Hairy Male Bodies
View allAll Photos Tagged MiddleEast
Join me on Facebook | Google+ | Twitter | 500px | Instagram
~~~~~~~~~
Turkey - Türkiye - Istanbul - Ancient Byzantium & Constantinople - Sultan Ahmed Mosque -Sultanahmet Camii - Blue Mosque - One of the most famous monuments of Turkish and Islamic art - Historical Mosque with 6 minarets along with 8 domes & 1 main one
Istanbul is definitely one of my favorite cities in the world and sitting on one of those great terraces with stunning views over Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque is something I always enjoye doing, especially during sunrise or sunset time.
Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark III; Lens: EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM; Focal length: 45.00 mm; Aperture: 22; Exposure time: 2.5 s; ISO: 100
All rights reserved - Copyright © Lucie Debelkova www.luciedebelkova.com
All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed, written permission of the photographer.
Jerash is the capital and the largest city of Jerash Governorate, Jordan, with a population of 50,745 as of 2015. Located 48 kilometres (30 mi) north of the capital of Jordan, Amman.
The history of the city is a blend of the Greco-Roman world of the Mediterranean Basin and the ancient traditions of the Arab Orient. The name of the city reflects this interaction. The earliest Arab/Semitic inhabitants, who lived in the area during the pre-classical period of the 1st millennium BCE, named their village Garshu. The Romans later Hellenized the former Arabic name of Garshu into Gerasa. Later, the name transformed into the Arabic Jerash.
The city flourished until the mid-eighth century CE, when the 749 Galilee earthquake destroyed large parts of it, while subsequent earthquakes (847 Damascus earthquake) contributed to additional destruction. However, In the early 12th century, by the year 1120, Zahir ad-Din Toghtekin, atabeg of Damascus ordered a garrison of forty men stationed in Jerash to convert the Temple of Artemis into a fortress. It was captured in 1121 by Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem, and utterly destroyed.
Jerash was then deserted until it reappeared in the Ottoman tax registers in the 16th century. It had a population of 12 households in 1596. However, the archaeologists have found a small Mamluk hamlet in the Northwest Quarter which indicates that Jerash was resettled before the Ottoman era. The excavations conducted since 2011 have shed light on the Middle Islamic period as recent discoveries have uncovered a large concentration of Middle Islamic/Mamluk structures and pottery.
In 1806, the German traveler, Ulrich Jasper Seetzen, came across and wrote about the ruins he recognized. In 1885, the Ottoman authorities directed the Circassian immigrants who were mainly of peasant stock to settle in Jerash, and distributed arable land among them.
The ancient city has been gradually revealed through a series of excavations which commenced in 1925, and continue to this day.
This little baby Markhor goat and I startled each other. He came running around the corner and saw me with my camera and it scared him. He just froze and stood there (on three legs) looking at me, wondering what I was going to do. That was great, because it gave me a chance to get his picture. Then, he ran.
pyramids of Khufu (left) and Khafre (right) (not depicted: pyramid of Menkaure)
"The three Giza pyramids of the 4th Dynasty start looming on the horizon as soon as one has passed through the Cairo suburb which lent them its name and proceeds in a southwesterly direction along Sharia’ al-Ahram (Avenue of the Pyramids). The history of the site, however, goes back much further, at least to the reign of King Ninetjer of the 2nd Dynasty, whose name occurs on some jar sealings found in a tomb in the south part of the site. An even earlier tomb of the reign of King Wadj of the 1st Dynasty was located to the south of the area usually described as the Giza necropolis.
The site falls naturally into two well-defined groups situated on higher ground. The first unit, which is much the larger and more important, consists of the pyramids and the surrounding fields of nonroyal mastabas. The valley temples belonging to the pyramids, and the Great Sphinx with the adjacent temples, are situated below this elevated plateau. There is little doubt that the Giza pyramids are mutually related on the ground, but this is probably due to the techniques employed when the sites for each of them were surveyed. A relationship based on astronomical considerations, such as imitation of the positions of the stars of Orion’s Belt, has not been proved and is unlikely."
John Baines and Jaromir Malek, Atlas of Ancient Egypt (Revised Edition) (Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2002), p. 156.
Everybody loves a traditional roller coaster which is why there's no doubt that you will love riding the Hili Mouse. This golden oldie has been revamped and is ready to take you for a speedy spin, dip and twist. Stick your hands up in the air and let out a whoop as you and your family enjoy this classic ride. Feel your heart thumping in your chest as you countdown the clicks on your slow ascend to the top before being thrust down the winding track.
This delightful woman agreed to pose for me. She was having a picnic with her family in a village near Muscat. I loved her frank gaze and strong features.
After hundreds of steps you finally get to Petra's top spot, the Monastery where you can enjoy an awesome view.
Cotesbach is just south of Lutterworth on the Leicester to Rugby stretch of the Great Central Railway. The loco is ex-GCR, a Robinson class O4 from 1912, withdrawn 1941. This negative dated 31/8/1940 - there was less lockdown for railway photographers during the war than in 2020!
Wadi Rum is one of the world's most beautiful deserts. More than just a sea of rolling dunes, this protected wilderness near Jordan's southern border is made unique by the dramatic sandstone and basalt mountains jutting out of its sandy floor. Named "The Valley of the Moon" for good reason, the area's natural intrigue is endless: stunning rock formations, fascinating rock art, and a brilliant night sky combine to create a unique and worthwhile destination.
American built oil burning "Middle East" 2-8-2 No. 46232 on the daily 07.40 mixed train from Elazig to Tatvan. 11 April 1975.
Thinking of Iran...
Southern iwan with the square ablutions pool in the middle of of Masjed-e Jame mosque's sahn courtyard, which is the largest sahn in Iran, measuring 65 x 76 metres.
The square kaba reflects the four iwan around it and its close resemblance to the kaba in Mecca has led many a pilgrim to practise the rituals here.
The marble reflection pool with the curved edges gives some fine reflections of all but the southern iwan.
* This photo has been used on the Non-Fiction website
* This photo is blogged at AsiaViaje (English)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Edfu
The Temple of Edfu is an Egyptian temple located on the west bank of the Nile in Edfu, Upper Egypt. The city was known in the Hellenistic period in Koinē Greek: Ἀπόλλωνος πόλις and in Latin as Apollonopolis Magna, after the chief god Horus, who was identified as Apollo under the interpretatio graeca. It is one of the best preserved shrines in Egypt. The temple was built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 237 and 57 BC. The inscriptions on its walls provide important information on language, myth and religion during the Hellenistic period in Egypt. In particular, the Temple's inscribed building texts "provide details [both] of its construction, and also preserve information about the mythical interpretation of this and all other temples as the Island of Creation." There are also "important scenes and inscriptions of the Sacred Drama which related the age-old conflict between Horus and Seth." They are translated by the Edfu-Project.
History
Edfu was one of several temples built during the Ptolemaic Kingdom, including the Dendera Temple complex, Esna, the Temple of Kom Ombo, and Philae. Its size reflects the relative prosperity of the time. The present temple, which was begun "on 23 August 237 BC, initially consisted of a pillared hall, two transverse halls, and a barque sanctuary surrounded by chapels." The building was started during the reign of Ptolemy III Euergetes and completed in 57 BC under Ptolemy XII Auletes. It was built on the site of an earlier, smaller temple also dedicated to Horus, although the previous structure was oriented east–west rather than north–south as in the present site. A ruined pylon lies just to the east of the current temple; inscriptional evidence has been found indicating a building program under the New Kingdom rulers Ramesses I, Seti I and Ramesses II.
A naos of Nectanebo II, a relic from an earlier building, is preserved in the inner sanctuary, which stands alone while the temple's barque sanctuary is surrounded by nine chapels.
The temple of Edfu fell into disuse as a religious monument following Theodosius I's persecution of pagans and edict banning non-Christian worship within the Roman Empire in 391. As elsewhere, many of the temple's carved reliefs were razed by followers of the Christian faith which came to dominate Egypt. The blackened ceiling of the hypostyle hall, visible today, is believed to be the result of arson intended to destroy religious imagery that was then considered pagan.
Over the centuries, the temple became buried to a depth of 12 metres (39 ft) beneath drifting desert sand and layers of river silt deposited by the Nile. Local inhabitants built homes directly over the former temple grounds. Only the upper reaches of the temple pylons were visible by 1798, when the temple was identified by a French expedition. In 1860 Auguste Mariette, a French Egyptologist, began the work of freeing Edfu temple from the sands.
The Temple of Edfu is nearly intact and a good example of an ancient Egyptian temple. Its archaeological significance and high state of preservation have made it a center for tourism in Egypt and a frequent stop for the many riverboats that cruise the Nile. In 2005, access to the temple was revamped with the addition of a visitor center and paved carpark. A lighting system was added in late 2006 to allow night visits.
Religious significance
The temple of Edfu is the largest temple dedicated to Horus and Hathor of Dendera. It was the center of several festivals sacred to Horus. Each year, "Hathor travelled south from her temple at Denderah to visit Horus at Edfu, and this event marking their sacred marriage was the occasion of a great festival and pilgrimage."
Creation myth of the temple
The creation myth of the temple of Edfu consists of several related scenes, which are found primarily, but not exclusively, on the inside of the perimeter walls of the temple.
They tell the story of the beginning of the world, when it was still entirely covered by water. During the struggle between land and primeval water, the land managed to come close to the surface. Where this happened, reeds grew with the help of a falcon, which were strengthened by the gods The Far and The Large. The reeds were the germ cell for the temple of Edfu, and here Horus landed, as a falcon. A force approached, in the form of a bird, and fed Horus, the lord of Edfu; This ritual was the beginning of the cult of Edfu.
The snakelike Apophis tried to impede the creation. Horus shuddered in fear, yet a harpoon, one of the forms of Ptah, came to the rescue. The enemy was defeated and the creation continued. A falcon formed the sky dome, its wings reaching from horizon to horizon, and the sun began its daily cycle. Then the first temple of Edfu was designed by the gods Thoth and Seshat, one responsible for wisdom, the other for scripture. The godly master-builder constructed the temple according to these plans, but initially not of stone, but of reed.
The foundation ritual of the temple consists of multiple elements: First, the ground-plan was laid out with the stretching-the-cord ritual. When the construction was completed, the king handed the temple over to a triad of gods. To protect the building against external threats, 60 gods formed a living wall around the temple.
Influence on British architecture
The Temple of Edfu provides the model for the Temple Works in Holbeck, Leeds. The courtyard columns at Edfu are closely copied in the frontage of the Works.
Many early Christians, under Roman persecution, settled in Cappadocia and carved their dwellings high into the soft rock formations, often using ladders for entry, or created vast networks of multi-level, underground hideouts and areas of worship. Thousands of such dwellings, some still occupied by locals, are to be found for miles.
Porous rock composed of lava, ash and mud, called tufa, eroded by thousands of years of wind and rain left behind these formations (often called Fairy Chimneys) that dominate the Cappadocian landscape.
The Chapel of the Crucification which belongs to the Franciscans, commemorates the crucifixion of Christ. The silvered bronze altar was a 16th Century gift of the Grand Duke of Tuscany Ferdinando de’ Medici. The Chapel sits within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem in Israel.