More photos from Wikipedia / Wikimedia commons. Again, you can click on them to get to the source + high resolution version.

Settlement in Wadi Rum, Jordan. Photo by Steffen Sledz.

Judean hills. Photo by David Shankbone.

White Sands, New Mexico, USA. Photo by davebluedevil.

Salar de Talar near San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. Photo by Luca Galuzzi.

Valle de la Luna, Atacama desert. Photo by Reinhard Jahn.

PS: I am done with the photos, I swear! ….well, okay, unless I find something extra-cool like Antelope Canyon.

I know, I know. I almost post too many Wikipedia photos (and there will be a few more). But these I thought were really great in captivating the mood I think Arnâron should have.

First, the Antelope Canyon, which is located near Page, Arizona. Judging by these photos, it must be an eerie, beautiful site:

The Antelope Canyon in Arizona. Photo by Lucas Löffler.

HDR image of Upper Antelope Canyon, Page, Arizona. Photo by Luca Galuzzi.

Inside Lower Antelope Canyon, looking out with the sky near the top of the frame. Photo by Moondigger.

The second canyon of note is, of course, the Grand Canyon. I always felt that this looked like a very alien landscape, and I guess the association with Valles Marineris comes naturally. Except of course that the later is so big that you probably won’t even realize you’re in a canyon. Sometimes, less is more.

The Grand Canyon from Moran Point. Photo by Doug Dolde.

Grand Canyon, Photo by Doug Dolde

Grand Canyon from Navajo Point. Photo by Doug Dolde.

Neat, huh? I always wanted to see the Grand Canyon in person, I’ve today added Antelope Canyon to that wish-list.

More desert imagery… Again, you can click on the photos to get to the source.

Namibian Canyon. Photo by Tjeerd Wiersma.

Texas Desert by Monahans. Photo by Klaus Bertow.

Arnâron isn’t a completely dead world… like on Earth, life clings on wherever it can:

Namibia national Park Namib Naukluft. Photo by Patrick Giraud.

Namibia national Park Namib Naukluft. Photo by Patrick Giraud.

Sand dunes in Namib Desert, Namibia. Photo by Thomas Schoch.

There are so many beautiful desert photos, I am sure I’ll post more in the future.

To get into the right mood for designing Arnâron, I’ve collected some desert photos from the Internet – in this case from Wikipedia.They are all available under a free license of one sort or another – Click the picture for details. (Wikipedia also has the original size images if you wish to obtain one in high resolution.)

Libyan Desert. Photo by Roberdan.

Ancient dunes from the Namib-Naukluft Park in Namibia, Africa. Photo by Bjørn Christian Tørrissen.

Sand dunes of Wan Caza in the Sahara desert region of Fezzan in Libya. Photo by Luca Galuzzi - www.galuzzi.it.

Near Ouarzazate(Marocco). Photo by Maxme.

Photo of the Moul n'ga Cirque in the Tadrart region, Southeast Algeria. Photo by Pir6mon.