This Babylonian Map of the World is a clay tablet containing a labeled depiction of the known world, with a partially surviving description, dated to roughly the 6th century B.C. The map is circular with two outer defined circles. The plan is centered on the Euphrates, flowing from the north to the south of the…
World Culture
There’s nothing quite like stepping out onto the summit of Masada, the sun beating down on you and the Dead Sea stretching out before you.
This stunning ancient fortress is one of the most visited sites in Israel for a reason, and everyone should aim to visit at least once if planning a visit…
Colombia’s most famous writer, the inimitable Gabriel García Márquez, once said in a press interview that he could never have written his books if he had not been a journalist – because all of his material was extracted from reality. Wandering between the pastel-coloured colonial structures of Cartagena’s labyrinthine cobbled streets, one could be forgiven…
Centrally located in the Iranian capital Tehran, the Vali-e-Asr Mosque’s most distinguishing aspect is the fact that it does not look like a mosque. Designed by Iranian architects Reza Daneshmir and Catherine Spiridonoff of Fluid Motion Architects, the building eschews the stereotypical typology of large domes and tall minarets in favour of a modest horizontality…
I studied abroad in Greece my first semester of college. It was not my first trip to Europe, but the semester was my first time in Greece or Eastern Europe. Studying in Thessaloniki, Greece, I was just under a four drive from the capital of Bulgaria, so I needed to take a trip to try…
Few places in the world offer such an expansive, extraordinary composition of Modernist architecture as the Brazilian capital. Part of a handful of Modernist clusters around the world – such as, for example, Le Corbusier’s Chandigarh in India – Brasilia combines the gravitas, drama and scale of the International Style with the glamour and power…
Fishy stuff is going on around Spain tonight. Black-clad processions and gigantic papier mâché sea creatures on wheels, huge bonfires, public feasts, live music, fireworks and, in some cases, partying until dawn. We know about eating fish on Good Friday, but the pre-Lent carnivals and, in the Anglo-Saxon world, the Shrove Tuesday pancake feast, was only…
The ancient Egyptian burial site of Saqqara has been studied for more than a century, due to the importance of the location for political, religious and architectural history. One of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, it is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. But a new “born-digital” publication by UC Santa Cruz associate history…
At Café Lota, Head Chef Udit Maheshwari is on a mission to introduce diners to regional Indian cuisine they may have never sampled before. The outdoor café at the National Crafts Museum in New Delhi specializes in lesser-known dishes, like chingri kamranga khatta (prawn curry with star fruit), a guava vegetable dish, and a curry…
I stood at the epicenter of India’s only Latin Quarter, Fontainhas in Goa, surrounded by a palette of purple, orange, red and blue painted houses topped with ornamental roosters and terracotta tiles. Boarded windows painted with Christian art were garnished with petals and pots of tulips, a shrine to the quarter’s Catholic roots. Past the…
Famous Saudi coffee roasters Elixir Bunn opened their new location in Riyadh, designed by Azaz Architects. After building a strong reputation for their coffee, it was time to build an atmosphere to complement their famous drinks. Coffee in Saudi Arabia is well-rooted into the local culture and could be traced back to times prior to the…
In the spirit of this being the most popular season to tie the knot (in the northern hemisphere, at least), I wanted to share with you some of the most unique features of weddings in Spain... from a Brit's point of view, at least. Having lived in Spain for approaching 10 years and having attended…
By creating employment opportunities, boosting sales of local produce and discouraging deforestation, ecotourism could be a vital barrier against the destruction of natural sites like the Amazon. Read more courtesy of BusinessDestinations.com
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At the end of a muddier-than-expected hike up to Kallur Lighthouse, on the island of Kalsoy in the Faroe Islands, I probably should have been looking down at the waves breaking against the crags, or marveling at the lonely lighthouse atop the steep precipice. Instead, I asked my guide, “Do the cows ever get lost?”…
The Mekong river archipelago is all about kicking back in a hammock and finding your inner hippie. Often, people visit on their way somewhere else, only to find Si Phan Don was what they were looking for all along. There is much to do in Laos. Read more courtesy of Post Magazine.
In Bali beauty and blessings are an industry. Hotels advertise “meditation area” on road signs, shoppers visit Reborn Gifts, graffiti is simply “KARMA” spray-painted in capitals. Its allure is obvious and since 2006’s book Eat, Pray Love, the island’s come under increasing pressure from tourism: international visitors rose from 4.8 million in 2006 to 6.5…
The UK government’s current plan to ‘tackle unauthorised traveller camps’ and ‘give the police new powers to arrest and seize the property and vehicles of trespassers who set up unauthorised encampments’ follows a long line of legislation aimed primarily at Travellers and Gypsies. Past regimes, from the Tudors to the present, have attacked the culture…
Located in the south part of the Cordillera Blanca in Peru, it is one of the few glaciers left in the tropical areas of South America; the glacier is around 8 square km in size, and around 4 km long. The glacier is quickly melting, so far it has lost 22% of its size and…
After arriving downhill at Saari and some cold showers, we began the journey to our next destination- Chopta. The drive from Saari to Chopta was about 45 minutes long and every curve of the road exposed different perspectives of the natural setting. As we gained more altitude, the endless snow capped peaks lined our horizon.…
Medellin is a Colombian city with a small town feeling to it. The outlying neighbourhoods climb the slopes on each side of the valley basin and when I get lost at night their lights help me find my way, glittering beacons in the dark. That’s about as beautiful as these areas get though as they…