Cultural and historic confluence of ancient Egyptian and Nubian civilisations - Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae 88; Handmade weaving in Upper Egypt (Sa'eed) 01605 Philae Temple from river cruise What and Why Aswan ( Arabic : أسوان , ʾAswān ) , located in southern Egypt (مصر , Miṣr ) on the banks of the River Nile , is a city of great historical and cultural significance. With a history that stretches back thousands of years, Aswan has been a cultural crossroad an

' Above there is heaven, below there is Suzhou-Hangzhou ': for gardens, canals, food, operas, silk and scholastic activities - Classical Gardens of Suzhou 813; The Grand Canal 1443; Kun Qu opera 00004 Canal in Suzhou This post marks the 5th anniversary of my blog. What and Why The quote ' Above there is heaven, below there is Suzhou-Hangzhou ( Chinese : 上有天堂、下有苏杭 , Shangyou tiantang, Xiayou Su-hang ) ' aptly describes how beautiful Suzhou (苏州) has always been in the eyes of

A Carthaginian trading post with a syncretic urban structure and culture - Kasbah of Algiers 565; Knowledge, know-how and practices pertaining to the production and consumption of couscous 01602; Arabic calligraphy: knowledge, skills and practices 01718; Arts, skills and practices associated with engraving on metals (gold, silver and copper) 01951 Kasbah of Algiers What and Why The kasbah or casbah of Algiers ( Tamazight : ⵍⴷⵣⴰⵢⵔ, Ldzayer ) is a chaotically beautiful eclect

The only remaining wonder of the ancient world - Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur 86; Koshary, daily life dish and practices associated with it 02278 Sphinx and the Pyramid of Khafre What and Why There is absolutely no need for any introduction to the pyramids of Egypt ( Arabic : مصر , Miṣr ) . Pyramids are the oldest but the only standing seven wonders of the ancient world , standing on the various sites for more than 4,500 years! Unless

4000-year old Neolithic village and culture in a remote island of Scotland - Heart of Neolithic Orkney 514 Skara Brae village What and Why In the islands of Orkney of Scotland stands four main archaeological sites of the Neolithic age of mysterious origin. These four sites have been marked to be founded from 3200 to 2500 BCE and are actually older than the Stonehenge as blogged in Amesbury or the pyramids in Giza (الجيزة) . They also draw comparisons of my visit to the

Ancient pearling site that started the nation - Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy 1364 ; Fjiri 01747 Oyster beds in Muharraq What and Why For centuries, Muharraq ( Arabic: المحرق, Al-Muḥarraq ) was the Persian Gulf’s pearling epicentre. After all the region produces some of the finest pearls in the world, and this literally gave birth to the regional Bahraini culture and civilisation since the 3rd century BCE. Virtually everyone was involved in the pearling indu

City of Bath, city to bath - City of Bath 428; The Great Spa Towns of Europe 1613 Roman Bath What and Why Bath is the only city in the United Kingdom (UK) that has hot springs and as a result the city has become a major spa site since Roman times, when the Romans built various baths and temples. The city carried the Latin name Aquae Sulis , meaning 'the waters of Sulis ' honouring the Roman god. This culture has continued and prospered when during the 16th century CE G

The world's most famous neolithic monument - Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites 373 Stonehenge What and Why Stonehenge , the iconic...

An desert oasis blossoming rich civilisations and cultural heritages - Cultural Sites of Al Ain (Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud and Oases Areas) 1343; Majlis, a cultural and social space 01076; Date palm, knowledge, skills, traditions and practices 01509; Al Aflaj, traditional irrigation network system in the UAE, oral traditions, knowledge and skills of construction, maintenance and equitable water distribution 01577; Falconry, a living human heritage 01708; Arabic calligraphy

Former glorious capital of Vijayanagara with unrivalled sculptures - Group of Monuments at Hampi 241 Chariot near Vitthala temple What...

Birthplace of Apollo and Artemis - Delos 530 Delos lions What and Why Delos ( Greek : Δήλος) , in spite of its current size, barrenness and lack of water, was surprisingly a major political focal point during the classical antiquity period . The island was a major commercial and trading centre from the 2nd century BCE till the 1st century CE, due to the belief in Greek mythology that the island was the birthplace of the twins Apollo (Ἀπόλλων, Apollōn ) , god of the sun, mu

Once the largest city on Earth, now the largest temple in the world - Angkor 668; Sbek Thom, Khmer shadow theatre 00108 Angkor Wat What and Why Angkor ( Khmer : អង្គរ) is simply one of the most important archaeological and cultural sites in Southeast Asia , and possibly the world. It is a graceful representation of the powerful Khmer Empire (ចក្រភពខ្មែរ) , and was possibly once the largest city on Earth during the 11th to 13th century CE, housing more than 1 million popula

Masterpiece Hindu temples built during the 10th century CE - Prambanan Temple Compounds 642; The Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta and its Historic Landmarks 1671; Indonesia kris 00112; Indonesian batik 00170; Gamelan 01607 Prambanan Temple Compounds What and Why Prambanan ( Indonesian : Rara Jonggrang ) is a complex of tall Hindu temples ( candi ) dedicated to Trimūrti (Sanskrit: त्रिमूर्ति) , the triple personified supreme diety of Hinduism: Brahmā (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मा) th

6,000 year-old megalithic burial mounds with astronomical precision - Brú na Bóinne - Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne 659; Irish Harping 01461 Boyne valley tomb What and Why Brú na Bóinne is a prehistoric human settlement near the town of Drogheda ( Irish : Droichead Átha ) for the past 6,000 years. One of the most important features of the sites are the magnificent tombs of the Neolithic or Late Stone Age , which demonstrates that this site must had been

Subterranean temple since 3000 BCE - Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum 130; Il-Ftira, culinary art and culture of flattened sourdough bread in Malta 01580 Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum What and Why Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum ( Maltese : Ipoġew ) is a large complex of rooms hewn out of the limestone and thought to have been a sanctuary and necropolis , with the remains of more than 7,000 individuals documented by archaeologists. ‘Hypogeum’ means ‘underground’ in Greek, ‘ Ħal ’ means ‘small’ in Malte

Second oldest standing structures on Earth - Megalithic Temples of Malta 132 Ġgantija What and Why The Megalithic Temples of Malta ( Maltese : It-Tempji Megalitiċi ta' Malta ) are several prehistoric temples built during the period 3600 BCE to 700 BCE in various spots in Malta. They were the oldest free-standing structures on Earth until the discovery of Göbekli Tepe of Turkey. Archaeologists believe that these megalithic complexes are the result of local innovations in

One of the first universities in the world and the world's most important Buddhist school - Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara...