Once a crucial caravan stop on the Silk Road, Khiva is one of Central Asia’s best-preserved medieval settlements. The Uzbek city is a place of towering minarets and intricate craftwork, with ancient traditions continuing to flourish inside its walls. Selected as one of National Geographic’s Best of the World 2026 destinations, it was also recently visited by photographer Lorenz Berna, who documented everyday life in this vibrant city.

Richard Leakey and his family have made significant contributions to the field of paleoanthropology and fundamentally changed our understanding of human evolution. In a 1970 National Geographic feature, Leakey recounted his discovery of a nearly complete skull of an ancient human ancestor, the same species his parents had found a decade earlier. But finding this treasure trove of fossils was no easy task. From trekking by camel to excavating, these photos capture the arduous journey it took to uncover these artifacts.

Thanks for reading today’s newsletter, which was edited and curated by Sidney Madden with the help of National Geographic’s photo team. It was produced by Amanda Williams-Bryant. Did someone forward this to you? Sign up here to catch next week’s Photo of the Week newsletter.