Steve McCurry’s favourite photograph

The timeless power of a cracked pagoda near Mandalay

This is one of my favourite pictures. I took it in mid-afternoon during the monsoon, which gives it that very interesting quality of light. There was an extraordinary feeling of timelessness about the place.

More from 1843 magazine

1843 magazine | Will there ever be a Google Translate for pets?

The tech world is on the case – but there’s no guarantee that our animals will have anything interesting to say

1843 magazine | The year in pictures 2024

Images that defined the year



1843 magazine | The earthling’s guide to building a Moon base

One-armed robots are being trained in lunar construction

1843 magazine | Inside the AI back-channel between China and the West

Computer scientists are reaching out across the geopolitical divide to try to stop an apocalypse

1843 magazine | A journey through the world’s newest narco-state

Drugs transformed Ecuador from a Latin American success story into a war zone