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The vertical image of Wat Arun in the evening just after sunset with beautiful cloud pattern in the twilight sky, taken with long exposure technique.Wat Arun or Temple of Dawn is among the best known of Thailand's landmarks and the first light of the morning reflects off the surface of the temple with pearly iridescence.
Picture from the book "The Seven Wonders of the World" by John and Elizabeth Romer
Fruits and flowers... Waterfalls... Gardens hanging from the palace terraces... Exotic animals... This is the picture of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in most people's minds. It may be surprising to know that they might have never existed except in Greek poets and historians imagination
Location
On the east bank of the River Euphrates, about 50 km south of Baghdad, Iraq.
History
The Babylonian kingdom flourished under the rule of the famous King, Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC). It was not until the reign of Naboplashar (625-605 BC) of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty that the Mesopotamian civilization reached its ultimate glory. His son, Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 BC) is credited for building the legendary Hanging Gardens. It is said that the Gardens were built by Nebuchadnezzar to please his wife or concubine who had been "brought up in Media and had a passion for mountain surroundings".
While the most descriptive accounts of the Gardens come from Greek historians such as Berossus and Diodorus Siculus, Babylonian records stay silent on the matter. Tablets from the time of Nebuchadnezzar do not have a single reference to the Hanging Gardens, although descriptions of his palace, the city of Babylon, and the walls are found. Even the historians who give detailed descriptions of the Hanging Gardens never saw them. Modern historians argue that when Alexander's soldiers reached the fertile land of Mesopotamia and saw Babylon, they were impressed. When they later returned to their rugged homeland, they had stories to tell about the amazing gardens and palm trees at Mesopotamia.. About the palace of Nebuchadnezzar.. About the Tower of Babel and the ziggurats. And it was the imagination of poets and ancient historians that blended all these elements together to produce one of the World Wonders.
It wasn't until the twentieth century that some of the mysteries surrounding the Hanging Gardens were revealed. Archaeologists are still struggling to gather enough evidence before reaching the final conclusions about the location of the Gardens, their irrigation system, and their true appearance.
Description
Detailed descriptions of the Gardens come from ancient Greek sources, including the writings of Strabo and Philo of Byzantium. Here are some excerpts from their accounts:
"The Garden is quadrangular, and each side is four plethra long. It consists of arched vaults which are located on checkered cube-like foundations.. The ascent of the uppermost terrace-roofs is made by a stairway..."
"The Hanging Garden has plants cultivated above ground level, and the roots of the trees are embedded in an upper terrace rather than in the earth. The whole mass is supported on stone columns... Streams of water emerging from elevated sources flow down sloping channels... These waters irrigate the whole garden saturating the roots of plants and keeping the whole area moist. Hence the grass is permanently green and the leaves of trees grow firmly attached to supple branches... This is a work of art of royal luxury and its most striking feature is that the labor of cultivation is suspended above the heads of the spectators".
More recent archaeological excavations at the ancient city of Babylon in Iraq uncovered the foundation of the palace. Other findings include the Vaulted Building with thick walls and an irrigation well near the southern palace. A group of archaeologists surveyed the area of the southern palace and reconstructed the Vaulted Building as the Hanging Gardens. However, the Greek historian Strabo had stated that the gardens were situated by the River Euphrates. So others argue that the site is too far from the Euphrates to support the theory since the Vaulted Building is several hundreds of meters away. They reconstructed the site of the palace and located the Gardens in the area stretching from the River to the Palace. On the river banks, recently discovered massive walls 25 m thick may have been stepped to form terraces... the ones described in Greek references.
Uxmal is located in the Puuc region and is considered one of the Maya cities most representative of the region's dominant architectural style. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in recognition of its significance.
It is located 62 km south of Mérida, capital of Yucatán state in Mexico. Its buildings are noted for their size and decoration.
Highlights from the wonderful exhibition of Tutankhamun's Gold Treasures at Saatchi Gallery London UK 30 Nov 2019.
© Amberinsea Photography 2019
Egyptian Museum, Turin (Italy)
Living in the XIXth Dynasty (c. 1295-1255 B.C.), her full name was Nefertari Merytmut, meaning "Beautiful Companion, Beloved of Mut".
She was one of the Great Royal Wives of Ramesses II, also one of the best known of the Egyptian queens, next to Cleopatra, Nefertiti and Hatshepsut.
Her tomb, QV66, is the largest, most lavishly decorated and spectacular in the Valley of the Queens. Ramesses II also constructed for her a temple at Abu Simbel, next to his own colossal monument. He even made the size of her statues, on its facade, to the same scale as his own.
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©Roberto Bertero, All Rights Reserved. This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.
Our second day exploring Machu Picchu found the Inca marvel covered in dense clouds. This image was a 5-shot HDR, taken when there was a slight break in the cloud. The cloud added a mystical ambiance to this incredible world wonder.
Highlights from the wonderful exhibition of Tutankhamun's Gold Treasures at Saatchi Gallery London UK 30 Nov 2019.
© Amberinsea Photography 2019
The first wall remains and wall paintings were found in 1904 by people ploughing in the Balácapuszta field of a village named Vámos in Veszprém County. Soon it became apparent that traces of a Roman farm had been discovered. The farm in Balaca is the largest known Roman farm in the former Pannonia Province. The famous mosaic floor of 62 m2 of its central building was discovered in 1925 with the help of the National Museum. It is still the main attraction of the Roman Lapidarium of the Museum. The other three mosaic floors were transferred back to their original places in 1984, in the year of the official opening of the gardens of ruins.
mnm.hu/en/museums/villa-romana-balaca-roman-villa-and-gar...
13th century bas-relief depicting a battle scene. On the outer wall of The Bayon, part of the Angkor group of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Cambodia.
Borobudur temple in Central Java, Indonesia.
It's a huge temple. Notice the tiny tourists in red shirts crawling at the bottom far right of the temple?
I was waiting for the bus load of tourists to leave before sunset. This view was taken from a hotel restaurant. I also get to enjoy this view from the side of my hotel room.
There's only one hotel within the temple's compound. Will post the hotel's pic and info later.
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Borobudur is a ninth-century Mahayana Buddhist monument in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.
Evidence suggests Borobudur was abandoned following the fourteenth century decline of Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms in Java, and the Javanese conversion to Islam.
Worldwide knowledge of its existence was sparked in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the then British ruler of Java, who was advised of its location by native Indonesians. Borobudur has since been preserved through several restorations.
The largest restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by the Indonesian government and UNESCO, following which the monument was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Borobudur is still used for pilgrimage; once a year Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the monument, and Borobudur is Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction.
Source:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borobudur
Highlights from the wonderful exhibition of Tutankhamun's Gold Treasures at Saatchi Gallery London UK 30 Nov 2019.
© Amberinsea Photography 2019
The Ishtar Gate was built and dedicated to the goddess Ishtar around 575 BC. It was awesome in appearance and one of the most impressive monuments of the ancient Near East. It was decorated with glazed brick reliefs, in tiers, of dragons and young bulls. The gate was a double gate, and it was the starting point for the half mile Processional Way to the Temple of Marduk. This gate was built by Nebuchadnezzar II, the same monarch who conquered Jerusalem in 586 BC. The Ishtar Gate foundations were discovered in 1899, and were reconstructed in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin, from the glazed bricks and other material excavated by the Robert Koldeway expedition in the early 1900's. This discovery was monumental in the study of Biblical Archaeology, the very Gate which the Jewish captives must have passed through, including Daniel and Ezekiel. It shows the might and glory of the Babylonian Empire.
"Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?" The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, "This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you." Daniel 4:30-31
The Biblical Argument for the Rebuilding of Babylon
A Walking Tour of Chichén Itzá: Chichén Itzá, one of best known archaeological sites of the Maya civilization, has a split personality. The site is located in the northern Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, about 90 miles from the coast. The south half of the site, called Old Chichén, was constructed beginning about 700 AD, by Puuc Maya emigres from the southern Yucatan. The Puuc built temples and palaces at Chichén Itzá including the Red House (Casa Colorada) and the Nunnery (Casa de las Monejas). The Toltec component of Chichén Itzá arrived from Tula about 950 AD and their influence can be seen in the the Osario (the High Priest's Grave), and the Eagle and Jaguar Platforms. Most interestingly, a cosmopolitan blending of the two created the Observatory (the Caracol) and the Temple of the Warriors.
The Temple of the Warriors is one of the most impressive structures at Chichén Itzá. It may be the only known late classic Maya building sufficiently big enough for really large gatherings. The temple consists of four platforms, flanked on the west and south sides by 200 round and square columns. The square columns are carved in low relief, with Toltec warriors; in some places they are cemented together in sections, covered with plaster and painted in brilliant colors. The Temple of Warriors is approached by a broad stairway with a plain, stepped ramp on either side, each ramp has figures of standard-bearers to hold flags. A chacmool reclined before the main entrance. On the top, S-shaped serpent columns supported wooden lintels (now gone) above the doorways. Decorative features on the head of each serpent and astronomical signs are carved over the eyes. On the top of each serpent head is a shallow basin that might have been used as an oil lamp.
Photo taken in February 1986 on Kodachrome 64 film with a Minolta SLR camera and Vivitar 70-150 zoom. Scanned 2005. Photo by: Jim Gateley. Text Copyright 2006: archaeology.about.com/mbiopage.htm used with permission. A list of references used for this project is available for further reading on Chichén Itzá.
Buddha Statue inside the ancient temple complex of Banteay Kdei, Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Download Photo #86261161
www.mlenny.com/travel/buddha-banteay-kdei-temple-cambodia
Mlenny Photography
Greek geographer Strabo - "It consists of vaulted terraces raised one above another, and resting upon cube-shaped pillars. These are hollow and filled with earth to allow trees of the largest size to be planted. The pillars, the vaults, and terraces are constructed of baked brick and asphalt."
"The ascent to the highest story is by stairs, and at their side are water engines, by means of which persons, appointed expressly for the purpose, are continually employed in raising water from the Euphrates into the garden."
Strabo and Philo of Byzantium give the following records.
"The Garden is quadrangular, and each side is four plethra long. It consists of arched vaults which are located on checkered cube-like foundations... The ascent of the uppermost terrace-roofs is made by a stairway..."
"The Hanging Garden has plants cultivated above ground level, and the roots of the trees are embedded in an upper terrace rather than in the earth. The whole mass is supported on stone columns... Streams of water emerging from elevated sources flow down sloping channels... These waters irrigate the whole garden saturating the roots of plants and keeping the whole area moist. Hence the grass is permanently green and the leaves of trees grow firmly attached to supple branches... This is a work of art of royal luxury and its most striking feature is that the labor of cultivation is suspended above the heads of the spectators".
So here in this desert land with virtually no rainfall, a lush mountain garden was built, using a ‘chain pump’ bucket brigade method of raising water from the level of the Euphrates River to over 300 feet into the air. Here the water would flow down channels thru these terraces, lines with bitumen for water proofing; the plants along the terraces were watered and fertilized by the silted waters of the Euphrates.
Strange as it may sound, the Babylonian records of Nebuchadnezzar or any of his descendants are silent on the Hanging Garden. It is only recorded in the histories of the later writers and chroniclers. According to these stories, Amyitis, the wife of Nebuchadnezzar, was the daughter of the king of the Medes. Here was a dynastic wedding, but the daughter of the Median king was homesick for her home in the green and verdant foliage of the rugged mountainous terrain of the land Media now in northern Iran.
Somewhere in the 43 years of Nebuchadnezzar’s rule, which began in 605 BCE, Nebuchadnezzar began to build an artificial mountain with terraces of gardens, trees and beautiful foliage. Here the marvel of this wonder of the ancient world rose over the walls of the mighty city of Babylon. These garden, also called the Garden of Semiriramis, who lived about 810 BCE. There are some legends that the Hanging Gardens were actually built by Queen Semiriramis, but the firmer archeological evidence suggests that her memory is invoked in this grand structure. The building itself was built over masonry arches with multilayer of terraces and gardens. Beneath the garden luxurious apartments were constructed.
The "Elder Things" from H. P. Lovecraft's "At The Mountains Of Madness" are one of the very first Ancient Aliens/Astronauts to show up in literature!
Long before the human race even began to evolve, the Elder Things travelled from a distant star to our planet. They built an amazing civilization, with ruins that could withstand even a billion years of emptiness. Within their massive, ornate cities, they also created the amorphous Shoggoths as a race of slaves, servile creatures to do their bidding.
The Elder Things ruled in eace until Cthulhu and its Star-Spawn invaded, setting off the first major war in Earth's history. Amazingly, they were able to fight off Cthulhu, until the ancient One retreated to sleep beneath the waves in his city of R'yleh. The Elder Things then came into conflict with the Mi-Go and even the Great Race of Yith, still surviving each conflict until they were finally at peace again. But this, too, did not last, as the Shoggoths gained minds of their own, and soon rebelled against their masters. The civil war with the Shoggoths was the most brutal one yet, and the Elder Things nearly destroyed themselves in order to subdue their Shoggoths again. And yet, after surviving so many wars, their time was running out - the first great Ice Age came, and this spelled the doom of the Elder Things. Survivors had to flee their great cities or die, with a few remnants settling beneath the ocean, in an environment that could sustain them. But soon, even their cities were overrun by rebelling Shoggoths.
There are hints that the race is not entirely extinct in the Cthulhu Mythos, and at least some survived frozen long enough to be revived (temporarily) in At The Mountains of Madness. But for the most part, the Elder Race is long gone, leaving only a few scattered ruins and the monster Shoggoths as evidence of their once-great society.
Featured on Nerditis's Figure Photo of the Day: nerditis.com/2013/03/31/figure-photo-of-the-day-elder-thing/
Featured on Poe Ghostal's Pic of the Day: www.poeghostal.com/2013/04/pic-of-the-day-elder-thing-by-...
In the suburbs of Trujillo are the monumental ruins of Chan Chan, once capital of the Chimu Empire in the 14th century and today a Unesco World Heritage Site.
The adobe city of Chan Chan, capital of the Chimu Empire, built around 850 AD and was the political centre of what is today northern Peru until 1470 when the Chimu state was conquered by the Inca Empire.
Only a small part of Chan Chan still stands today, yet its massive plazas and surrounding labyrinthic corridors of adobe walls full of intricate friezes of ocean waves, aquatic life and birds still remind visitors of an imperial past where dead rulers were mummified and paraded around to worshipping pilgrims seeking blessings and favours.
El complejo ceremonial de Tahai es un sitio arqueológico en Rapa Nui (Isla de Pascua) en la Polinesia chilena. Restaurada en 1974 por el fallecido Dr. William Mulloy, arqueólogo estadounidense, Tahai comprende tres ahu principales de norte a sur: Ko Te Riku (con los ojos restaurados), Tahai y Vai Ure. Visible en la distancia de Tahai hay dos ahu restaurados en Hanga Kio'e, los proyectos que Mulloy emprendió en 1972. Al igual que otros proyectos de restauración Mulloy a Ahu Akivi, la aldea ceremonial de Orongo y Vinapu, el centro ceremonial de Tahai constituye ahora una parte integral del Parque Nacional Rapa Nui, designado por la UNESCO como Patrimonio de la Humanidad.
From Wikipedia
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The Tahai Ceremonial Complex is an archaeological site on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in Chilean Polynesia. Restored in 1974 by the late Dr. William Mulloy, an American archaeologist, Tahai comprises three principal ahu from north to south: Ko Te Riku (with restored eyes), Tahai, and Vai Ure. Visible in the distance from Tahai are two restored ahu at Hanga Kio'e, projects that Mulloy undertook in 1972. Like other Mulloy restoration projects at Ahu Akivi, the ceremonial village of Orongo and Vinapu, the ceremonial center at Tahai now constitutes an integral part of the Rapa Nui National Park, designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.
From Wikipedia
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Stone Buddha head embedded in a tangle of tree roots in the ancient Siamese city of Ayutthaya, UNESCO World Heritage Site.
From Panoramio
Babylon
This booklet is the first in a series which has been published in 1982 by the Iraq Government on the preservation and restoration of the monuments of Babylon.
Some 90 kilometres to the south of modern Bagdhad lie the ruins of ancient Babylon, the original name of which, "bab-ili", may be translated as "the Gate of the Gods". For the world at large Babylon ranks as one of the most famous cities of antiquity, renowned alike for its refinement, beauty and magnificence. As a centre of culture and government it flourished for about fifteen centuries, from the arrival of the Amorites ca. 1850 B.C. down to Alexander the Great, who died there in 322 B.C. One of the best known of the city's early rulers was the great law-giver, Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.).
In classical times the city walls of Babylon were spoken of with admiration and astonishment, while her "Hanging Gardens" were accounted one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
During the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (605-563 B.C.) Babylon was extensively re-built on an altogether magnificent scale, the city becoming at this period both the most beautiful and the most prosperous of the ancient world. Bisected from north to south by the river Euphrates, the city was surrounded by a moat and by two massive walls, the outer being about 16 kilometres in length, the inner about 8 kilometres. Within the inner city wall were brick- and bitumen-paved Thoroughfares and imposing buildings, of which numerous traces and ruins may still be seen by the visitor today. In particular there is part of Babylon's great Procession Street which passes through the Ishtar Gate and on towards the site of the city's huge staged temple tower or "Ziggurat". On one side of the Procession Street are the ruins of the South Palace (300 x 190 metres) amongst which are to be found those of the famous "Hanging Gardens" mentioned above. To the north of the South Palace are the ruins of the Principal Gate, the broken walls of which consist of baked bricks laid with gypsum mortar. Also within the circuit of the inner wall and surrounded by residential buildings are the temples of Marduk, Ishtar, Gula and Ninurta.
For the past two thousand years the ancient buildings of Babylon have been extensively quarried for their excellent baked bricks. Thus, what survives today is generally only the lower courses of the walls or simply their foundations. Moreover, what survives is threatened by salt and the high local water table. Action is urgentls required to rescue these ruins.
Fotunately there already exist plans and reconstructed drawings on many of Babylon's principal buildings, even some of which little now remains but their foundations. These plans and drawings were made by German archaeologists who dedicated some seventeen years to the excavation of Babylon before the First World War.
As the product of fifteen centuries of human toil and endeavour Babylon belongs to all people and to all nations. Visitors from all over the world are anxious that something should be done to further the restorations and reconstruction of babylon's principal buildings, so that the city's former grandeur may be better appreciated. It is appropriate, we feel, that all countries should assist in this work, not only in recognition of Babylons' great place in history, but also in recognition of her great cultural importance for everyone.
Yamchun Fort is the most visually prominent historic site in the Wakhan Valley in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province, Tajikistan. The Panj River, running in the valley below, serves as the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan (the mountains in the distance are in Afghanistan). Photo taken on March 26, 2014 in the village Vichkut in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province, Tajikistan.
Highlights from the wonderful exhibition of Tutankhamun's Gold Treasures at Saatchi Gallery London UK 30 Nov 2019.
© Amberinsea Photography 2019
The main chapel of Wat Suthat Thep Wararam Temple and its reflection on the marble floor. This temple is a Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand. It is a royal temple of the first grade, one of ten such temples in Bangkok (23 in Thailand). This main chapel (in the photo) contains the great Buddha image Phra Sri Sakyamuni which have been moved from Sukhothai province. This is one of the most beautiful temple in Thailand. Don't miss it.
Cavates, carved rooms, were also common behind the rooms built at the bottom of cliffs. Luckily, the tuff is soft and malleable. Carving these rooms using stone tools would have still been very difficult. The walls of the cavates were often plastered and the ceilings smoked. Smoking the ceiling made it less crumbly. Sometimes pictographs painted on or petroglyphs were carved into the walls. Source: www.nps.gov/band/historyculture/ancestral-pueblo-home-con...
Masada (“fortress” in Hebrew) is a mountain complex in Israel in the Judean desert that overlooks the Dead Sea. It is famous for the last stand of the Zealots (and Sicarii) in the Jewish Revolt against Rome (66-73 CE). Masada is a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Israel.
The last occupation at Masada was a Byzantine monastery, and then the site was largely forgotten due to its remoteness and harsh environment (especially in the summer months). The site was superficially explored in 1838 CE by the American archaeologists Edward Robinson and Eli Smith. Then, between 1963 and 1965 CE, Yigael Yadin, who was both an Israeli military commander as well as an archaeologist, organized the first major excavations with volunteers from around the world.
The source for the history of Masada is Flavius Josephus (36-100 CE), who wrote about the origins of the fortress under the Hasmoneans and the renovations of the site under Herod the Great (37-4 BCE). As an eyewitness to the events of the Jewish revolt against Rome (66-73 CE), he wrote The Jewish War with the last chapter relating events at Masada in 73-74 CE. Josephus described the decision to commit mass suicide at the fortress (960 men, women, and children). However, because he was not an eyewitness to the events, modern debate continues in relation to the historical basis of his story.