Historic buildings

Exterior view of what is believed to be the Al-Azhar Mosque which is associated with Al-Azhar University and located in Cairo, Egypt. Photograph taken as part of a trip author and diplomat Charles Thayer and his wife Cynthia took to Egypt and other countries in northern Africa in 1961. Trip journey and photos intended for possible magazine articles. Original negatives are in the Harry S. Truman Library collection.

Image of a structure in the Citadel at Hue, Vietnam. The Citadel was the forbidden city for the Nguyen emperors (1558-1777) and is a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site.

Exterior view image on a post card identified in hand writing on the back as the Raouza [Raoza] mosque located in Mazar-e or Mazari Sharif in Afghanistan. Also identifies the tomb of Emir Sher Ali Khan in right hand corner.

Exterior, full view of a Russian church building identified by Charles Thayer in his typewritten diary as Chapel Vladimir (also called St. Demetrius Cathedral). It was located in Vladimir, Russia near the Uspenski (Assumption) Cathedral. Thayer writes: "Near by is a small square white church covered with decorations in relief, it is interesting and rather pretty." Charles Thayer visited the area when he was living in Russia in 1935.

W. Averell Harriman can be seen on the left. He and his tour group are seen at what is believed to be the Registan in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Charles W. Thayer accompanied W. Averell Harriman as a guide and confidant on the trip which took place May 12 - June 26, 1959. Harriman went as a special foreign correspondent for the North American Newspaper Alliance (NANA). Trip visits included Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev, Yalta, etc., as well as areas in Siberia and the Urals, and ended with a meeting with Nikita Khrushchev. Original 35mm negative.

Exterior view, believed to be at the Registan in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Thayer describes in his typewritten account: "We then went to the Registan where one mosque and two madrasehs (theological schools) line three sides of a square. These very handsome ancient buildings are greatly deteriorated..." Charles W. Thayer accompanied W. Averell Harriman as a guide and confidant on the trip which took place May 12 - June 26, 1959. Harriman went as a special foreign correspondent for the North American Newspaper Alliance (NANA).

W. Averell Harriman can be seen on the left with his hand raised. He and his tour group are seen at what is believed to be the Registan in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Charles W. Thayer accompanied W. Averell Harriman as a guide and confidant on the trip which took place May 12 - June 26, 1959. Harriman went as a special foreign correspondent for the North American Newspaper Alliance (NANA). Trip visits included Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev, Yalta, etc., as well as areas in Siberia and the Urals, and ended with a meeting with Nikita Khrushchev. Original 35mm negative.

Exterior close-up view of W. Averell Harriman on the left standing near doors at a historic building or ruins in what is believed to be Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The man on the right is an unidentified native. Charles W. Thayer accompanied W. Averell Harriman as a guide and confidant on the trip which took place May 12 - June 26, 1959. Harriman went as a special foreign correspondent for the North American Newspaper Alliance (NANA). Trip visits included Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev, Yalta, etc., as well as areas in Siberia and the Urals, and ended with a meeting with Nikita Khrushchev.

Exterior close-up view of W. Averell Harriman on the left standing near doors at a historic building or ruin believed to be located in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The man on the right is an unidentified native. Charles W. Thayer accompanied W. Averell Harriman as a guide and confidant on the trip which took place May 12 - June 26, 1959. Harriman went as a special foreign correspondent for the North American Newspaper Alliance (NANA). Trip visits included Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev, Yalta, etc., as well as areas in Siberia and the Urals, and ended with a meeting with Nikita Khrushchev.

Full view of W. Averell Harriman standing on the left next to an unidentified man. Appear to be viewing a historic ruin or building and the location is believed to be Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Charles W. Thayer accompanied W. Averell Harriman as a guide and confidant on the trip which took place May 12 - June 26, 1959. Harriman went as a special foreign correspondent for the North American Newspaper Alliance (NANA). Trip visits included Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev, Yalta, etc., as well as areas in Siberia and the Urals, and ended with a meeting with Nikita Khrushchev. Original 35mm negative.