View allAll Photos Tagged Executed
[lith print executed January 27 2021 on very old Agfa Brovira paper using Moersch Easylith A45+B35/2000. Photo taken with Boumsell Longchamp on 127 Agfa Isopan Ultra exp. 1973]
The Treasure hunt is executed in sick now.
Cyber suits that I wear now can be gotten by collecting 10 mystery man's masks.
to 6th Sep.
secondlife://sick/234/129/28/
IMG_1027r1
The Place de Clichy is one of the few places in Paris where four arrondissements (the 8th, 9th, 17th, and 18th) meet at a single point.
It lies at the former site of the barrière de Clichy, an ancient portal in the Wall of the Farmers-General, leading to the village of Clichy, outside the wall.
In March 1814, at the close of the First French Empire, 800,000 soldiers of various foreign armies marched on Paris. After breaking through the barriers at Belleville and Pantin, they took the hill of Montmartre. Paris was protected in the north from Clichy to Neuilly, by 70,000 men of the garde nationale. In the face of the advancing enemy, the Maréchal de Moncey defended the barrière de Clichy. Moncey amassed 15,000 volunteers, tirailleurs – students from the École polytechnique and the École vétérinaire – and, despite their inexperience, valiantly resisted the Russian contingent until an armistice was declared on 30 March 1814.
A six-metre-tall bronze statue, executed by Amédée Donatien Doublemard and dedicated to de Moncey, stands on an ornate pedestal eight metres tall.
(source: Wikipedia)
Kilmainham Gaol (Irish: Príosún Chill Mhaighneann) is a former prison in Kilmainham, Dublin, Ireland. It is now a museum run by the Office of Public Works, an agency of the Government of Ireland. Many Irish revolutionaries, including the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising, were imprisoned and executed in the prison by the orders of the UK Government.When it was first built in 1796, Kilmainham Gaol was called the "New Gaol" to distinguish it from the old prison it was intended to replace – a noisome dungeon, just a few hundred metres from the present site. It was officially called the County of Dublin Gaol, and was originally run by the Grand Jury for County Dublin.
Originally, public hangings took place at the front of the prison. However, from the 1820s onward very few hangings, public or private, took place at Kilmainham. A small hanging cell was built in the prison in 1891. It is located on the first floor, between the west wing and the east wing.
There was no segregation of prisoners; men, women and children were incarcerated up to 5 in each cell, with only a single candle for light and heat. Most of their time was spent in the cold and the dark, and each candle had to last for two weeks. Its cells were roughly 28 square metres in area.
Children were sometimes arrested for petty theft, the youngest said to be a seven-year-old child, while many of the adult prisoners were transported to Australia.
At Kilmainham, the poor conditions in which women prisoners were kept provided the spur for the next stage of development. As early as 1809, in his report, the Inspector had observed that male prisoners were supplied with iron bedsteads while females "lay on straw on the flags in the cells and common halls". Half a century later there was little improvement. The women's section, located in the west wing, remained overcrowded. In an attempt to relieve the overcrowding, 30 female cells were added to the Gaol in 1840. These improvements had not been made long before the Great Famine occurred, and Kilmainham was overwhelmed with the increase of prisoners.
Kilmainham Gaol was decommissioned as a prison by the Irish Free State government in 1924. Seen principally as a site of oppression and suffering, there was at this time no declared interest in its preservation as a monument to the struggle for national independence. The jail's potential function as a location of national memory was also undercut and complicated by the fact that the first four Republican prisoners executed by the Free State government during the Irish Civil War were shot in the prison yard.
The Irish Prison Board contemplated reopening it as a prison during the 1920s but all such plans were finally abandoned in 1929. In 1936 the government considered the demolition of the prison but the price of this undertaking was seen as prohibitive. Republican interest in the site began to develop from the late 1930s, most notably with the proposal by the National Graves Association, a Republican organisation, to preserve the site as both a museum and memorial to the 1916 Easter Rising. This proposal received no objections from the Commissioners of Public Works, who costed it at £600, and negotiations were entered into with the Department of Education about the possibility of relocating artefacts relating to the 1916 Rising housed in the National Museum to a new museum at the Kilmainham Gaol site. The Department of Education rejected this proposal seeing the site as unsuitable for this purpose and suggested instead that paintings of nationalist leaders could be installed in appropriate prison cells. However, with the advent of the Emergency the proposal was shelved for the duration of the war.
An architectural survey commissioned by the Office of Public Works after World War II revealed that the prison was in a ruinous condition. With the Department of Education still intransigent to the site's conversion to a nationalist museum and with no other apparent function for the building, the Commissioners of Public Works proposed only the prison yard and those cell blocks deemed to be of national importance should be preserved and that the rest of the site should be demolished. This proposal was not acted upon.
In 1953 the Department of the Taoiseach, as part of a scheme to generate employment, re-considered the proposal of the National Graves Association to restore the prison and establish a museum at the site. However, no advance was made and the material condition of the prison continued to deteriorate.
From the late 1950s, a grassroots movement for the preservation of Kilmainham Gaol began to develop. Provoked by reports that the Office of Public Works was accepting tenders for the demolition of the building, Lorcan C.G. Leonard, a young engineer from the north side of Dublin, along with a small number of like-minded nationalists, formed the Kilmainham Gaol Restoration Society in 1958. In order to offset any potential division among its members, the society agreed that they should not address any of the events connected with the Civil War period in relation to the restoration project. Instead, a narrative of the unified national struggle was to be articulated. A scheme was then devised that the prison should be restored and a museum built using voluntary labour and donated materials.
With momentum for the project growing, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions informed the society that they would not oppose their plan and the Building Trades Council gave it their support. It is also likely that Dublin Corporation, which had shown an interest in the preservation of the prison, supported the proposal. At this time the Irish government was coming under increasing pressure from the National Graves Association and the Old IRA Literary and Debating Society to take action to preserve the site. Thus, when the society submitted their plan in late 1958 the government looked favourably on a proposal that would achieve this goal without occasioning any significant financial commitment from the state.
In February 1960 the society's detailed plan for the restoration project, which notably also envisioned the site's development as a tourist attraction, received the approval of the notoriously parsimonious Department of Finance. The formal handing over of prison keys to a board of trustees, composed of five members nominated by the society and two by the government, occurred in May 1960. The trustees were charged a nominal rent of one penny rent per annum to extend for a period of five years at which point it was envisaged that the restored prison would be permanently transferred to the trustees' custodial care.
Commencing with a workforce of sixty volunteers in May 1960, the society set about clearing the overgrown vegetation, trees, fallen masonry and bird droppings from the site. By 1962 the symbolically important prison yard where the leaders of the 1916 Rising were executed had been cleared of rubble and weeds and the restoration of the Victorian section of the prison was nearing completion. It opened to the public on 10 April 1966. The final restoration of the site was completed in 1971 when Kilmainham Gaol chapel was re-opened to the public having been reroofed and re-floored and with its altar reconstructed. The Magill family acted as residential caretakers, in particular, Joe Magill who worked on the restoration of the gaol from the start until the Gaol was handed over to the Office of Public works.
It now houses a museum on the history of Irish nationalism and offers guided tours of the building. An art gallery on the top floor exhibits paintings, sculptures and jewellery of prisoners incarcerated in prisons all over contemporary Ireland.
Kilmainham Gaol is one of the biggest unoccupied prisons in Europe. Now empty of prisoners, it is filled with history.
In 2013, Kilmainham courthouse located beside the prison, which had remained in operation as a seat of the Dublin District court until 2008 was handed over to the OPW for refurbishment as part of a broader redevelopment of the Gaol and the surrounding Kilmainham Plaza in advance of the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising. The courthouse opened in 2015 as the attached visitor's centre for the Gaol.
En raison des attaques BRUTALES et SANGLANTES exécutés à Paris dans les dernières heures, je décide de supprimer le TITRE, la MUSIQUE, et le TEXT précédent de cette image.
Mon PLUS FORTE et ABSOLUE condamnation de ce nouvel acte de l'HORREUR et de la BARBARIE. Et mon profonde et plus sincère ESTIME et RESPECT pour toutes les victimes, leurs familles et amis, et pour tous le Peuple Français.
Alors que je suis écrivant ces lignes, Paris est encore sous le feu et la méchanceté de ceux qui ne connaissent pas la langue plus que la VIOLENCE et la TERREUR.
Nous sommes tous Paris, nous sommes tous La France.
Debido a los BRUTALES y SANGRIENTOS atentados llevados a cabo en París en las últimas horas, he decidido eliminar el TITULO, la MÚSICA y el TEXTO anterior de esta imagen.
Mi más ENÉRGICA y ABSOLUTA condena ante esta nueva muestra de HORROR y BARBARIE. Y mi más profundo y sincero RESPECTO para todas las víctimas, sus familias y amigos, y para todo el Pueblo Francés.
Mientras escribo estas líneas, París sigue bajo el fuego y la maldad de aquellos que no conocen más lenguaje que la VIOLENCIA y el TERROR.
Todos somos París, todos somos Francia.
Due to the BRUTAL and BLOODY attacks carried out in Paris in the last few hours, I decided to delete the TITLE, MUSIC and previous TEXT of this image.
My most STRONGEST and ABSOLUTE condemnation of this new act of HORROR and BARBARISM. And my deepest and most sincere RESPECT to the victims, their families and friends, and for all the French People.
As I write these lines, Paris is yet under the fire and the wickedness of those who do not know more language than the VIOLENCE and TERROR.
We are all Paris, we are all France.
Ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. Ibises usually feed as a group, probing mud for food items, usually crustaceans. It is widespread across much of Australia. It has a predominantly white plumage with a bare, black head, long down curved bill and black legs. They are monogamous and highly territorial while nesting and feeding. Most nest in trees, often with spoonbills or herons. Due to its increasing presence in the urban environment and its habit of rummaging in garbage, the species has acquired a variety of colloquial names such as tip turkey; and bin chicken, and in recent years has become an icon of popular culture, being regarded with passion, wit, and, in equal measure, affection and disgust. 41601
Des peintures ont été exécutées sur le mur entourant le chœur entre les années 1316 et 1324. Elles ont été badigeonnées à la fin du XVIIIe siècle. Elles représentaient la lapidation et ensevelissement de saint Étienne, le baptême du préfet Dioscorus par saint Genoulph, l'Adoration des Mages, le Couronnement de la Vierge, la consécration de l'autel de la Vierge de Rocamadour par saint Martial et le martyre de sainte Valérie. Elles ont été redécouvertes en 1872 par le peintre et sculpteur de Cahors, Cyprien Calmon. Il en a commencé la restauration en 1873. Si cette restauration reste modérée sur le panneau du couronnement de la Vierge, les panneaux représentant la lapidation de saint Étienne sur le piédroit de l'arc-doubleau du côté nord et l'Adoration des Mages sont entièrement repeints. Les autres panneaux sont des compositions de Cyprien Calmon (1837-1901) qui les a signés.
La cathédrale de Florence (en italien : Duomo di Firenze) ou cathédrale Sainte-Marie-de-la-Fleur (Cattedrale Santa Maria del Fiore), baptisée ainsi en rapport au lys de Florence, est la cathédrale du xiiie siècle de l'archidiocèse de Florence à Florence en Toscane (Italie). Située piazza del Duomo dans le centre historique de Florence, elle est accolée au campanile de Giotto et fait face à la porte du Paradis du baptistère Saint-Jean et à la Loggia del Bigallo.
Santa Maria del Fiore (Sainte Marie de la Fleur) est l'une des plus vastes églises d'Europe : elle mesure 153 mètres de long et la coupole 41,98 mètres de diamètre intérieur. De plan basilical, elle comporte une nef à trois vaisseaux, un chevet à trois chapelles rayonnantes.
La cathédrale possède le plus grand dôme en appareil maçonné jamais construit (avec 45,5 mètres de diamètre extérieur), dû à l'architecte Filippo Brunelleschi en 1436, qui marque le début de l'architecture de la Renaissance. On peut voir sur la coupole, à l'intérieur de ce dôme, une des plus grandes fresques narratives : 3 600 m2 de fresques, exécutées par Giorgio Vasari et Federigo Zuccaro.
Florence Cathedral, formally the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower (Italian: Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore ), is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Florence. Commenced in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and structurally completed by 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi, the basilica's exterior is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink, bordered by white, and features an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival (west) façade by Emilio De Fabris.
The basilica is one of world's largest churches and its dome is still the largest masonry dome ever constructed.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
_DM28500_24
Colonnade Arch glows from within (Gary Clendening conceived and executed the lighting) under the colder glow of the Milky Way.
The lights of Moab create the glow on the horizon. Colonnade Arch is near Keg Knoll and on the western rim of the Green River Canyon. The Andromeda Galaxy is very close to third, smallest window.
Colonnade Arch, also known as Five Hole Arch, is described by geologists as a buttressed alcove, and has three windows looking to the south and two windows looking up--it is a fascinating structure with just one approach. It sits on the edge of a precipitous drop into Two Mile Canyon to the south and a view of the Green River to the southeast.
Gary Clendening and I checked the route during the day, recording GPS waypoints, and then walked returned on a moonless night at 2 AM, walking across slickrock for more than a mile. Quite an adventure.
Musée Carnavalet. Paris. 3ème.
L'escalier de Luynes, grand escalier construit en 1910 et orné de peintures murales, datées de 1748, de Paolo-Antonio BRUNETTI (1723-1783)proviennent de l’ancien hôtel de Luynes.
Quant à la scène représentée, « sur le ciel bleu et les riantes frondaisons d'un parc, dans les entrecolonnements, d'élégants personnages, nobles dames et cavaliers, en costumes de fête galante, du genre Watteau, groupés dans des attitudes diverses et gracieuses, paraissaient occupés à regarder monter les arrivants. Ces peintures, qui étaient à l'huile et appliquées à même la pierre, avaient été exécutées, en 1748, par Brunetti, père et fils, artistes-décorateurs, alors fort appréciés ». (extrait de l'étude de Charles Sellier sur l'hôtel de Luynes)
Un grand merci pour vos favoris, commentaires et encouragements toujours très appréciés.
Many thanks for your much appreciated favorites and comments.
Pan Am Railways little four car business train races east thru CPF FG beneath classic Boston and Maine era searchlight signals at MP 48 (measured from Boston North Station via the old Fitchburg Route mainline) and also MP 328 (measured from Mattawamkeag, ME on Pan Am's freight mainline).
PAR 1 and PAR 2 are ex Canadian National FP9s 6505 and 6516 built in 1954 and 1957 respectively by GMDD. They passed from CN to VIA Rail in 1978 before being picked up by the Conway Scenic in 1995 when they expanded into Crawford Notch. After 15 years spent hauling tourists in the White Mountains 6505 & 6516 would become PAR 1 & 2 when traded to Pan Am Railways in March 2010 for GP38 252 and GP35 216.
Originating in Springfield, MA the train paused to pick up guests at Ayer station then disappeared and parked in the woods east of the Willows. Allegedly the agreements of sale were executed on board there this morning. Is this true? Who will be taking over the old Route of the Minuteman and the Pine Tree Route? How will traffic patterns and gateways change? Will business grow? Whither the fate of these gorgeous F units?
I suspect we'll have answers to all these questions and more very soon. But if this is the last ride for the F's I'm glad I was here alone on this gorgeous morning to capture the moment in time.
Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Thursday November 19, 2020
Crafted and executed by the Official Replica and Regalia maker of the Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino, Mr. Juanito Zafra and Mr. Lando Abellanosa.
He's still waiting for His crown, machine embroideries and borloloys.
Apostle Andrew in Christianity is one of the twelve apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is known that he was born in Bethsaida into the family of a Jewish fisherman, Jonah.
Andrew the First-Called accompanied the Lord during sermons as one of his closest disciples, and was present at the Holy Supper, Crucifixion and Resurrection. Together with other disciples, he received the Holy Spirit during Pentecost.
He preached Christianity in the east of the Roman Empire and was probably a missionary in the Scythian lands.
The Apostle Andrew was executed in Patras during the reign of Emperor Nero. According to legend, he died tied to the X-shaped cross with which he is depicted in iconography.
In the Eastern tradition, the Apostle Andrew is also called the First-Called or Saint.
Апостол Андрій у християнстві є одним із дванадцяти апостолів Господа Ісуса Христа. Відомо, що він народився у Віфсаїді у сім'ї єврейського рибалки Іони.
Андрій Первозванний супроводжував Господа на проповідях як один із найближчих учнів, був присутній на Святій Вечері, Розп'ятті та Воскресінні. Разом з іншими учнями прийняв Святого Духа під час П'ятидесятниці.
Він проповідував християнство на сході Римської імперії і, мабуть, був місіонером у скіфських землях.
Апостола Андрія стратили в Патрах під час правління імператора Нерона. За переказами, він помер, прив'язаний до Х-подібного хреста, з яким зображується в іконографії.
У східній традиції апостола Андрія також називають Первозванним чи святим.
Стасов (одна з найвпливовіших постатей художнього життя Росії другої половини ХІХ століття) захоплювався розписами В. М. Васнєцова Володимирського собору в Києві і критикував М. А. Врубеля за створення орнаментів «зовсім не візантійських і не російських, а просто декадентських, які зовсім не йдуть до іншого церкви, а свідчать тільки про поганий смак, примхливість і малому художньому знанні та творчості їхніх авторів щодо візантайства». На критику Врубель відповів листом до редакції, в якому повідомив, що деякі з орнаментів, які так хвалив Стасов, у друкарні помилково приписали авторству Васнєцова, і насправді їх написав не Васнєцов, а Врубель.
М. А. Врубель - В редакцию журнала «Мир искусства»
811 Москва. 27 декабря 1898
Милостивый государь г. редактор,
В нумере третьем журнала «Искусство и Художественная промышлен- ность», на стр. 137, помещен в красках орнамент из Владимирского собора. Как в вышеупомянутом журнале, так и в издании г. Кульженко (откуда журнал перепечатал эту хромолитографию) означенный орнамент приписывается В. М. Васнецову.
Сим заявляю, что орнамент этот, находящийся в левом от входа корабле собора, всецело моей работы, изображения и разработки, и как г. Стасов, так и г. Кульженко ошибочно приписывают его В. М. Васнецову.
С искренним уважением М. Врубель
Normally I don't post many images of a bird or an animal without the face or eyes being present, but sometimes I make an exception, like in this case. This kestrel came flying in and prepared for touchdown in its landing, but first ... wings up, tail fanned, feathers spread, and talons out as it navigates the grab. I just love watching them.
Happy Friday everyone!
© Debbie Tubridy Photography
The Global Super Tanker returned to Pinal Air Park today from Sacramento, CA where it had been fighting the wildfires.. She made 3 low passes prior to landing and executed a water drop on the third low pass.
Marana, AZ.
12-8-18.
Photo by: Ned Harris
Thanks to Paul Larson for the heads up.
MISS YOU...↓
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MY OUTFIT↓
MESH HEAD: CATWA HDPRO Qυeeɴ
MESH BODY: BELLEZA Freyα
SHAPE: PERSONAL SHAPE EхeCυтe Sтore
SKIN: *YS&YS* - Dαĸoтα Toɴe 03
EYES: [NoRυѕн] Heαrт Eyeѕ
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ACCESSOIRES...↓
NAILS: YSORAL Lυхe Nαιlѕ Mercυre
TATTOO: ARABIC TATTOO Bυттerғly Coɴғυѕed
COLLAR: FAKEICON / Mαry Geмѕ Collαr
FACE & BODY PIERCINGS: YSORAL
RINGS: YSORAL Lυхe Seт Rιɴɢѕ Alyѕѕα
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CLOTHING... ↓
HAIR: DOUX Toхιc нαιrѕтyle
PANTIES: EхeCυтe Avα Tнoɴɢ
BOOTS: EMPIRE Pαυlα
Que la Estrella de la Navidad nos guie y proteja con su luz durante el 2021!
Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo 2021 para todos!
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May the Christmas Star guide and protect us with its light during 2021!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2021 to all!
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La cúpula del Baptisterio de Parma.- Italia
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de Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptisterio_de_Parma
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El baptisterio de Parma (en italiano, battistero di Parma) es un baptisterio —edificio destinado al rito del bautismo cristiano— italiano del siglo XIII que está situado junto a la catedral de Parma y se considera estilísticamente como un punto de unión de la arquitectura románica y la arquitectura gótica.
El baptisterio fue encomendado al arquitecto y escultor lombardo Benedetto Antelami (ca. 1150 – ca. 1230), del que poco se sabe, que inició la decoración en 1196, de acuerdo con una inscripción que se conseva sobre el portal.
La datación de la obra terminada es bastante compleja y solo recientemente ha sido apoyada por algunos documentos. En 1216 el alzado alcanzaba solamente hasta el segundo orden de la loggia, donde se dispuso una cobertura temporal plana. El precioso mármol rosa de Verona dejó de llegar por diferencias políticas con Ezzelino da Romano, señor de Verona, y hasta 1249 fue posible retomar la construcción de los registros superiores del baptistero.
La conclusión se produciría hacia 1270, ya muerto Antelami, cuando el edificio fue consagrado solemnemente. Al parecer, sin embargo, el proyecto de Antelami fue continuado hasta su conclusión.
...
La cúpula
La cúpula está dividida en gajos. Dieciséis nervaduras, de mármol rosa de Verona, irradian hacia fuera desde el centro de la cúpula, cada una de ellas terminando en una columna, a su vez, superpuesta sobre otra hasta alcanzar el suelo.
La autoría de las pinturas, ejecutadas con la técnica rápida de la témpera, no consigue acuerdo de los eruditos que las han estudiado: unos las datan en los años 1260 de maestros con modos bizantinos, otros optan por una datación hacia finales del 1200 de un taller dirigido por Grisopolo que se hacía llamar "pictor Par(men)sis".
Las figuraciones de la cúpula se dividen en seis bandas horizontales concéntricos. Comenzando en la parte superior:
la primera banda representa el cielo rojo del eterno amor ;
la segunda banda tiene un fondo azul (el Empireo) con rombos, cada una de ellos con una estrella: es la representación del cielo nocturno estrellado de Jerusalén con una invocación al Paradiso;
la tercera banda tiene los doce apóstoles y los cuatro evangelistas;
la cuarta banda, en el gajo sobre el altar, presenta a Cristo in trono, y a la izquierda la Madonna y a la derecha San Juan Bautista; en los otros trece espacios están varios profetas;
la quinta banda contiene doce episodios de la vida de san Juan Bautista, y de cuatro santos;
en la sexta banda (los arcos) se representan escenas de la vida de Abrahan, los cuatro elementos naturales (agua, aire, tierra, fuego), las cuatro estaciones y la Virgen.
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Dome of the Baptistery of Parma.- Italy
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from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptisterio_de_Parma
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The Baptistery of Parma (Italian: Battistero di Parma) is a religious edifice in Parma, northern Italy. Architecturally, the baptistery of Parma Cathedral marks a transition between the Romanesque and Gothic styles, and it is considered to be among the most important Medieval monuments in Europe.
The city council of Parma commissioned Benedetto Antelami to build the baptistery in 1196. The outside of pink Verona marble is octagonal. The inside contains sixteen arches, forming alcoves each containing a painted scene. All these are 13th and 14th century frescoes and paintings. The most striking part of the Baptistery, however, is its painted domed ceiling. Sixteen rays come out of the center of the ceiling, which each correspond to the arches.
However, problems were posed over time as the paintings were not true frescoes. The paint would start to come off the walls and would be literally hanging on. Due to this, the Baptistery had to be painstakingly consolidated and restored with syringes and spatulas.
translation from spanish version:
The baptistery was entrusted to the Lombard architect and sculptor Benedetto Antelami (ca. 1150 - ca. 1230), of which little is known, who began the decoration in 1196, according to an inscription that is preserved on the portal.
The dating of the finished work is quite complex and has only recently been supported by some documents. In 1216 the elevation reached only up to the second order of the loggia, where a flat temporary cover was arranged. The precious pink marble from Verona stopped arriving due to political differences with Ezzelino da Romano, lord of Verona, and until 1249 it was possible to resume the construction of the upper registers of the baptistero.
The conclusion would take place around 1270, Antelami already dead, when the building was solemnly consecrated. Apparently, however, the Antelami project was continued to completion.
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The dome
The dome is divided into segments. Sixteen ribs, made of pink Verona marble, radiate outward from the center of the dome, each ending in a column, in turn, superimposed on another until reaching the floor.
The authorship of the paintings, executed with the rapid technique of tempera, does not get the agreement of the scholars who have studied them: some date them in the 1260s by masters with Byzantine modes, others opt for a dating towards the end of 1200 of a workshop directed by Grisopolo who called himself "pictor Par (men) sis".
The figures of the dome are divided into six concentric horizontal bands. Starting at the top:
the first band represents the red sky of eternal love;
the second band has a blue background (the Empireo) with rhombuses, each one with a star: it is the representation of the starry night sky of Jerusalem with an invocation to Paradiso;
the third band has the twelve apostles and the four evangelists;
the fourth band, in the segment above the altar, presents Christ on the throne, and on the left the Madonna and on the right Saint John the Baptist; in the other thirteen spaces are various prophets;
the fifth band contains twelve episodes from the life of Saint John the Baptist, and four saints;
in the sixth band (the arches) scenes from the life of Abraham, the four natural elements (water, air, earth, fire), the four seasons and the Virgin are represented.
...
Apollo and Daphne is a life-sized marble sculpture by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, which was executed between 1622 and 1625. It is regarded as one of the artistic marvels of the Baroque age. The statue is housed in the Galleria Borghese in Rome, along with several other examples of the artist's most important early works. The sculpture depicts the climax of the story of Apollo and Daphne (Phoebus and Daphne), as written in Ovid's Metamorphoses, wherein the nymph Daphne escapes Apollo's advances by transforming into a laurel tree.
Apollo and Daphne was the last of a number of important works commissioned by Cardinal Scipione Borghese from Gian Lorenzo Bernini that helped to define Baroque sculpture. Thereafter, Bernini served a succession of popes. Apollo and Daphne was commissioned after Borghese had given an important work of his patronage, Bernini's The Rape of Proserpina (1621-22), to Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi. Through this generous gesture, Borghese hoped to ingratiate himself to the favored nephew of the new pope, Gregory XV.
Much of the early work on Apollo and Daphne was done in 1622–23, but Bernini's work on his sculpture of David (1623-24) interrupted its completion. Bernini finished Apollo and Daphne in 1625, and it was moved to the Cardinal's Villa Borghese in September of that year. Bernini did not execute the sculpture entirely by his own hand. As was the common practice at that time, he had help from his workshop. Giuliano Finelli, who was a very gifted sculptor, undertook the finer details that show Daphne's conversion from human to tree, such as the twigs and leafs springing from her hands, and her windswept hair. Some art historians, however, discount the importance of Finelli's contribution, since he was merely realizing Bernini's creative vision. Apollo and Daphne's enthusiastic reception began as soon as the work was unveiled.
Países Bajos - Apeldoorn - Palacio Het Loo - Establos Reales
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ENGLISH:
The symmetrical Dutch Baroque building was designed by Jacob Roman and Johan van Swieten and was built between 1684 and 1686 for stadtholder-king William III and his consort Princess Mary. The garden was designed by Claude Desgotz.
Het Loo and its gardens, more ambitious than they were actually executed, in an early-18th-century engraving.
After the elder House of Orange-Nassau had become extinct with the death of William III of England in 1702, he left all his estates in the Netherlands to his cousin Johan Willem Friso of the House of Nassau-Dietz in his Last Will. However, the King of Prussia claimed them, as he also descended from the Princes of Orange, and the Houses of Orange-Nassau and Hohenzollern had, a few generations before, made an inheritance contract. Therefore, most of the older properties, though not including Het Loo, were in fact taken over by the Hohenzollerns, who never lived there. Johan Willem Friso's son, William IV, Prince of Orange, finally took over Het Loo Palace, Soestdijk Palace, as well as Huis ten Bosch Palace near The Hague. His widow later bought back several of the older properties in and around The Hague from Frederick William I of Prussia in 1732.
The palace then remained a summer-residence of the House of Orange-Nassau until the death of Queen Wilhelmina in 1962. In 1960 Queen Wilhelmina had declared that when she died the private estate surrounding the palace would go to the State. She did, however, request that it would be returned to her family if the Dutch were to abolish the monarchy. The former crown properties surrounding the palace became property of the Dutch State in 1962 when Wilhelmina died at Het Loo Palace. Her daughter, Queen Juliana, never lived there, but her younger daughter, Princess Margriet, lived in the right wing until 1975.
The building was renovated between 1976 and 1982. Since 1984, the palace is a state museum open for the general public, showing interiors with original furniture, objects and paintings of the House of Orange-Nassau. It also houses a library devoted to the House of Orange-Nassau and the Museum van de Kanselarij der Nederlandse Orden (Museum of the Netherlands Orders of Knighthood's Chancellery) with books and other material concerning decorations and medals. The building is a rijksmonument and is among the Top 100 Dutch heritage sites.
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ESPAÑOL:
El palacio Het Loo (en neerlandés, Paleis Het Loo, «Palacio del bosque») es una residencia real de los Países Bajos. Se encuentra en Apeldoorn, y fue construida entre 1684 y 1686 para el estatúder Guillermo III (futuro rey de Inglaterra). Fue obra conjunta de los arquitectos Jacob Roman, Johan van Swieten y Daniel Marot.
El palacio se construyó inicialmente con el objetivo de ser un pabellón de caza. La línea del edificio muestra claramente la influencia del clasicismo francés, con unas líneas sobrias y simétricas que buscaban una cierta armonía del conjunto sin caer en la ostentación ni la artificiosidad. Del conjunto palaciego destaca especialmente el jardín, proyectado por Daniel Marot, quien se inspiró claramente en Versalles, sobre todo en la parte alta, configurada de forma radial a partir de un eje central, aunque la parte baja del jardín presentaba un conjunto de setos y arboledas típicamente holandés. El diseño de parterres se inspiraba en modelos franceses, pero se alejaba de estos por sus formas más simétricas y un espíritu más sobrio y severo, con la unión de las zonas ornamentales de los arriates con bandas de césped.
En 1960 la reina Guillermina manifestó su intención de ceder el palacio al estado neerlandés tras su muerte, hecho que se produjo en 1962. Tras una cuidadosa restauración, el palacio acoge actualmente un museo dedicado a la Casa de Orange-Nassau, así como el Museum van de Kanselarij der Nederlandse Orden (Museo de la Cancillería de las Órdenes de Caballería Neerlandesas).
crafted and executed by the Official Replica, Regalia and Dressmakers of the Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino de Cebu, Mr. Juanito Zafra, Mr. Orlando Abellanosa, and the Asilo dela Medalla Milagrosa.
Salle exécutée par Giulio Romano (Jules Romain, Rome, 1492-Mantoue, 1546) et Francesco Primaticcio (Le Primatice, Bologne, 1503-Paris, 1570), son élève le plus brillant.
Des peintures ont été exécutées sur le mur entourant le chœur entre les années 1316 et 1324. Elles ont été badigeonnées à la fin du XVIIIe siècle. Elles représentaient la lapidation et ensevelissement de saint Étienne, le baptême du préfet Dioscorus par saint Genoulph, l'Adoration des Mages, le Couronnement de la Vierge, la consécration de l'autel de la Vierge de Rocamadour par saint Martial et le martyre de sainte Valérie. Elles ont été redécouvertes en 1872 par le peintre et sculpteur de Cahors, Cyprien Calmon. Il en a commencé la restauration en 1873. Si cette restauration reste modérée sur le panneau du couronnement de la Vierge, les panneaux représentant la lapidation de saint Étienne sur le piédroit de l'arc-doubleau du côté nord et l'Adoration des Mages sont entièrement repeints. Les autres panneaux sont des compositions de Cyprien Calmon (1837-1901) qui les a signés.
Putting images next to each other. In pairs. Sometimes not. On pages, virtual pages. This poorly executed one not among them although it could have been, had there been less rush. There always seems to be rush. Rush is good for nothing, not even groceries.
Water study. I have so much trouble executing what's in my mind.
Thanks to KleptoHeart for all the sage wisdom on water and light reflections!
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And he said
I've lost my head
Can you see it?
Belly aches
While you're in bed
Can you feel it?
"Commander, the time has come. Execute Order Sixty-Six."
"We must move quickly. The Jedi are relentless. If they are not all destroyed, it will be civil war without end."
"Do not hesitate. Show no mercy"
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Honestly Order 66 is the saddest part of Star Wars. There was a special bond between the Clone Troopers and their Jedi Generals and they were forced to unwillingly slaughter their brothers in arms.
I was feeling a Star Wars build and this just kinda happened. I wanted to explore new color combos, and I really like the olive green foliage and the dark orange soil. And while I was at it I decided to make this my application to Dark Times.
As previously stated, this is my final build of 2019; my final build of the decade!
Type of Item: Apparel Item Details: ROSE BODYSUIT // FATPACK GroupGift January 2022 // Full version includes 10 Colors // Sizes: Belleza (ALL), Ebody Curvy-Classic, Legacy, Perky, Maitreya, Petite, Slink Hourglass-Original // Group Fee: Group Fee 50L // Group Required Release Date: January 16, 2022
This is the washroom of block 11 where many condemned had to clean themselves and their clothes before they were led to the "Wall of Death", located in the yard at the side of this block, to be executed. SS men shot several thousand people there—mostly Polish political prisoners and, above all, members of clandestine organizations.
Executions were also carried out here on Poles brought in from outside with death sentences, including hostages detained in reprisal for Polish resistance movement operations. Cases are known in which prisoners from other groups—Jews and Soviet POWs—were shot. The wall was dismantled in 1944, while the camp was still in existence. This did not mean the end of executions, however. Prisoners were also subjected to other form of punishment in the yard, including flogging and "the post".
Do not open open the next link with information about Auschwitz if you prefer not to:
auschwitz.org/en/history/punishments-and-executions/the-post
Though mankind spreads a thousand fold
No mortal may escape my hold
My hunt is endless and my thrill
is executing god's own will
They call me reaper as my scythe
shall end their plague of love and life
In time all men shall find me there
and cry out in their own despair
Those who seek me shall soon find
I come to men of every kind
I follow sickness, pain and age
I transcribe names upon the page
I follow war, and pestilence
and ride with them in excellence
When the end comes I will be there
to claim all men within my snare
No person may escape the pain
in time all peoples shall be slain
I send men to their last judgement
as they cry out in their lament
I came in Egypt as a plague
my purpose true, my methods vague
With gods command I will be there
my forces beyond all compare
In time all of mankind is shown
the journey they must take alone
the trip from the world they call home
to lands where the spirit may roam
I drag them to the other side
no one can run, no one can hide
I rob their lungs of breath and air
Kings and paupers must beware
The truth is no one has control
of their time or of their own soul
Their days are numbered I must be
the voice that screams their elegy
I stalk all folk, I'm just behind
the darkness which shall rend you blind
I never left I'm always there
There's no one here that death shall spare
Upon my pale horse I must ride
To bring men to the other side
my task brings sorrow, sadness, gloom
my form shall set forth hate and doom
All cultures see me as the norm
though no man yet has guessed my form
my task a burden I must bare
only I am trusted to its care
Dogs signal my entrance howling
old prophets may sense me scowling
Plagues and famines are revealing
purpose needs no more concealing
I the butcher of all slaughter
I who steal your sons and daughters
Young men flee, old men beware
Victories brief, escape is rare
Dreaded queen of dark destruction
I'm the worlds last interruption
I'm the final balance shifting
Earth is the world I am lifting
From my reaping all shall falter
blood shall rain down from the altar
Soon all men shall be aware
of my cold merciless stare
-Crowknows
The Kapellbrücke is a covered wooden footbridge spanning the river Reuss diagonally in the city of Lucerne in central Switzerland. Named after the nearby St. Peter's Chapel,[1] the bridge is unique in containing a number of interior paintings dating back to the 17th century, although many of them were destroyed along with a larger part of the centuries-old bridge in a 1993 fire. Subsequently restored, the Kapellbrücke is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, as well as the world's oldest surviving truss bridge. It serves as the city's symbol and as one of Switzerland's main tourist attractions.
Lucerne is unique in that its three wooden pedestrian bridges, the 14th-century Hofbrücke (now destroyed) and Kapellbrücke and the 16th-century Spreuerbrücke, all featured painted interior triangular frames. None of Europe's other wooden footbridges have this feature. The paintings, dating back to the 17th century and executed by local Catholic painter Hans Heinrich Wägmann, depict events from Lucerne's history. Of the original 158 paintings, 147 existed before the 1993 fire. After the fire, the remains of 47 paintings were collected, but ultimately only 30 were fully restored.
The wooden boards that held the paintings varied from 150 centimetres (59 in) to 181 centimetres (71 in) wide and 85 centimetres (33 in) to 95 centimetres (37 in) wide. Most of the panels were made from spruce wood boards, and only a few were made from linden wood and maple. The paintings were created during the Counter-Reformation, featuring scenes promoting the Catholic Church. The paintings were sponsored by the city's council members, who, upon sponsoring a panel, were allowed to attribute their personal coat of arms on it. An explanation of each painting was printed below each scene. The paintings ran all along the bridge, dating from the life and death of Lucerne's patron saint St. Leger to the legends of the city's other patron saint St. Maurice.
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than two hundred people were accused. Thirty were found guilty, nineteen of whom were executed by hanging (fourteen women and five men).
Capturing a Sunrise Photo of the Esztergom Basilica
As a photographer, one of the most exciting challenges is successfully executing a pre-planned shot. My sunrise photo of the Esztergom Basilica is the result of such a project, where the rising sun is visible through the arch spanning the Basilica’s large and small towers, with the silky Danube River in the foreground and the Maria Valeria Bridge in focus.
Below, I will walk you through the preparation and execution steps so that other photographers can draw inspiration from it.
1. Preliminary Planning and Location Scouting
Visualizing the Shot:** The first step was to mentally plan the desired photo. I aimed to capture a shot where the sunrise light shines through the arch of the Basilica, with the silky Danube River reflecting in the foreground and the Maria Valeria Bridge in focus. I knew using a tripod would be necessary for the long exposure.
On-site Visit: Four days before the planned shoot, I visited the location to thoroughly scout the area. Using an app, I checked when the sun would rise precisely through the arch. The app indicated this would happen four days later, so I chose this time.
2. Technical Preparations
Setting Up the Equipment: During the on-site visit, I determined the most stable spot for the tripod. This was on larger stones, requiring one of the tripod's legs to be shorter. I had to be very cautious to ensure my safety when approaching this spot. This mindset is recommended for all photographers! After securing the camera to the tripod, I planned the angle and lens choice to position the sunrise optimally for the composition. I took some test shots and noted the settings to only need fine adjustments on the day of the shoot.
3. The Day of the Shoot
Timing and Weather:I hoped the weather would be favorable for the sunrise four days later, and fortunately, it was. I arrived about 20 minutes early to prepare and make any last-minute adjustments.
Fine-Tuning the Settings: Thanks to the pre-planned settings, I didn’t need much time to set up the technical details on-site. I quickly secured the tripod and camera, set the camera to auto mode focusing on the bridge, then switched to manual mode, turned off the stabilizer, and fine-tuned the focus using focus magnification.
4. Capturing the Photo
Exposure and Composition:** At the moment of sunrise, I took the shot, ensuring the exposure time was enough to achieve the silky effect of the Danube while the sunlight perfectly arched through. The result was a well-composed and spectacular photo that captured the envisioned scene.
5. Post-Processing
Editing: After taking the photo, I performed some basic post-processing to enhance the colors and contrasts, further highlighting the magic of the sunrise and the beauty of the Basilica.
This process required detailed planning and precise execution, but the result was worth all the effort. I hope this summary helps other photographers in creating similar photos.
The Midland Camera club planned and executed a wonderful trip to the Jordan Valley and Leelanau peninsula in pursuit of Fall colors, landscapes, farms, sand dunes, Lake Michigan. lighthouses, and a vast assortment of interesting subjects to photograph. All the members came home with a nice collection of photographs and much joy in the adventure spent together. Visit our viewing site to see the work of the members.
www.flickr.com/groups/3021281@N20/
216d 10 - TAC_5756 - lr-ps
In late 1984, Santa Fe and Amtrak executed a swap of engines where Santa Fe acquired around a dozen or so SDP40F's in exchange for Amtrak getting Santa Fe switch engines.
Some of the SDP40F's were pressed into road service for a very short period of time on the Santa Fe while still in Amtrak paint until they were able to enter the San Bernardino shops for conversion into SDF40-2's.
In October of 1984, Santa Fe SD40-2 "snoot" 5130 and U36C 8774 sandwich a pair of the SDP40F's, those being ex-Amtrak 655 and 634 on a Westbound manifest train as it drops down the 3% grade of the South Main on Cajon Pass.
Arezzo Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Arezzo in Tuscany, Italy. It is located on the site of a pre-existing Palaeo-Christian church and, perhaps, of the ancient city's acropolis.
The first cathedral of Arezzo was built on the nearby Pionta Hill, over the burial place of Donatus of Arezzo, martyred in 363. In 1203 Pope Innocent III had the cathedral moved within the city's walls, to the current site. The cathedral however lost the relics of Donatus, which were transferred to the church of San Donato in Castiglione Messer Raimondo (in what is now the province of Teramo). In spite of this, the cathedral is still dedicated to Saint Donatus and at the high altar houses a 14th-century arch named after him.
The construction of the current structure, started in 1277, went through different phases, and ended in 1511. The façade was built in 1901–1914, replacing the previous, unfinished one, dating to the 15th century.
It was the seat of the Bishop of Arezzo from the 3rd century until 1986, and from 1986 onwards has been that of the present Bishop of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro.
The façade was designed by Dante Viviani and has sculpted decorations by Giuseppe Cassioli, Enrico Quattrini and Viviani himself.
The south side of the church is from the original medieval building, in sandstone. In the middle is a 14th-century portal in Florentine style, with two porphyry columns taken from an ancient temple. The polygonal apse, with double mullioned windows, dates to the 13th century.
The interior has a nave and two aisles divided by piers with ogival arches, with five spans covered by cross vaulting, without a transept. The seven stained glass windows in the south aisles were executed in 1516-1524 by Guillaume de Marcillat, who also painted frescos of biblical scenes on the ceiling. Almost a century and a half after the work of Marcillat, Salvi Castellucci completed the fresco work on the fourth and fifth aisles. Other stained glass windows are in the presbytery, one also by Marcillat and another by early 15th-century Florentine masters.
The presbytery houses a large arch dedicated to Saint Donatus. Sculpted in marble, it has twelve small piers terminating in spires and pinnacles in Gothic style and was executed by Florentine, Aretine and Sienese artists of the 14th century, including (in the lower section) Agnolo di Ventura and Agostino di Giovanni. The wooden choir of the Grand Chapel was designed by Giorgio Vasari in 1554.
In the counter-façade is the hexagonal baptismal font, with reliefs by Donatello's workshop, including a "Baptism of Christ" by Donatello himself.Ref.? The Chapel of the Madonna del Confort is a Neoclassicist work, built from 1796 and housing several terracottas by Andrea della Robbia. In the same side is the cenotaph of Guido Tarlati, lord of Arezzo until 1327. According to some, it was designed by Giotto, and executed by Agnolo di Ventura and Agostino di Giovanni. Near to the cenotaph is Piero della Francesca's Mary Magdalene (1460s).
In the south aisle is the funerary monument of Pope Gregory X (died 1276), dating to the early 14th century. Another funerary monument in the aisles is that of Ciuto Tarlati (1334), formed by a marble sarcophagus of the 4th century AD and a series of reliefs by Agostino di Giovanni, crowned by a 14th-century fresco.
A number of liturgical objects from the cathedral can be found in the nearby diocesan museum.
Think, plan, execute and home early for home cooked Thai chicken in coconut milk.
I actually wanted cloud cover tonight so as to have an orange sky behind the tree. A clear sky was the second choice but it seemed to work OK.
Note to self.......Got to shoot more landscape orientations !
Follow my work on Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/LED-Eddie-Light-Artist/30563460289...
Le springbok est une antilope sauteuse d'Afrique australe car apte à exécuter de grands bonds. En présence de prédateurs, l'espèce est en effet connue pour effectuer des sauts verticaux .(2m de haut).L'animal peut atteindre 88 km/h à la course...et est capable d'une vitesse ( d'endurance) de 40 à 50 km/h sur une distance de plusieurs kilomètres. Son corps est adapté pour résister à la chaleur et à la sécheresse
🇬🇧The springbok is a jumping antelope found in southern Africa. In the presence of predators, the species is known to make vertical jumps (2 m high) and can reach a running speed of 88 km/h... and is capable of an endurance speed of 40 to 50 km/h over a distance of several kilometres. Its body is adapted to withstand heat and dryness.
La gacela es un antílope saltarín procedente del sur de África porque es capaz de dar grandes saltos. En presencia de depredadores, se sabe que la especie realiza saltos verticales (de 2 m de altura). El animal puede alcanzar 88 km/h corriendo... y es capaz de alcanzar una velocidad (resistencia) de 40 a 50 km/h en una distancia. de varios kilómetros. Su cuerpo está adaptado para resistir el calor y la sequía.
🇩🇪Der Springbock ist eine springende Antilope aus dem südlichen Afrika, weil er große Sprünge ausführen kann. Es ist tatsächlich bekannt, dass die Art in Anwesenheit von Raubtieren vertikale Sprünge (2 m hoch) ausführt. Das Tier kann beim Laufen eine Geschwindigkeit (Ausdauer) von 40 bis 50 km/h erreichen von mehreren Kilometern. Sein Körper ist an Hitze und Trockenheit angepasst
DARWIN, NT, Australia (April 12, 2022) - U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Ospreys from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 268 reinforced, Air Combat Element (ACE), Marine Rotational Force-Darwin (MRF-D) 22, execute a formation flight over Darwin, NT, Australia, during an administrative movement April 12, 2022. VMM 268 flew the Ospreys from Darwin Port to Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin, strengthening the squadron’s support of MRF-D 22 by fully equipping and staging a capable ACE. (U.S. Marine Corps photo illustration by Cpl. Cameron Hermanet) 220412-M-YO040-2161
** Interested in following U.S. Indo-Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/indopacom | twitter.com/INDOPACOM | www.instagram.com/indopacom | www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command; | www.youtube.com/user/USPacificCommand | www.pacom.mil/ **
This is the original photo based on I executed the tea splash experiment on Kuwait Science Club (photography section)
هذه الفكرة تم تنفيذها مرة أخرى امام اكثر من 35 مصور في النادي العلمي بالكويت وتم توثيقها بكاميرات عديدة
The same idea was executed in front of more that 35 photographers and all of them captured the same moment for documentation.
حدث جدل كبير حول هذه الصورة انتهى هنا:
A lot of arguments about the photo (real/photoshop) were discussed. Thus I calrified it here:
(arabic only)
I used high speed photography techniques which do not depend on the shutter speed. instead it depends on the flash to freeze motion.
more details can be found under high speed photography category here: www.almumen.com/log (arabic only)
Also, here: www.hiviz.com (English only)
Gurdwara Shahid Ganj, Lahore – a historical perspective
Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj Singh Singhania at Lahore marks the site where, according to historians, over 250,000 men and women lost their lives in the 18th Century. This was the period from 1716, when Banda Singh Bahadur was executed at Delhi in June that year, to 1753, the year when Muin-ul-Mulk, known as Mir Mannu, died.
A historian writes that “Large numbers of them (i.e. Sikhs) were shot down, while many others were brought in chains to Lahore where they were executed at a place near the Nakhas outside the Delhi gate, which afterwards came to be called Shahid Ganj” (Ganesh Das, 198; Tahqiqat-e-Chisthi, 101). When in 1737 Zakariya Khan martyred the revered Bhai Mani Singh, the Sikh scholar and Granthi (priest) at Darbar Sahib, Amritsar, people of all religions were horrified. Detachments of the “gashti fauj” brought hundreds of men and women (with children) daily in chains to Lahore for public executions at the Nakhas (now Shahid Ganj), or, in case of women for imprisonment and hard labour leading to death. This site witnessed the martyrdoms of popular figures like Bhai Taru Singh who served all without discrimination.
Historical background
This was a decisive phase in the people’s war against tyrannical rule in Panjab, most of the area north of Delhi with Lahore as the capital. The cruelty inflicted on the ordinary people had no bounds. The power of the rulers was absolute; more so due to the power struggle between Delhi and the invasions from north-west led by Nadir Shah (January to May 1739) and later by Ahmad Shah Durani (also known as Abdali). Delhi emperors Farrukh Siyar, Muhammad Shah (1719 – 1748) and later Alamgir II were weak while the same Turani family, loyal neither to Delhi nor to the invaders, ruled Panjab: Abdus Samad Khan (1713 – 26) who led the capture of Banda Singh Bahadur, his son Zakariya Khan (1726- 45), and grandson Yahia Khan (1745-47), and Mir Mannu (1748-53) son of Delhi Wazir Qamr-ud-din Khan (who was brother-in-law of Zakariya Khan).
In March 1752 when Mir Mannu was left on his own, he surrendered Lahore to Ahmad Shah Abdali. Later recovery of Panjab by the Moghuls was only symbolic. Complete chaos with no civil government continued with no respite for the people. It was during this period that the “rakhi system” or protectorates under which people paid money to mercenary bands became common. In this power vacuum, with people’s support, Khalsa “jathas” (groups), which formed into larger misls, gained in strength. Later, with the total defeat of the invaders by 1767, the foundation of a popular regime, the Khalsa Raj in which all were equal partners, was laid.
Those like Mir Mannu, used their absolute power to wreak havoc on the ordinary people. Despite hundreds brought in chains, tortured and slaughtered at Lahore daily, the spirit and resolve of the people seeking freedom from tyrannical rule grew stronger each day. These tortures and killings took place in public. Such was the cruelty inflicted by Mannu that his name passed into folklore, “Mannu is our sickle and we are his grass blades; as he cuts us, we grow many times more”.
Historians are unanimous in confirming that in terms of human endurance, this was one of the most remarkable periods in the history of humankind when men, women, young and old refused to give up their struggle for freedom despite extreme forms of torture in captivity. One heroic example of resistence quoted by historians is that of a fifteen years old school boy, Haqiqat Rai’s in 1743, whose martyrdom became part of Panjab’s folklore.
There are hardly any finer examples of the courage and determination shown, especially by women: the housewives, mothers and sisters of the freedom fighters.
Role played by women freedom fighters
Even a casual study of the history of Panjab during this critical period shows that the real sufferers behind the scenes were women. Backing the Khalsa warriors were the Sikh women who walked in the footsteps of Mai Bhag Kaur (“Mai Bhago”), the warrior companion of Guru Gobind Singh. History recalls that each woman in prison was given a maund and a quarter (about 50 kilos) of grain to grind in a day and they were beaten mercilessly when they slowed down through exhaustion. “Exhausted from thirst and hunger they plied their stonemills and sang their Guru’s hymns. Their children, hungry and thirsty, wailed writhed on the ground. The helpless prisoners could do nothing but to solace them with their affection. Wearied from crying the children would at last go to sleep…Children were sometimes hacked to pieces in front of their mothers. Bits of flesh hung on strings were thrown around their necks like garlands…Wherever the Sikhs pray, the fortutude and heroism of those brave women is recalled with reverence.”
It is in this historical context that the word “Singhania” became inseparably attached to “Singh” as part of the Ardaas: “Those Sikh men and women who courted martyrdom….underwent unspeakable suffering but never wavered in their faith…remember them O’Khalsa Ji….” Gurdwara Shahid Ganj Singhania (opposite Shahid Ganj Bhai Taru Singh) is in remembrance of the Khalsa women and children martyrs.
Sikhs survived the most trying period in history because they had the added human-power of their determined mothers, sisters and wives, who, in addition to their domestic roles, became equally good at the plough and the sword (for defence) in the absence of their men freedom fighters in the battlefield. Sikh, Hindu and even Muslim women were also in danger for another reason. Heads of women – even Muslim women - with long hair were cut without discrimination by bounty hunters and presented as heads of “young Sikhs” to seek rewards! Another example showing that all suffer regardless of religion under evil and tyrannical regimes.
Guru Nanak’s ideology
Guru Nanak, “the Guru of the Hindus and the Pir of the Muslims” declared the beginning of popular resistance against despotic cruelty when he wrote that “the rulers are like tigers and the collectors of taxes are like dogs oppressing the public day and night.” Guru Nanak Sahib preached and wrote in the popular language of the people, touring the country extensively. He became the most popular reformer of his time.
Between the huge millstones of tyrannical rulers, bribe taking judges and greedy tax collectors on the one hand, and the corrupt clergy on the other, ordinary men and women of all religions, creeds and castes were being crushed. Kings had forgotten their duty to protect the people; and those in the garb of religion, instead of showing the true path to the people and the rulers, were themselves aiding the oppressive regimes. In fact, as Bhai Gurdas wrote, the hedge meant to protect the field was itself destroying the field.
It is not surprising that popular Muslim and Hindu leaders and saints sided with the “Guru Ghar”, the House of Guru Nanak. Teachings of Muslim and Hindu saints received the seal of the Guru’s approval as the “Revealed Word” and were included in the Sikh Scriptures, Guru Granth Sahib.
Guru Nanak Sahib’s universal movement of true religion and his call to the people to “fear none, frighten none” culminated in the Khalsa Panth by 1699, as a complete spiritual and temporal system. The Khalsa interpreted and defended the universal truths and human values taught in Guru Granth Sahib by sages of many religions – in a sense the parliament of faiths. The common values which the Khalsa promoted and defended were, respect for diversity and for all paths leading to the One Creator Being, and equality of all before the One Creator (e.g. Aadm ki jaat sabhe ekay pehchaanbo – Recognize all human race as one - Guru Gobind Singh).
Flowing from these ideals was the concept of community service (seva) and sharing. “Guru ka Langar” or community kitchen where all are served without discrimination became a popular Khalsa institution - as powerful as the sword to resist and overcome the social and political injustice (therefore, “Degh Teg Fateh”). History records that the local poor Muslims mourned the arrest, torture and death of Bhai Taru Singh, a hard working saintly farmer, who ran a daily “Langar” for all.
Henceforth, the Khalsa, backed by popular support, spearheaded the struggle to establish a rule of the people, by the people, in which all were equal partners. Guru Nanak’s mission was clarified as the establishment of, “a regime in which no one inflicted pain on another as the Will of the Benevolent Lord.” (Guru Arjan Dev Ji).
Khalsa mission was supported by the people of Panjab
Shahid Ganj is a monument to the struggle of all ordinary people against a tyrannical regime and foreign invaders whose only aim was to loot and plunder. The word “Turak” for “Turk” appears to have been used in the sense of the “foreign invaders” from the north in Sikh writings rather than in relation to any religion. Some biased historians misleadingly interpret the popular uprising as some sort of religious conflict between the Hindus (led by the Khalsa) and the Muslims. Yet, the historical evidence, when taken together with the unique Khalsa ideology of Guru Nanak/Gobind Singh mission, is very different indeed.
All were suffering from administrative, religious, social and economic injustices. The rulers, the large landowners (jagirdars) and the clergy, were in collusion with each other. They were all exploiting religion and abusing own power and position for selfish ends. The cruelty inflicted by caste divisions and the superstitious practices used as tools for exploitation by the priestly class, was no less than that inflicted by the sword of the tyrannical rulers and merciless invaders. Guru Nanak’s first rebellion was against the cruelty of the caste system when he refused to wear the sacred thread, which would have signified his high caste. He sided with the “lowliest of the low”.
It needs to be mentioned that some of the greatest injustices were inflicted by the administrators at the time. For example, Chandu Diwan (Minister in Lahore court) may have played a role in the shahidi of Guru Arjan Dev Ji; the Cchota Ghalughara, the lesser in terms of loss of life but more damaging, of the two 18th Century pogroms against the Sikhs, was led by Lakhpat Rai, Diwan of Lahore. The list of treacherous “informers” like Gangu (leading to the death of the young Sahibzadas (Princes) of Guru Gobind Singh, and Mahant Aakldaas of Jandialla, who was behind Bhai Taru Singh’s shahidi, is a long one.
On the other hand the list of Islamic supporters of Guru Nanak’s universal teachings and mission, from Guru Sahib’s childhood to the demise of Guru Gobind Singh, runs parallel with Sikh history. Muslim warriors served with the Khalsa in many battles from Guru Gobind Singh to Maharaja Ranjit Singh – the latter’s artillery was almost entirely in the hands of Muslim generals. Hazrat Mia Mir spoke out against the torture inflicted on the Fifth Guru, Arjan Dev Ji which caused his shahidi (30 May, 1606); Pir Budhu Shah came to Guru Gobind Singh’s aid with his 700 disciples at a most critical time when he was under attack from the Hindu hill rajas at Bhangani (near Paonta Sahib) and his two sons were killed in the battle. Gani Khan and Nabi Khan brothers of Macchiwara gave shelter to Guru Gobind Singh when was being pursued by the Emperor’s army. Nawab Maler Kotla spoke out against the killing of the two Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh by the Nawab of Sahind. Baba Banda Singh Bahadur had 5,000 Muslim soldiers in his army.
Except for some historians with own biases, in no sense can the struggle for freedom of the people in north-western part of the Indian subcontinent be interpreted in terms of some sort of religious conflict. Both, the Muslims and the Hindis had accepted Guru Nanak as a reformer and a revolutionary, and their Pir and Guru respectively. Regardless of religion, all suffered from the excesses of a cruel regime. The sword arm which inflicted cruelty may have been Moghul, Durani, Afghani or Hindu (e.g. hill rajas and divans like Lakhpat Rai, supported by Brahmanical opposition to the liberating ideology of Guru Nanak). People were being crushed between inept Delhi rule and the invaders who descended periodically from the north-west. Guru Nanak Sahib predicted in 1505 AD , “They (the Mughals) shall come in (Vikrami) seventy-eight and depart in ninety seven, when another disciple of the brave Man (Khalsa) shall arise” (“Aavn aatthatre jaan staanvay, hor bhi utthsi mard ka chella” . Babar destroyed the Pathaans in 1578 Vikrami (1521 AD) and Nadir destroyed the Mughals in 1797 Vikrami (1739 AD).
To the people, Banda Singh Bahadur had shown that self government by the people was possible. According to one historian “Banda was a great reformer, He broke down the barriers of caste, creed and religion. He appointed sweepers and cobblers as big officers before whom high caste Hindus, Brahmins and Kshatriyas stood with folded hands awaiting their orders. He believed in socialism. He distributed all his riches among his followers. He abolished the zamindari system and established peasant-proprietorship making actual tillers of the soil its masters.”
Wrote Hari Ram Gupta “Thus, the sturdy, plodding race of hereditary cultivators, whose diligence had built up the agricultural system of the Panjab, became as skilful in the use of the sword as they were in the use of the plough…..Misery, misfortune, isolation, abandonment, poverty, privation, distress, are the battlefields which have their heroes, obscure heroes, sometimes greater than the renowned heroes.”
And so, “the hammering of the oppressive regime did not reduce them to pulp. It hardened them to tempered steel”. They resisted local oppression and they relieved the marauders from the north of their loot each time the latter returned with their spoils from Indian towns and countryside. They freed women and children from these raiders who intended to sell them as slaves.
Gurdwara Shahid Ganj Singh Singhania, Lahore, is a monument to the unique feats of courage and the great sacrifices made by ordinary people for human dignity and freedom.
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