The 10 Best Photo Essays of the Month - November 2015

December 1, 2015 10:00 AM EST

This month’s Photojournalism Links collection highlights 10 excellent photo essays from around the world, including Lynsey Addario‘s powerful work on three displaced children in South Sudan, Ukraine, and Lebanon. The photographs, made on assignment for The New York Times Magazine, were part of a cover story to draw attention to the world’s 30 million children driven from their homes by war and persecution. The print piece was accompanied by a remarkable virtual reality film that took the viewers inside each child’s daily lives.

Lynsey Addario: The Displaced | Chuol | Oleg | Hana (The New York Times Magazine)

Paolo Pellegrin: Inside the World of Egypt’s Salafist Muslims (National Geographic News) The Magnum photographer gained rare access to a group of Salafists in Egypt.

Diana Markosian: Virgin Mary (National Geographic) Markosian documents how the Virgin Mary’s image and legacy are found and celebrated around the world.

Mark Power: Paris Overnight (The New Yorker Photo Booth) Haunting photographs of the sites of the recent attacks.

Newsha Tavakolian: See Iran Coming Out of the Shadows (TIME LightBox) These pictures give an intriguing glimpse into contemporary Iran.

William Daniels: The Pope in Bangui (Le Monde) Pictures from Pope Francis’ historic visit to Central African Republic.

Minzayar Oo: The Price of Jade (TIME LightBox) The Burmese photographer captures the true cost of jade mining.

Bryan Denton: Kurds Launch Offensive Against ISIS in Mount Sinjar, Iraq | Pesh Merga and Yazidi Forces Liberate a City (The New York Times) Denton documents the Kurds’ fight against ISIS in northern Iraq.

Daniel Berehulak: In Mexico, Mennonite Farmers Struggle With Water Shortage (The New York Times) Beautiful pictures from Mexico’s Mennonite heartland.

Kevin Frayer: Buddhists Search for Bliss in Remote Tibetan Plateau (NBC News) These striking images show an annual Tibetan Buddhist gathering in China. (Also on TIME LightBox).

Mikko Takkunen is TIME.com’s International Photo Editor. Follow him on Twitter @photojournalism.

Addario Displaced — The New York *Times* Magazine: *The Displaced*Chuol, 9, escaped into a vast swamp in South Sudan when fighters swept into his village.Lynsey Addario for The New York Times Magazine

Salafists — National Geographic News: *Inside the World of Egypt’s Salafist Muslims*Abdul Rahman, a 27-year-old Salafist from Al Mansurah, Egypt, prays—often with great intensity and emotion—on the banks of the Nile River.Paolo Pellegrin—National Geographic

virgin mary — From National Geographic Magazine's December issue: *How the Virgin Mary Became the World’s Most Powerful Woman*As the sun sets in Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina—a hot spot for Virgin Mary sightings—devotees of diverse faiths and nationalities gather to pray.Diana Markosian—National Geographic

The New Yorker Photo Booth: *Paris Overnight* La Belle Équipe restaurant, Rue de Charonne, Paris, Nov. 18, 2015.Mark Power—Magnum

Iran Newsha Tavakolian — TIME LIghtBox: *See Iran Coming Out of the Shadows*An Iranian woman walks through a haze of smoke caused by the burning of the herb esfand. According to popular belief, this ritual drives away the evil eye. Newsha Tavakolian—Magnum for TIME

Pope Francis Central African Republic — Le Monde: *Pope in Bangui*Pope Francis visits Saint Sauveur parish, where nearly 4000 displaced live, in Bangui, Central African Republic, Nov. 29, 2015. William Daniels—Panos for Le Monde

jade mining Myanmar Burma — TIME LIghtBox: *The Price of Jade*A team of miners work in a jade mine. Some miners work alone while some like this young men here work by a team in a small plot land that is owned by their 'Lao-ban' (meaning 'Boss' in Chinese), Hpakant, July 2014Minzayar Oo

Peshmerga Iraq — The New York *Times*: *Kurds Launch Offensive Against ISIS in Mount Sinjar, Iraq*Pesh merga fighters watched from a hilltop as vehicles from their unit deployed across Highway 47, below them.Bryan Denton—The New York Times/Redux

mennonites mexico — The New York *Times*: *In Mexico, Mennonite Farmers Struggle With Water Shortage*Mennonite children played recently at a family farm in Capulín, Mexico. Hundreds of Mennonites plan to leave Mexico for other colonies in other countries, where land is cheaper and water is more plentiful. Daniel Berehulak—The New York Times/Redux

Tibetans — NBC News: *Buddhists Search for Bliss in Remote Tibetan Plateau*Tibetan Buddhist nomads cook and stay warm by candlelight at dusk following a chanting session as part of the annual Bliss Dharma Assembly at the Larung Wuming Buddhist Institute in Sertar county, in the remote Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, China, on Oct. 31, 2015.Kevin Frayer—Getty Images

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