertile Crescent: Palmyra is halfway between the Euphrates River in the east and Damascus, a far greater oasis city, in the west. The water and wealth of Palmyra made the short-cut between the two sides of the Fertile Crescent, an alternative to following the arch. D.J.Z.

Gaziantep, Turkey

The citadel, or cale, of Gaziantep sits atop a strategically located hill which dominates the fertile agricultural region near the Syrian-Turkish border. It is a smaller version of the citadel in Aleppo, only 60 miles to the south. Although 'Antep' is growing apace, the city hasn't forgotten its historical resources. [2014]

THE BACKSTORY ~ Posted on the 10^th Anniversary of Geographically Yours, 4 August 2020: My heart skipped a beat when I saw the citadel (or cale, “castle”) of Gaziantep. Although smaller and perched not as high on its hilltop, it was the mirror image of the citadel of Aleppo, Syria. The two cities are separated by a mere 60 miles, but also by an international border. For me, ‘Antep was new terrain and Halab was old (local names for the two cities). I had lived in Aleppo for three months in the early 1990s, returned several times after that, and even led a group of American teachers there later that decade. Aleppo was my favorite city in the world. But the Aleppo I knew is no more. It was destroyed in the civil war that unfolded after the so-called Arab Spring. I cannot go back, and I do not want to. But, when I saw the citadel of ‘Antep, my heart and mind returned to wonderful days of roaming around Halab’s citadel, the city at large, and the welcoming country of Syria. In fact, the Middle Eastern city model I devised and published is based on the cities I got to know best in the Middle East and North Africa: Aleppo and Damascus; Amman, Jordan; and Rabat and Marrakech, Morocco. During my trip to Gaziantep (including a visit to the nearby Syrian refugee camp), the citadel was closed for renovations, so it was impossible to get in. It didn’t matter. I knew what I would find inside: I saw it years before. In Aleppo! D.J.Z.

Washington, DC, USA

Here's the context, you write the dialog: Americans are commemorating the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and the "I Have a Dream" speech. Tens of thousands flock to the National Mall. Some pause to have a conversation with Dr. King himself. What do they tell him about the past half century? What advice does he give for the next? [2013]

THE BACKSTORY ~ Posted on the 10^th Anniversary of Geographically Yours, 4 August 2020: In 1983, I attended the 20^th anniversary of MLK’s march for Jobs and Freedom on the National Mall. The opportunity presented itself because I was in Washington on business. I was with a friend and colleague, an African-American geographer with whom I had done much research on evacuation from nuclear power plant accidents. We were consulting with a law firm representing Suffolk County, NY, in its attempt to prevent the opening of the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant. Being in DC gave the two of us the opportunity to join the crowds in our nation’s capital. Twenty years had passed since 1963, but the simple demands for equality and justice still had not been met: The march in 1983 was as necessary as the original march. I missed the 30^th anniversary march but did attend the one on the 40^th anniversary. In 2013, on the occasion of the 50^th anniversary, I was uber-busy with my life as a geographer, but I still hopped in the car on Saturday morning, drove four hours to DC, spent the day there, and drove back that night. I envisioned myself as a documentarian, someone who had photographed the marches in 1983 and 2003, and who was going to do the same thing in 2013. On the mall, pride was palpable. Progress was still lagging, but a memorial statue of MLK Jr. had taken a place of honor, and something I thought I would never see was right around the corner: An African-American President and his family were living in the White House. It was a quick trip, but well worth the effort, and I had achieved my goal. With my camera, I had time-frozen the real people who make American great. And, I had come home with new stuff to think about, including my red-shirted friend (with whom I did not talk, but a friend nonetheless!). I watched him stare down Martin Luther King; then I did the same thing with a new set of eyes. D.J.Z.

London, England, UK

Who painted that? Banksy. London, one of the most heavily surveilled cities in the world, woke up one morning and there it was. Banksy had eluded detection even though he was on Royal Mail property. Do you see the camera that should have caught him in the act? Everyone in London is now on candid camera, but not everyone thinks it's funny. [2008]

THE BACKSTORY ~ Posted on the 10^th Anniversary of Geographically Yours, 4 August 2020: Cities are in a process of perpetual transformation. But sometimes the transformations are ephemeral, as was this mural and its message: “One Nation Under CCTV.” My camera and I were pounding the pavements of central London. Almost reflexively, I took this picture. I continued on my walk and then circled back to take a second look. What was this all about? The property was a Royal Mail (government) lot, on whose edge was painted a meme critical of the government; it was right under the watchful eye of the technology it was criticizing: a surveillance camera! Was this really government sanctioned? What I knew at the time was that London was fast becoming the world’s most surveilled city; there were cameras mounted everywhere, and, of course, not everyone approved. What I didn’t know is that the mural had been painted in a single night and was removed after about a week. How did I learn this? From the Internet after I got home. It was the work of Banksy, maybe the world’s most famous graffiti artist, whose identity is a closely kept secret. Look, he painted himself on a ladder painting the slogan. Royal Mail did not like Banksy’s mockery, and they made it go away quickly. In my own mind, though, I envision an anthropologist of the future scraping off centuries of paint and finding the muralist’s 21^st-century critique of his home city. Now, however, more than two decades into the 21^st century, we don’t even debate CCTV; we just accept it. Banksy, where are you? D.J.Z.