View allAll Photos Tagged execution
A Canadian Iranian software engineer is facing imminent execution in Tehran for allegedly operating a pornography website after the Iranian Supreme Court rejected a final appeal from his lawyers.
Saeed Malekpour, 35, says he was tortured into making a confession about the website on live TV and Iranian officials used the broadcast to give him the death sentence.
The software engineer's family says the web software was only designed for uploading and sharing photos and that adult sites used it without is knowledge.
Human rights campaigners believe the hardline Islamist regime wants to use Malekpour as an example as it cracks down on Internet freedom ahead of elections.
Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2089959/Canadian-residen...
English Civil War Society
By kind permission of the Royal Parks Department, the King’s Army Annual March and Parade will again follow the route taken by Charles I from St James Palace on the Mall to the place of his untimely death at the Banqueting House in Whitehall, London. This event is an established part of the London calendar and has followed a similar format now for forty years. The parade assembles from 11am outside St James Palace on The Mall and marches to form up on Horse Guards Parade, a considerable privilege for an organisation such as ourselves, from where a wreath is carried across Whitehall and placed at the execution site. A short service follows and awards and commissions are conferred on deserving members of the King’s Army.
Title / Titre :
Making a fill in /
Execution d'un remblai
Creator(s) / Créateur(s) : Unknown / Inconnu
Date(s) : Unknown / Inconnu
Reference No. / Numéro de référence : MIKAN 4359693
collectionscanada.gc.ca/ourl/res.php?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&...
collectionscanada.gc.ca/ourl/res.php?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&...
Location / Lieu : Canada
Credit / Mention de source :
Canadian Baptist Archives. Library and Archives Canada, e010952639 /
Canadian Baptist Archives. Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, e010952639
Den of Imagination - Your Miniature Painting Service
We are a registered studio in Torun, Poland. We have been in line of work since 2008. Our still growing staff of painters and sculptors is ready to work on any project you can imagine!
We are credible, solid and reliable. We work best with large commissions and we guarantee fast service.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEBSITE: denofimagination.com/
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/user/denofimagination
SHOP: shop.denofimagination.com/
TWITTER: Twitter.com/doiStudio
FLICKER: www.flickr.com/photos/97996892@N07/
PINTEREST: www.pinterest.com/denstudio/
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/doiphoto/
Photo #2 from the series
the shoot was actually to depict on how does a wet market looks like after everyone gone (about 5-6pm) and to get some dramatic shadows for the photos. it was an overcasted day so i didn't get the shadows i want.
however, the first thing that nabbed my attention as i entered the market was was there were chickens being locked up in tiny cages for waiting to be executed, which i am pretty sure, not by choice. (what you see on the first photograph). the cage was so small, there's barely room for them to move or stand properly.
then as i walked around, i came across a section where various meats were hung about for sale. (photograph number two) this is the place were buy/sell takes place in the morning.
last but not least, (photograph number 3) is where the remains/leftovers of the slaughtered chicken were dumped. it was actually right next to the cages of chicken. the place looks like a holocaust for animals that we actually feed on. the whole place has a disconcerting stench of blood as well.
like i said, i'm not much of a PETA person like pamela anderson or neither am i a vegetarian, but somehow, i do think that we could make some kind of changes can be made to treat them better. at the current rate that we're going, it's a suprise that there's no major plaque breakout from the the way we handle the poultry and farm animals.
Medium: T-Max Film (film border is left purposedly for my own reference)
Den of Imagination - Your Miniature Painting Service
We are a registered studio in Torun, Poland. We have been in line of work since 2008. Our still growing staff of painters and sculptors is ready to work on any project you can imagine!
We are credible, solid and reliable. We work best with large commissions and we guarantee fast service.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEBSITE: denofimagination.com/
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/user/denofimagination
SHOP: shop.denofimagination.com/
TWITTER: Twitter.com/doiStudio
FLICKER: www.flickr.com/photos/97996892@N07/
PINTEREST: www.pinterest.com/denstudio/
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/doiphoto/
History
The Coughton estate has been owned by the Throckmorton family since 1409. The estate was acquired through marriage to the De Spinney family.[2] Coughton was rebuilt by Sir George Throckmorton, the first son of Sir Robert Throckmorton of Coughton Court by Catherine Marrow, daughter of William Marrow of London.[2] The great gatehouse at Coughton was dedicated to King Henry VIII by Throckmorton, a favorite of the King.[2] Throckmorton would become notorious due to his almost fatal involvement in the divorce between King Henry and his first wife Catherine of Aragon.[2] Throckmorton favoured the queen and was against the Reformation. Throckmorton spent most of his life rebuilding Coughton.[3] In 1549, when he was planning the windows in the great hall, he asked his son Nicholas to obtain from the heralds the correct tricking (colour abbreviations) of the arms of his ancestors' wives and his own cousin and niece by marriage Queen Catherine Parr[3] (see gallery drawing). The costly recusancy (refusal to attend Anglican Church services) of Robert Throckmorton and his heirs restricted later rebuilding, so that much of the house still stands largely as he left it.[3]
After Throckmorton's death in 1552, Coughton passed to his eldest son, Robert. Robert Throckmorton and his family were practicing Catholics therefore the house at one time contained a priest hole, a hiding place for priests during the period when Catholics were persecuted by law in England, from the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth I of England. The Hall also holds a place in English history for its roles in both the Throckmorton Plot of 1583 to murder Queen Elizabeth, and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, although the Throckmorton family were themselves only indirectly implicated in the latter, when some of the Gunpowder conspirators rode directly there after its discovery.
The house has been in the ownership of the National Trust since 1946. The family, however, hold a 300-year lease and previously managed the property on behalf of the Trust. In 2007, however, the house reverted to management by the National Trust. The management of the property is renewed every 10 years. The family tenant until recently was Clare McLaren-Throckmorton, known professionally as Clare Tritton QC, until she died on 31 October 2017.[4]
The house, which is open to the public all year round, is set in extensive grounds including a walled formal garden, a river and a lake.
"Get away from her, you bitch!"
Imagine the impact of killing a doctor in a world like this. Murdering a walking compendium of science and knowledge. It would be like killing a world.
•-----------•----•💀•---•-------------•
#ELDER_SCROLL_OF_MNEM_0.0♾😻
•-----------•----•💀•---•-------------•
ℹ️8️⃣📞📲📳☎️♾💁♂️
ℹ️▶️⏯⏭↕️🔘https://youtu.be/bS5JnGBmghM
First of all; the #FBI does not have the clearance, to be in possession, of my nuclear codesz.
Load, Load, Load; you're too slow, #YouTube. And do you know what that means? It means that you are #Guilty of #HighTreason. &, do you know what that means? It means that you are #Executed by #FiringSquad.
Nope; your apology means nothing to me. It means, that you are still #Executed by #FiringSquad.
That's one☝️. Two✌️; I👆, told you💭💬📣🔊📢; I did not suggest to you – I told you, #YouTube; that I need 14-15,000 characters🔤🔡🔠🔢; &, you refused to comply. Therefore; you are shot🔫 to death – #Executed for #HighTreason, twice✌️👋😽💀😵.👀
Three3️⃣☘️; #JohnPaulMacIssac: I simply, or merely, tell💭💬📣🔊📢 the #FBI, to go & fuck themselves; & to eat shit💩🚽, & die💀😵⚰️⚱️. 👀
☎️▶️⏯⏩⏭➡️🔀↕️🔘https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=qKVkhQQXEGE&feature=share
She asked me to cum⛲️💦💧🌊🎣🐟🔫 over, to #Steinway🎹🏭, in #Astoria👸; & then, after driving from #Pennsylvania #Pistolvania, she was on the #AOL_IM #AIM, w/ #JesseHenry. I told her that she was being rude; & she told me to go & fuck myself. So; I left, drove home🏡, & ate the cost💸 of travel. &, I went & fuckt myself. &; she was unhappy that I left; & she didn't get none. &; I don't really give a fuck. She can eat shit💩🚽, & die💀.👀❄️ @/#GregGutfeld #CarleyShimkus
#OliviaCampbellPatton #OliviaWildeNeeCockburne
🏰🏯🔘https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigiriya
By the way; it is #Ceylon; do not offend me again. This is your first(ly)☝️, & only⏳⌛️ warning⚠️⛔️☣️☢️
#SAP_q / #SAR_Q, how-ever, not #SAP-q / #SAR-Q; #RobertCharles #THE_COMMODORES_CIRCLE.👀😾😠😤😡
👀😎⚠️⛔️☣️☢️🔘https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_access_program#:~:text=Special%20access%20programs%20%28SAPs%29%20in%20the%20U.S.%20Federal,that%20exceed%20those%20for%20regular%20%28collateral%29%20classified%20information.
☝️; there is no quick select, of 20,000+ images, on #iPhone, #Apple #TimCook. ✌️; there is no #conspicuous way to remove the #Slideslow option, on #iPhone, w/ your shitty, shitty musick selection. Therefore, I cannot turn it off. Oh, by the way; I cannot trash individual #AppCaches, neither, all of them, in a single tap. Take a wild guess what that means for you; all of you. #HighTreason = #Execution🔫 @ the #Gallows💀😵, or #Gibbet💀😵.👋👋👋
3️⃣; @/ #GregGutfeld‼️⚠️ : The #Saxophone🎷 is lame, gey, & any-person, who may believe it to be kool, or trendy, or even good; they may eat shit💩🚽, & die💀😵.
4️⃣ By the way; #SullyErna; you're a bitch.👋💀
🔘https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=R8pj2y39_jc&feature=share
•-----------•----•💀•---•-------------•
It is nice to see #TulsiGabbard; @/#FoxNewsCorp.
#Owlephant
•———————————•
#ELDER_SCROLL_OF_MNEM_0.0♾😻
•———————————•
#EvanRachelWood-._•✏️📝✍️🔏🐧
--WRW
_.• ✍️🔏
•-----------•----•💀•---•-------------•
The head of the tree was chopped. The root cause of the unhealthy tree because of no water can run into the soil as it was surrounded by concrete.
YS&T 607, a Baldwin VO-660 was the last operating VO-660 in the Indiana Harbor Works, at some point it made it to preservation at IRM in Union, IL only to be traded in for Minnesota Transfer RS-3 #200 and scrapped. So close, yet so far. Anyways..here's a shot of YS&T 607 in happier days, putting around the I.H.Works on 9/15/1974.
Paul Hunnell Photo, R.Kertis Collection
Hanging is actually probably the least painful method of execution-- but we prefer to inject these days.
Elizabeth Maerz, Vice President, Strategy and Execution
The Travelers Companies, Inc.
As Vice President of the Strategy & Execution Office for Personal Insurance, Beth Maerz works with the Personal Insurance (PI) Leadership Team to define business strategy, prioritize initiatives, and align investments to the PI strategic roadmap. Previously, Beth was Vice President of Country Wide Products and Services, where she helped lead the ongoing development of Travelers’ Home and Auto product lines. Prior to joining Travelers in 2005, Beth held leadership positions with a variety of marketing and management consulting firms, helping senior executives of leading financial services firms prioritize their strategic business objectives, identify critical enabling capabilities and create implementation plans. Beth holds a Masters degree in Business Administration and Economics from Boston University.
This is at the School Without Walls on Broadway.
Sticker made from this famous photograph: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Nguyen.jpg
Would Donnie throw his boys "Under the Bus" to save his own ass? There is Jared,but Ivanka would be so upset with daddy!
Paul Delaroche, The Execution of Lady Jane Grey, 1833, oil on canvas, 246 x 297 cm (The National Gallery, London)
The reflection of an Afghan Soldier with the 3-1/205 Afghan National Army appears in a puddle on a village road after a heavy rain fall, Feb. 5, 2010, Southern Afghanistan. Canadian Forces 3rd KANDAK 1/205 Corps and the U.S. Army Charlie Company 2508 Task Force Fury worked together mentoring the 3-1/205 Afghan National Army for a successful execution of Operation Mesmar. The mission objective was to clear several villages and fruit orchards in the southern most half of Terot Kulacha in search of IED’s, weapons caches and illegal drugs.
Photo by Kenny Holston of the United States of America.
Title: Queretaro Chapel at place of Maximilians execution.
Creator: Waite, C. B. (Charles Betts), 1861-1927
Date: 1904
Part Of: Mexico
Place: Santiago de Queretaro, Queretaro, Mexico
Physical Description: 1 photographic print: gelatin silver; 20.2 x 12.6 cm
File: ag1983_0281_0736_queretaro_opt.jpg
Rights: Please cite DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University when using this file. A high-resolution version of this file may be obtained for a fee. For details see the sites.smu.edu/cul/degolyer/research/permissions/ web page. For other information, contact degolyer@smu.edu.
For more information and to view the image in high resolution, see: digitalcollections.smu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/mex/id/729
View the Mexico: Photographs, Manuscripts, and Imprints Collection
In my home library collection - A Book of English Martyrs written by E. M. Wilmot-Buxton, published by Burns and Oates, 1915. Illustration by M. Meredith Williams.
King Henry VIII once described Margaret as “the saintliest woman in Christendom.”
"May 28th is the feast of Blessed Margaret Pole, the Countess of Salisbury, who was beatified by Pope Leo XIII as a martyr for the Catholic Church on 29th December 1886. Pope Leo XIII had a very special love for England, as did Lady Margaret Pole. She was one of the the few remaining members of the Plantagenet dynasty following the Wars of the Roses.
Margaret was born on 14th August 1473, the daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, who was the brother of kings Edward IV and Richard III and she was one of only two women in 16th-century England to be a peeress in her own right with no titled husband.
Her husband Richard, who was the cousin of King Henry VII, held a variety of offices in Henry's government, the highest being Chamberlain for Arthur, Prince of Wales, Henry's elder son. When Prince Arthur married Catherine of Aragon, Margaret became one of her ladies-in-waiting, but her entourage was dissolved when the teen-aged Arthur died in 1502. When her own husband Richard (born 1462) died in 1505, Margaret was a widow with five children, a limited amount of land inherited from her husband, no other income and no prospects. King Henry VII paid for Richard's funeral. To ease the situation, Margaret devoted her third son Reginald Pole (1500-1588) to the Church, where he was to have an eventful career as a Papal Legate and later the last Cardinal Archbishop of Canterbury.
Her youngest son Geoffrey Pole (1501or2-1558) married well, to Constance, daughter of Edmund Pakenham, and inherited the estate of Lordington in Sussex.
When King Henry VIII was refused an annulment of his lawful marriage to Queen Catherine of Aragon and eventually broke from Rome, Margaret Pole refused to recognize the King as the head of the Catholic Church in England rather than the Pope.
The king decided to remove Margaret Pole and convict her of treason. As part of the evidence for the bill of attainder, Cromwell produced a tunic bearing the Five Wounds of Christ, symbolizing Margaret's support for Catholicism and the rule of her son Reginald and the king's Catholic daughter Mary. The supposed discovery, six months after her house and effects were searched at her arrest, is likely to have been a fabrication. She was sentenced to death, and could be executed at the King's will.
Margaret Pole was held in the Tower of London for two and a half years. She, her grandson Henry (son of her own son Henry), and Exeter's son were held together.
On the morning of 27th May 1541, Margaret was told she was to die within the hour. She answered that no crime had been imputed to her. Nevertheless, she was taken from her cell to the place within the precincts of the Tower of London where a low wooden block had been prepared instead of the customary scaffold.
Margaret was 67 years of age. She bravely offered her life remaining loyal to the Catholic Faith. Her execution was performed by "a wretched and blundering youth who literally hacked her head and shoulders to pieces in the most pitiful manner".
Watch a trailer for a film about Blessed Margaret Pole here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5PyWTO7b_A&t=27s" Edited from wikipeadia and the Mary's Dowry on facebook
"Blessed Margaret Pole is an incredible English Martyr, the story of her execution is particularly striking. The following poem was found carved on the wall of her cell:
For traitors on the block should die;
I am no traitor, no, not I!
My faithfulness stands fast and so,
Towards the block I shall not go!
Nor make one step, as you shall see;
Christ in Thy Mercy, save Thou me!
On the morning of 28 May 1541, Margaret was told she was to die within the hour. She answered that no crime had been imputed to her. Nevertheless, she was taken from her cell to the place within the precincts of the Tower of London where a low wooden block had been prepared instead of the customary scaffold.
Two written eyewitness reports survived her execution: one by Marillac, the French ambassador, and the other by Chapuys, ambassador to the Holy Roman Emperor.
Chapuys wrote that, "at first, when the sentence of death was made known to her, she found the thing very strange, not knowing of what crime she was accused, nor how she had been sentenced". Because the main executioner had been sent north to deal with rebels, the execution was performed by "a wretched and blundering youth who literally hacked her head and shoulders to pieces in the most pitiful manner".Mary's Dowry Productions.
Per Åström spent a few hours trying to climb the execution rock at Hanveden today. It's not high, but it's still a very tricky climb.
Constantine I the Great, 307 – 337
Medallion of 2 solidi, Thessalonica circa 326, AV 8.72 g. CONSTANTINVS – AVG Diademed head r. Rev. SENA – TVS The Emperor, laureate and togate, standing l., holding globe and sceptre; in exergue, SMTS. C –. Gnecchi –, cf. 51 = Alföldi –, cf. 468 = RIC –, cf. 272 = Depeyrot p. 153 (all Roma, 4 ½ solidi).
Apparently unique and unpublished. A spectacular medallion with a magnificent
portrait of fine style, almost invisible marks on reverse field,
otherwise virtually as struck and almost Fdc Privately purchased from A. Tkalec in 1998.
When it began, 326 held every promise of being the most extraordinary year of Constantine’s life. It opened with his sharing the consulship with Constantius II, his middle son by Fausta, who had been made Caesar in November of 324, after the defeat of Licinius I. Their joint-consulship is marked by this rare and beautiful two-solidus medallion of Thessalonica which portrays Constantine in a most elaborate manner, with eyes raised to the heavens. The reverse shows him dressed in richly adorned senatorial garb as he holds an ornate scepter and a banded globe, representing his singular authority over the world.
This medallion and its companions (including a three-solidus with the same reverse type and a consular bust portrait that is in the British Museum) may have been distributed in mid-April of 326, as entries in the Codex Theodosianus reveal that Constantine was on a westward trek that would have taken him through Thessalonica at about that time. The Codex marks his being at Heraclea on 3 February and 5 March, then in Constantinople on 8 March. From there Constantine likely stopped in Thessalonica before continuing westward, arriving at Aquileia at the start of April to inaugurate a stay in Italy of nearly eight months. While there, Constantine attended celebrations marking his 20th anniversary of power along with the 10th anniversaries of his two eldest sons, Crispus and Constantine II.
In the midst of his stay in Italy, however, a series of tragic events took place. For reasons that still defy explanation, Constantine ordered the execution of Crispus, his eldest son, by Minervina, and his principal heir to the throne. Constantine followed up this horrific act with the execution of his wife, Fausta, the mother to his three remaining sons. Cleary these two events were related, and they amounted to a dynastic crisis that cast a dark cloud over a year that otherwise was devoted to celebrations that concerned the unity and the longevity of the ruling family.
NAC88, 499
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Dec. 28, 2022) Medal of Honor recipients have a meet and greet with senior leadership of the military branches: Vice Adm. Sean Buck, Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy; Maj. Gen. Roberta L. Shea, Legislative Assistant to the Commandant of the Marine Corps; Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath, Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District; Brig. Gen. Christopher S. Walker, Assistant Adjutant General and Commander of the West Virginia Air National Guard; and Col. Cary M. Belmear, Director of Strategic Execution at U.S. Space Force Headquarters, at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium prior to the 13th Military Bowl Game. Since 2013, the Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium has hosted the annual postseason National Collegiate Athletic Association-sanctioned Division I college football Military Bowl game. (U.S. Navy photo by Stacy Godfrey)
Prague (République Tchèque).
Prag (Tschechien).
Prag (Czech Republic).
Praha (Česká republika).
// Shots for sale on Getty Images. // Clichés en vente sur Getty Images.
CCM presents Emily Mann's EXECUTION OF JUSTICE April 18 – 20 in UC's Cohen Family Studio Theater. This chilling examination of the trial of Dan White for the murder of Harvey Milk and George Moscone features (left to right) CCM Drama students Jaclyn Chantel, Sarah Vargo, Bailie Breaux, Mary Malloy, Carli Rhoades and Cait Penson. Michael Burnham directs.
Admission to EXECUTION OF JUSTICE is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, April 15 – visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order. This production contains mature subject matter.
Photo by senior Lighting Designer major Nikolas Robalino
The automation via robotic solutions like warehouse execution software and warehouse robots is becoming trendy as they are proving to be an excellent way to boost productivity and efficiency within the fulfillment and distribution centers.
This shot isn't quite what i was aiming for. I wanted to get the expanding gas wave-front when the match head ignites. However, I do think it looks quite interesting. Check out the very cool gasses shooting out of the match head inside the flame!
I thought I would experiment with different ways of igniting the match head and see which produced the best result. This one is 5 Amp fuse wire wrapped around the head and shorted out on a 12v battery. It worked well but was a pain to set up!
Camera: Nikon D90
Lens: Tamron 18-270mm @ 270mm
Aperture: f/18
Exposure: 1/60th
ISO: 100
Strobe: SB-23 @ 1/16th power. Placed to right & slightly behind. 30 cm from subject.
Den of Imagination - Your Miniature Painting Service
We are a registered studio in Torun, Poland. We have been in line of work since 2008. Our still growing staff of painters and sculptors is ready to work on any project you can imagine!
We are credible, solid and reliable. We work best with large commissions and we guarantee fast service.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEBSITE: denofimagination.com/
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/user/denofimagination
SHOP: shop.denofimagination.com/
TWITTER: Twitter.com/doiStudio
FLICKER: www.flickr.com/photos/97996892@N07/
PINTEREST: www.pinterest.com/denstudio/
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/doiphoto/
From the August 2016 return trip to Siem Reap and the Angkor complex:
I love the Angkor complex, Siem Reap, and the Cambodian people so much that I returned again for about a week to photograph as much of the “non-major” sites as I could. Some of them are slightly far from Angkor Wat (by that, I mean to say more than 10 kilometers away), and usually require a little more money to get to. Also, some of the sites (Beng Mealea, Phnom Kulen) are not included in the Angkor ticket price and have an additional admission fee.
I don’t know if there’s a set number of how many sites belong in the Angkor complex, though I’m sure it would vary. (Do you only count the major sites like Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Prohm? Do you add the sites that aren’t included in the standard “Angkor Pass,” but are clearly of the same era? Do you include sites that aren’t even named (as are one of the sites in this series)? All in all, I’ll put a very rough number at…50 sites in the Siem Reap area, and that includes the sites that are about 100 km away. Of those, I would say I’ve been to all but 5-10 now. All are included here with the exception, obviously, of the sites that I didn’t visit. (Off the top of my head, I can say they include Koh Ker & that respective group, which is about 120 km ENE of Siem Reap; Phnom Krom, one of the three “mountains” with temples; Ta Prohm Kel; and Mangalartha.)
In practical terms, I’m afraid that with the volume of shooting (about 1,500 frames in the past 7 days), photos will start to look redundant to those who don’t have the same interest in ancient/historical architecture or Angkor as I do. That being said, there are a few things besides temples here. The Old Market area (now Night Market/Pub Street) is represented – a little – and Phnom Kulen has a pretty nice waterfall which is also in this series. Also, I tried to catch a few people in here, though didn’t get as many as I would’ve liked.
I had my friend Mao (tuktuk driver) take me around for 5 of these 7 days this time around. As I mentioned last time, he may cost a little more than what you can arrange through a hotel/guesthouse, but he’s well worth the money (and, in the grand scheme of things, not too expensive; I paid less than $200 for the five days, two of which were “long” trips). He loves his country and heritage, he knows what he’s showing you, he’s flexible, he gives you enough ice water to keep you hydrated, and he’s just a good guy. (He even bought me a birthday cake for cryin’ out loud…) Anyway, I highly recommend Mao. You can find him here: www.facebook.com/mao.khvan (or on Trip Advisor: www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297390-d10726821-R... )
Now that shameless plugs and other assorted rhetoric are out of the way, it’s time to get on to the temples, ruins, and other miscellany.
Today is really the excuse that I used to come back to Siem Reap for a week. Mao was nice enough not to schedule any other customers for today since it’s my 43rd birthday, and also for Saturday. (Another reason, I think, is that I wanted to see all of the non-major sites and most everyone else is only interested in the major ones. So…thanks to Mao for giving up a few bucks from others just to make sure I got to see all that I wanted these two days.)
Mao came to pick me up around 10:00 in the morning with his wife and adorable daughter. Today, we pretty much followed the small loop tour that we did yesterday (and that most tourists do). However, we skipped every spot from yesterday (Banteay Kdei, Ta Prohm’s main temple, Ta Keo, Thommanon, Chao Say Tevoda, Bayon) and opted for the others along the same route.
The first stop of the morning was Prasat Kravan. This is a particularly interesting – and small – temple that consists mainly of one building with a central tower, but five chambers lined up in a row. Prasat Kravan was built in the early 10th century (consecrated in 921) and is built of brick. It was built during the short reign of Harshavarman I. The name is the modern name (though I don’t know the original name) and means “cardamom sanctuary,” for a tree that once stood here. From an architectural standpoint, what is most interesting – and what caught my attention – is the brick bas-reliefs here. They are the only known representation of these in Khmer art and are reason alone to visit here. The central tower has a statue of Vishnu and the northernmost has a statue of his consort, Lakshmi.
After 15-20 minutes at Prasat Kravan, Mao took me to Bat Chum, which was quite near. (It wasn’t on my list, so kudos to Mao for adding a few stops that I otherwise wouldn’t have seen; as I said, the man knows the territory, and I highly recommend him to anyone who comes here.) Bat Chum is a very, very small site (under restoration, though it looks like even the restoration has been forgotten) a few hundred meters due south of Sra Srang, and a few hundred meters east of the road from Angkor Wat to Banteay Kdei. When Bat Chum was built in 960, there were houses and a Buddhist monastery nearby, which have long since vanished. This temple was built by the lone Khmer architect whose name we know: Kavindrarimathana. He also built the palace of the East Mebon and Sra Srang. This is a temple with three brick towers. There are stone lions and interesting inscriptions here as well.
From Bat Chum, we returned to the main road, skirted along the eastern and northern sides of Banteay Kdei’s outer wall, then along the southern and western sides of Ta Prohm’s outer wall. Most people enter Ta Prohm from the western gate (as evidenced by the massive throng of tuktuks here) or the eastern gate (where you will find a slew of souvenir vendors). As far as I can tell, there is no southern gate – as I imagine you’d see it flying by on the road. (Banteay Kdei does have a northern gate, though people don’t seem to stop here.) Ta Prohm does have a rather charming and rarely visited northern gate that I was unaware of. Again…thanks, Mao. Just stop on the road at the northwest corner of Ta Prohm’s outer wall and walk east along the north wall for about five minutes to find the northern gate, surrounded by jungle.
Next up on today’s tour is a very small site that, from what I know, doesn’t even have a name. (Mao didn’t even know the name of the place, so it’s just titled ‘Unnamed Site’ here.) It’s very small, almost an afterthought, but still worth a look. It’s on the road heading due north from Ta Prohm’s west gate about 100-200 meters south of where it heads to the west to Ta Keo. It’s barely 50 meters off the road, so is very easy to visit in 10 minutes or so.
Right at the point where the road takes a 90 degree turn to head west to Ta Keo, you have the option of going straight (down a fairly bumpy dirt road) to Ta Nei. This is actually a larger temple, but unlike the others nearby, it hasn’t gone under extensive restoration yet, so it isn’t visited very often. It’s 800 meters north of Ta Keo, set back in the woods, and is 200 meters west of the Eastern Baray’s western border. It was built by Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century. The highlights of coming here are simply the setting, the pediments, and the overall lack of visitors.
After half an hour or so at Ta Nei, Mao and I hopped back in the tuktuk and returned to the main road, heading west past Ta Keo before veering north and making a very quick stop at the Hospital Chapel that is 150 meters due west of Ta Keo (slightly north). This is a very quick – 5 minute – stop that interested me simply because it was/is part of a hospital that’s close to a thousand years old now. It was built by Jayavarman VII (like so many of the Angkor sites) in the late 12th century. This sandstone monument is one of four that were on site here (and, from what I’m reading, one of 102 that were found throughout the empire). Honestly, seeing this just makes me wonder about 12th century medicine. What would a Khmer hospital at the turn of the 13th century have been like?
Moving north from the Hospital Chapel, the road takes another 90 degree turn to the west. Before entering the Victory Gate of Angkor Thom, you pass Thommanon and Chao Say Tevoda (bypassed, as already mentioned), and then Spean Thma, near a bridge that crosses the Siem Reap River. (The Siem Reap River, today, is more like a gentle stream, though it was used to transport the quarried rock from Phnom Kulen to Angkor to build these massive temples a thousand years ago.) That aside, I decided to bypass Spean Thma for now.
Once inside the Victory Gate, which I mistakenly called the East Gate in May (it is on the eastern wall), we turned south on a dirt path about 100-200 meters inside Angkor Thom and traveled south, parallel to the wall. After less than 5 minutes, you arrive at the road that runs directly east from Bayon to the East Gate, otherwise known as the Slaves’ Gate or Gate of the Dead. (From the names, obviously, if anyone who didn’t belong to the royal family saw this gate…bad news for them.) According to Mao, the slaves were marched out this gate on the way to their execution. Grim history aside, it’s a rather nice gate, well-restored, with some good angles for shooting. It’s certainly worth a visit, especially since it’s so easily accessible – and there are rarely many people around.
After this quick stop, we took the road due west to the heart of Angkor Thom – Bayon – then headed up the road towards the North Gate, where the majority of Angkor Thom sites are located (just north of Bayon). Passing by Baphuon, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace, Terrace of the Leper Kings (all on the west side of the main road), and the Kleangs and Suor Prat Towers (east side of the main road, with the towers being bisected by the road heading east through the Victory Gate), we turned off just north of the Terrace of the Leper Kings to the west to see Tep Pranam – very briefly – and Preah Pilalay.
Tep Pranam is simply a statue of a giant seated sandstone Buddha, still in use for worship today, that was built around the 16th century. If this were in an out-of-the-way place, it may not be worth the time. However, it’s in the heart of Angkor Thom and it’s impossible to go to Preah Pilalay without seeing it if you come by tuktuk. (This isn’t a complaint by any means; it’s rather nice.) Preah Pilalay is in the northwest section of Angkor Thom and is fairly remote (given the amount of tourists that the other nearby sites see). Its main features are a tall chimney-like structure, a few nagas, and its setting in the forest. It was built in either the 13th or 14th century, possibly by Jayavarman VIII or, perhaps, by Jayavarman VII. It’s about 200 meters north of the royal enclosure (Phimeanakas). Some of the larger trees that used to tower over the temple have been hewn resulting in a very different feel. However, it was a pleasant side trip.
Hopping back in the tuktuk and going directly across the road, the last stop for the day inside Angkor Thom was the Preah Pithu group. This is a collection of five temples/ruins in the northeastern section of Angkor Thom that is in a delightful wooded setting. If you can see them in early morning or late afternoon, you should get some wonderful lighting. You can spend as little as 15 minutes here or as much as an hour or two. They probably weren’t designed to be one cohesive group, though it’s not possible to say with certainty. They were built in the 13th century. (Though I mention this as the last stop, I’ve also included the North Kleang and Northern Suor Prat Towers here. Though I didn’t explore those in depth, I am giving them their own set here – Kleangs and Suor Prat Towers.)
On the way out of Angkor Thom, via the South Gate, we stopped outside the moat for a few pictures. Directly south of Angkor Thom are a few temples that I wanted to see: Thma Bay Kaek, Prasat Bei, and Baksei Chamkrong.
We visited them in that order. Thma Bay Kaek is nearest the road about 50 meters southwest of the bridge over the southern moat. All that remains here are the ruins of a square brick tower. It’s probably the remains of one of many temples that were here in the Bakheng area. It was built in the 10th century by Yasovarman I.
About a five minute walk - -if that – due west of Thma Bay Kaek is Prasat Bei (“Three Towers”). Unlike Thma Bay Kaek, these towers are still standing, so obviously, slightly more photogenic. They would probably be best photographed in early morning. The trees block it from the west in late afternoon. It, too, was built by Yasovarman I in the 10th century.
The last of the three temples in this area, Baksei Chamkrong, is the most impressive of the three. It’s from the early and middle 10th century (rededicated in 948) and was built by Harshavarman. This is a pyramid temple at the foot of Phnom Bakheng. The name means “the bird with sheltering wings,” though – like most temples here – this is a modern appellation that the builders wouldn’t have recognized. This tower is a single brick tower on a pyramidal base.
Finally, to finish up the day, Mao dropped me at Phnom Bakheng. It’s about a 20 minute walk up the hill around a winding path. This is considered to be one of the best places to watch sunset over Angkor Wat because of its panoramic view from the peak of the hill. However, everyone knows this, and this is the only place all day that was too crowded for my liking. In addition to its being under restoration to the point of making it a bit of an eyesore (for the time being), it was easily my least favorite place of the entire day. After waiting in line for 20 minutes and barely moving an inch, I decided to call it a day, taking 1-2 pictures (that you see here), and heading back down the hill.
Mao had disappeared into the throngs of people eating at restaurants. Fortunately for me, he spotted me. On the way back to the guesthouse, he stopped and picked up a birthday cake which we shared with the folks who happened to be at the guesthouse. All in all, it was a wonderful birthday. Tomorrow, too, would be just me and would include the lesser-visited sites on the Grand Tour Loop, in addition to 1-2 others.
As always, I hope you enjoy this set. I appreciate you taking time to look. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me a message or leave it via comment.
Commander's log, date 05.03.2735:
My execution came and went. I had been 'cuffed again, and a hood had been put over my head. I was ready to die. I figured I could at least die with the satisfactory knowledge that I hadn't given away any DDF secrets. But then I heard some screams. They were the screams of the guards, as Jim was decapitating them. He rescued me, and I was quite astounded to see him. After all, I had believed him to be dead. But he explained the situation to me. He had actually come across a DM underwater patrol in the pond. It was the DM underwater patrol's blood I had seen, not Jim's. But he had gotten caught on a rock down there, so it was a while before he surfaced. He found a lone DM soldier and killed him to get weapons. Then he gathered intel and found me. And what a relief that was! Now, Jim and I shall return to base to resume our normal activities.
Jeremy Croup, Commander of the DDF, signing out.