WAYFARER
Angkor, slowly: the Khmer capital beyond the sunrise queue
- The Chola temples of Tamil Nadu
- Imphal's Kangla Fort and Loktak's floating lake, with care
- Samarkand and Bukhara: the Silk Road cities
- Eight rules for travelling alone
Ancient Civilisations
Ancient places make us feel small, which is part of their appeal. They also make us over-confident. A guide points at a carving and tells you exactly what it meant, and for a moment you forget that someone, somewhere, spent a career arguing about it.
This month we have tried to keep both feelings. We have written about places with dates that are not in dispute, the Chola temples, for example, and about others where the dates and the stories are still being argued over. Where sources disagree, we say so. Where we could not check something, we say that too.
One of the places in this issue, Manipur, deserves a particular note. It is a land of extraordinary heritage and it has also lived through serious violence since 2023. We have written about its sites with care and with a plain warning: check current advisories before you plan anything, and go only if the people who live there say you are welcome.
Read slowly. Check the date. Ask who is telling you the story.
— Gitanjali Gautam, Editor-in-Chief
This month's theme. September is a good month for old stones. The monsoon is easing in India, crowds are thinning at many northern sites, and the great ruins of Asia are green and quiet. This issue visits temples built by Chola kings, the Khmer capital at Angkor, the Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan, a Zapotec hilltop above Oaxaca, and a royal citadel in Imphal, and it asks the question every good guide asks: how do we know what we think we know?
Contents
Cover storyThe Great Escape
Northeast India · ManipurNortheast India: Beyond the Familiar
India · Tamil NaduIndia: Beyond the Usual
Asia · UzbekistanAsia: A Continent of Experiences
Around the WorldAround the World
- Egypt: the Grand Egyptian Museum, a year after openingA museum beside the pyramids that finally shows Tutankhamun's treasures together.RESEARCHED
- Greece beyond the islands: Delphi and MeteoraAn oracle on a mountain slope and monasteries on rock pillars: two UNESCO sites on the mainland.RESEARCHED
- Mexico: Monte Albán, above OaxacaA Zapotec capital on a levelled ridge, and a lesson in how interpretations change.RESEARCHED
Real stories from the roadPeople & Places
- The art school that grew out of a refugee campIn Battambang, Cambodia, a school for young artists has been training children and young adults since 1994.PROFILE · FROM PUBLISHED REPORTING · NOT INTERVIEWED BY WAYFARER
- Weaving the Zapotec valley, one dye at a timeIn Teotitlán del Valle, near Oaxaca, wool rugs are woven on hand looms with natural dyes: cochineal, indigo and marigold.PROFILE · FROM PUBLISHED REPORTING · NOT INTERVIEWED BY WAYFARER
- The bronze-casters of SwamimalaiNear Kumbakonam, a craft town makes bronze icons in a tradition linked to Chola sculptors.PROFILE · FROM PUBLISHED REPORTING · NOT INTERVIEWED BY WAYFARER
- Rishton: the blue-glazed pottery of the Fergana ValleyA town in eastern Uzbekistan known for ceramics for centuries, and for a mosque built by craftsmen in 1905.PROFILE · FROM PUBLISHED REPORTING · NOT INTERVIEWED BY WAYFARER
Reader and contributor briefsBe part of Wayfarer
Food, heritage and natureTaste, Heritage & Nature
- The Taste of Travel: plov, Uzbekistan's national dishRice, carrot, meat and a large cauldron.RESEARCHED
- Heritage Without Borders: how do we know?Three places where the story changed, and what that teaches a traveller.RESEARCHED
- The Natural Calendar: SeptemberWhat to look for, where, and how sure we are.RESEARCHED
- Responsible Travel: visiting a site that is older than your countryFive habits that help a ruin last.RESEARCHED
Practical toolkitTravel Smart
CommunityReaders' Pages
- The Traveller's Lexicon: xeniaA Greek word for the duty of hospitality.LEXICON
- Travel Quiz — SeptemberFive questions. Answers appear in next month's issue.QUIZ
- Your turn: a ruin that moved youReader engagement idea for the next issue.READER INVITATION
- The Traveller's BookshelfThree books for the ancient world.RECOMMENDED READING
Festivals & events radar
Dates below come from our festival guide and are approximate. Always confirm with the official organiser before you book; lunar-calendar and annually announced events are provisional until confirmed.
Northeast India & India
| Event | Where | When (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janmashtami | Across India | 4 September 2026 verify | Celebrates Krishna's birth with fasting, midnight prayers and curd-pot festivals.. |
| Ganesh Chaturthi | Mumbai, Pune and across India | 14 September 2026 (about ten days) verify | A ten-day festival of clay Ganesha idols ending with immersion processions.. |
| Ziro Festival of Music | Ziro Valley, Arunachal Pradesh | 24–27 September 2026 verify | An outdoor indie music festival in a highland valley, with camping and a stress on eco-friendly practice.. |
| Mysuru Dasara | Mysuru, Karnataka | 11–21 October 2026 official | An eleven-day festival with a grand elephant procession on the final day.. |
| Durga Puja | Kolkata, West Bengal | 17–21 October 2026 (Shashthi to Dashami) verify | Kolkata's neighbourhood pandals compete in art and craft for five days.. |
| Diwali | Across India | 8 November 2026 (main day; Dhanteras 6 November) verify | The festival of lights, marked with lamps, sweets and fireworks, with regional variations.. |
| Sangai Festival | Imphal, Manipur | 21–30 November (the festival's usual dates; 2026 arrangements to be confirmed) verify | Manipur's tourism festival, named for the state animal, with dance, craft and music; check current conditions in the state before any plans.. |
Asia
| Event | Where | When (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-Autumn Festival | China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam | 25 September 2026 verify | A moon-viewing and mooncake festival, with lantern displays in many cities.. |
| Bon Om Touk (Water Festival) | Phnom Penh, Cambodia | Late October or early November 2026, set by the full moon verify | Three days of royal boat races and lantern releases marking the end of the monsoon and the change in the Tonlé Sap's flow.. |
Europe
| Event | Where | When (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oktoberfest | Munich, Germany | 19 September–4 October 2026 official | The world's largest beer festival, held on the Theresienwiese.. |
Africa & the Americas
| Event | Where | When (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) | Oaxaca and across Mexico | 1–2 November 2026 official | Families build altars and visit cemeteries to remember the dead; Oaxaca's celebrations are among the best known.. |
| Abu Simbel sun festival | Abu Simbel, Egypt | 22 October 2026 (traditionally 22 October and 22 February) verify | The sun is said to light the inner sanctuary of the temple on two days a year; confirm the date locally.. |
Format example
Real developments up to 31 August 2026, each with a source. The Uzbekistan item is unverified against an official source.
- Entry rules for Indian citizens can change — confirm on the official Uzbek e-visa portal before booking.
- Egypt: the Grand Egyptian Museum officially opened on 1 November 2025, with the complete Tutankhamun collection of 5,398 pieces displayed across two halls (https://www.visit-gem.com/).
- Europe: the Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026; ETIAS is scheduled for the last quarter of 2026, with the date to be announced (https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/news/main-differences-between-ees-and-etias-what-travellers-need-know-2026-04-28_en).
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