Wednesday 30 October 2013

Archaeological Site of Troy, Turkey (UNESCO)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/849

Troy, with its 4,000 years of history, is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. The first excavations at the site were undertaken by the famous archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann in 1870. In scientific terms, its extensive remains are the most significant demonstration of the first contact between the civilizations of Anatolia and the Mediterranean world. Moreover, the siege of Troy by Spartan and Achaean warriors from Greece in the 13th or 12th century B.C., immortalized by Homer in the Iliad, has inspired great creative artists throughout the world ever since.




Xanthos - Letoon, Turkey (UNESCO)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/484

This site, which was the capital of Lycia, illustrates the blending of Lycian traditions and Hellenic influence, especially in its funerary art. The epigraphic inscriptions are crucial for our understanding of the history of the Lycian people and their Indo-European language.

          1- Xanthos
 
 
Sent from the city of origin, Antalya
 
 
 
Sent from the city of origin, Antalya
 
 
 
Sent from the city of origin, Antalya
 
 
 
Sent from the city of origin, Antalya 
 
 
          2- Letoon

 
Sent from the city of origin, Antalya

Tuesday 29 October 2013

Hierapolis-Pamukkale, Turkey (UNESCO)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/485/

Deriving from springs in a cliff almost 200 m high overlooking the plain, calcite-laden waters have created at Pamukkale (Cotton Palace) an unreal landscape, made up of mineral forests, petrified waterfalls and a series of terraced basins. At the end of the 2nd century B.C. the dynasty of the Attalids, the kings of Pergamon, established the thermal spa of Hierapolis. The ruins of the baths, temples and other Greek monuments can be seen at the site.

          1- Pamukkale (Cotton Castle)



 
 
          2- Hierapolis
 


Nemrut Dağ, Turkey (UNESCO)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/448

The mausoleum of Antiochus I (69–34 B.C.), who reigned over Commagene, a kingdom founded north of Syria and the Euphrates after the breakup of Alexander's empire, is one of the most ambitious constructions of the Hellenistic period. The syncretism of its pantheon, and the lineage of its kings, which can be traced back through two sets of legends, Greek and Persian, is evidence of the dual origin of this kingdom's culture.

          Nemrut Dağ (Nemrut Mountain)


Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia, Turkey (UNESCO)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/357

In a spectacular landscape, entirely sculpted by erosion, the Göreme valley and its surroundings contain rock-hewn sanctuaries that provide unique evidence of Byzantine art in the post-Iconoclastic period. Dwellings, troglodyte villages and underground towns – the remains of a traditional human habitat dating back to the 4th century – can also be seen there.

          1- Ürgüp (the Rock Sites of Cappadocia)

          2- Subterranean city of Derinkuyu


           3- Subterranean city of Kaymaklı


Historic Areas of Istanbul, Turkey (UNESCO)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/356

With its strategic location on the Bosphorus peninsula between the Balkans and Anatolia, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, Istanbul has been associated with major political, religious and artistic events for more than 2,000 years. Its masterpieces include the ancient Hippodrome of Constantine, the 6th-century Hagia Sophia and the 16th-century Süleymaniye Mosque, all now under threat from population pressure, industrial pollution and uncontrolled urbanization.

Istanbul World Heritage Sites;

1- Sultanahmet Mosque and its Associated Urban and Archaeological Park Conservation Area
    A- Topkapi Palace



    B- Sarayburnu Hill

    C- Hagia Sophia



    D- Hippodrome



    E- Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan)



    F- Sultan Ahmed (Blue) Mosque





2- Suleymaniye Mosque and its Associated Conservation Area
    A- Suleymaniye Mosque



3- Zeyrek Mosque and its Associated Conservation Area
    A- Old Houses of Istanbul

Thursday 24 October 2013

International Postcard Week (October 6-12 2013)

Sender: Brenda, Sent on: 7 Oct, 2013, Received on: 23 Oct, 2013, Travel time: 16 days
http://9teen87spostcards.blogspot.com/

Mysore Palace, India


The Palace of Mysore is a palace situated in the city of Mysore in southern India. It is the official residence of the Wodeyars - the erstwhile royal family of Mysore, which ruled the princely state of Mysore for over seven centuries.
The Wodeyar kings first built a palace in Mysore in the 14th century, it was demolished and constructed multiple times. The current palace construction was commissioned in 1897, and it was completed in 1912 and expanded later around 1940. Mysore palace is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in India after Taj Mahal with more than 2.7 million visitors.

Fortifications of Vauban, France (UNESCO)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1283

Fortifications of Vauban consists of 12 groups of fortified buildings and sites along the western, northern and eastern borders of France. They represent the finest examples of the work of Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban (1633-1707), a military engineer of King Louis XIV. The serial property includes towns built from scratch by Vauban, citadels, urban bastion walls and bastion towers. There are also mountain forts, sea forts, a mountain battery and two mountain communication structures. This property is inscribed as bearing witness to the peak of classic fortifications, typical of western military architecture. Vauban also played a major role in the history of fortification in Europe and on other continents until the mid-19th century.

1- Arras, Pas-de-Calais: citadel
2- Besançon, Doubs: citadel, city walls and Fort Griffon
3- Blaye-Cussac-Fort-Médoc, Gironde: citadel of Blaye, city walls, Fort Paté and Fort Médoc
4- Briançon, Hautes-Alpes: city walls, Redoute des Salettes, Fort des Trois-Têtes, Fort du Randouillet, 5- ouvrage de la communication Y and the Asfeld Bridge
5- Camaret-sur-Mer, Finistère: Tour dorée (lit. "Golden Tower") aka. Tour Vauban
6- Longwy, Meurthe-et-Moselle: ville neuve
7- Mont-Dauphin, Hautes-Alpes: place forte
8- Mont-Louis, Pyrénées-Orientales: citadel and city walls
9- Neuf-Brisach, Haut-Rhin: ville neuve/Breisach (Germany): gateway of the Rhine
10- Saint-Martin-de-Ré, Charente-Maritime: city walls and citadel
11- Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue/Tatihou, Manche: watchtowers
12- Villefranche-de-Conflent, Pyrénées-Orientales: city walls, Fort Libéria and Cova Bastera

Postcard 1 : Saint-Martin-de-Ré


Sender: famalubel,  Sent on: 23 Jun, 2014, Received on: 2 Jul, 2014, Travel time: 9 days

Postcard 2 : Mont-Louis


Sender: famalubel, Sent on: 13 Oct, 2013, Received on: 23 Oct, 2013, Travel time: 10 days

Palace and Park of Versailles, France (UNESCO)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/83

The Palace of Versailles was the principal residence of the French kings from the time of Louis XIV to Louis XVI. Embellished by several generations of architects, sculptors, decorators and landscape architects, it provided Europe with a model of the ideal royal residence for over a century.

Sender: famalubel, Sent on: 13 Oct, 2013, Received on: 23 Oct, 2013, Travel time: 10 days

Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay, France (UNESCO)

 http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/165

This stark Burgundian monastery was founded by St Bernard in 1119. With its church, cloister, refectory, sleeping quarters, bakery and ironworks, it is an excellent illustration of the ideal of self-sufficiency as practised by the earliest communities of Cistercian monks.

Sender: famalubel, Sent on: 13 Oct, 2013, Received on: 23 Oct, 2013, Travel time: 10 days

Canal du Midi, France (UNESCO)

 http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/770

This 360-km network of navigable waterways linking the Mediterranean and the Atlantic through 328 structures (locks, aqueducts, bridges, tunnels, etc.) is one of the most remarkable feats of civil engineering in modern times. Built between 1667 and 1694, it paved the way for the Industrial Revolution. The care that its creator, Pierre-Paul Riquet, took in the design and the way it blends with its surroundings turned a technical achievement into a work of art.

Sender: famalubel, Sent on: 13 Oct, 2013, Received on: 23 Oct, 2013, Travel time: 10 days

Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Philippines (UNESCO)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/652

This park features a spectacular limestone karst landscape with an underground river. One of the river's distinguishing features is that it emerges directly into the sea, and its lower portion is subject to tidal influences. The area also represents a significant habitat for biodiversity conservation. The site contains a full 'mountain-to-sea' ecosystem and has some of the most important forests in Asia.

Sender: pal_hunter, Sent on: 25 Sep, 2013, Received on: 23 Oct, 2013, Travel time: 28 days
His blog :    http://theurbanhunt.blogspot.com/