Emeralds are Colombia’s calling

The Iglesia del Carmen church and Colonial Art Museum also worthy of a photographic stop, if nothing else. The historic quarter played a pivotal role in the creation of Bogota over 500 years ago and when it comes to striking architecture it is the city’s piece de resistance. One could spend hours just soaking up the beautiful façade of the old homes and buildings along Bogota Street alone.

Almost 400 years ago a church was built atop Mount Monserrat, the striking 3,150m peak that hovers over Bogota as if protecting it from evil spirits.

A pilgrimage site for centuries, Monserrate is revered for the splendid and all-encompassing views over the city it offers as well as spellbinding sunsets. No need to make it a hard slog either! A convenient and very enjoyable cable-car will have you up the top of the peak in a jiffy so if you wish to skip the 1 hr ascent on foot you certainly can. The views of Bogota after dark, on a clear night, are simply exceptional.

On the western outskirts of the city centre is the Jardin Botanico, reputedly the largest and most comprehensively flowered in the country.

Not just a relaxing place for a nice stroll, these gardens house over 100,000 species of flora endemic to Colombia and there’s an excellent indoor facility that’s divided in the different ecosystems found throughout the country. Orchid lovers will be particularly impressed. Colombia boasts over 5,000 different types of orchids and the display in these gardens are outstanding.

Emeralds are Colombia’s calling card and easily one of the least ‘kitschy’ souvenirs you could seek. Expensive as they may be! Affordable silver jewellery is also very popular as are the hand-made artefacts locally sourced.

You’ll find a lovely cluster of souvenirs stalls, boutiques and stores in the side alleys around Plaza Bolivar and in the city’s famous Sunday markets (like Usaquen flea market) which are held all over town. Colombian coffee is also very popular although you should check import restrictions if travelling from Australia and New Zealand.

Usually, they need to be commercially prepared and vacuum packed to be allowed through but best to double check before purchasing. The country is also famous for its good quality leather goods. Just one block south of the flea market in Usaquen is the colourful Hacienda Santa Barbara, a shopper’s paradise if you’re in the market for good quality souvenirs. Bogota has taken to the ‘shopping mall’ craze and you’ll find an array of malls attracting budget and splurge shoppers alike.

Ask your hotel concierge or tour guide for more specific recommendations dependant on your wishes and budget.

The face of the Island

So he prepared ships and filled them with armed knights, and set forth towards France. And as soon as they had landed, they sent messengers to show the nobles of France the cause of the embassy. And by the joint counsel of the nobles of France and of the princes, the maiden was given to Llevelys, and the crown of the kingdom with her. And thenceforth he ruled the land discreetly, and wisely, and happily, as long as his life lasted.

After a space of time had passed, three plagues fell on the Island of Britain, such as none in the islands had ever seen the like of. The first was a certain race that came, and was called the Coranians; and so great was their knowledge, that there was no discourse upon the face of the Island, however low it might be spoken, but what, if the wind met it, it was known to them. And through this they could not be injured.

The second plague was a shriek which came on every May-eve, over every hearth in the Island of Britain. And this went through people’s hearts, and so scared them that men lost their hue and their strength, and the women their children, and the young men and the maidens lost their senses, and all the animals and trees and the earth and the’ waters were left barren.

Consume first night

The third plague was, that however much of provisions and food might be prepared in the king’s courts, were there even so much as a year’s provision of meat and drink, none of it could ever be found, except what was consumed in the first night. And two of these plagues, no one ever knew their cause, therefore was there better hope of being freed from the first than the second and third.

And thereupon King Lludd felt great sorrow and care, because that he knew not how he might be freed from these plagues. And he called to him all the nobles of his kingdom, and asked counsel of them what they should do against these afflictions. And by the common counsel of the nobles, Lludd the son of Beli went to Llevelys his brother, king of France, for he was a man great of counsel and wisdom, to seek his advice.

And they made ready a fleet, and that in secret and in silence, lest that race should know the cause of their errand, or any besides the king and his counselors. And when they were made ready, they went into their ships, Lludd and those whom he chose with him. And they began to cleave the seas towards France.

S: https://private.doholiday.com/lludd-and-llevelys-part-2/

 

As with Antarctica, the aim of responsible tourism

In the Arctic, however, the wildlife is being threatened directly in its home turf.

And we haven’t even touched yet on the topic of the indigenous Arctic cultures that are facing very serious threats, with increasing mineral prospecting threatening their very existence. The growth of mass tourism is the latest problem to add to the mix, primarily from mega cruise liners that allow thousands of gawking tourist to land ashore on small and remote Inuit villages all at once, as recently reported by The Guardian.

How can responsible tourism help the Arctic?

Perhaps the prime point to make here is that large-scale drilling, prospecting and development are of much greater threat to the Arctic than tourism could ever be, yet it’s not just a matter of picking ‘the better of two evils’. As with Antarctica, the aim of responsible tourism operators is to offer in-depth and enlightening visits, the kind that swap nightly cabaret shows with educational lectures.

These are the kind of trips that have the potential to change someone’s outlook on the way they live. This is the kind of place that teaches you that what you do at home, every day, has a much greater effect on our planet than what you do on your yearly vacation.

Tourism can also provide an alternative income to indigenous communities who still rely on the trading of fur and game-meat to survive. People in the Arctic have been enjoying a subsistent lifestyle for thousands of years and, nowadays, they’re still allowed to hunt endangered species, although numbers are limited. Nevertheless, offering an income – in the form of tourist dollars – directly on their shores means they’ll be less likely to migrate to larger cities in search of work and can actually help them preserve their traditional way of life.

Nothing in the world is ever black and white and never has this proven to be truer than when discussing the benefits of tourism, even in the most ‘endangered’ destinations of all.

Choose to actually visit the Polar Regions, however, and chances are you will start taking more accountability for your own footprint, in general

What will benefit our planet is not only more responsible polar tourism but more responsible living, no matter where we are. Our increasingly consumeristic lives may well manifest in the Polar Regions, but what we see happening in Antarctica and the Arctic is a consequence of everything we do, back home.

 

And as he abode thus clad with arms

And when this was ended, King Lludd caused an exceeding great banquet to be

prepared. And when it was ready, he placed a vessel of cold water by his side,

and he in his own proper person watched it. And as he abode thus clad with

arms, about the third watch of the night, lo, he heard many surpassing

fascinations and various songs.

And drowsiness urged him to sleep. Upon this, lest he should be hindered from his purpose and be overcome by sleep, he went often into the water. And at last, behold, a man of vast size, clad in strong, heavy armor, came in, bearing a hamper. And, as he was wont, he put all the food and provisions of meat and drink into the hamper, and proceeded to go with it forth. And nothing was ever  more wonderful to Lludd, than that the hamper should hold so much.

And thereupon King Lludd went after him and spoke unto him thus. “Stop, stop,” said he, “though thou hast done many insults and much spoil erewhile, thou shalt not do so any more, unless thy skill in arms and thy prowess be greater than mine.”

Bestow Victory

Then he instantly put down the hamper on the floor, and awaited him. And a fierce encounter was between them, so that the glittering fire flew out from their

arms. And at last Lludd grappled with him, and fate bestowed the victory on

Lludd. And he threw the plague to the earth. And after he had overcome him by

strength and might, he besought his mercy. “How can I grant thee mercy,” said

the king, “after all the many injuries and wrongs that thou has done me?” “All

the losses that ever I have caused thee,” said he, “I will make the atonement

for equal to what I have taken. And I will never do the like from this time

forth. But thy faithful vassal will I be.” And the king accepted this from him.

And thus Lludd  freed the Island of Britain from the three plagues. And from

thenceforth until the end of his life, in prosperous peace did Lludd the son of

Beli rule the Island of Britain. And this Tale is called the Story of Lludd and

Llevelys. And thus it ends.

S: https://travel.istanbulgaria.info/lludd-and-llevelys-part-5/

Uruguay is just the kind of surprise

As one of South America’s least-visited countries, Uruguay offers an off-the-beaten-trail and authentic travel experience. Also, might we add, an incredibly surprising one. Unbeknownst to many, Uruguay boasts some of the most formidable attributes for which this continent is so renowned including world-class vines, sensational culinary specialities and hiding, behind a cloak of unassuming nonchalance, startling colonial-era treasures.

With a host of natural hot springs and glorious beaches not

besieged by busloads of tourists, and with the added bonus of short distances

and top-notch roads, a comprehensive tour of Uruguay is just the kind of

surprise you’ll cherish on your up-coming trip to Latin America.

Getting a foot in the Uruguayan door is dead easy, with

hour-long ferry rides connecting its two most prominent hubs, Montevideo and

Colonia, to Buenos Aires.

Best Highlights of Uruguay

 Colonial

architecture, natural mineral springs, glitzy seaside stars and revitalizing

estancia stay: in Uruguay, you can experience it all up in just a few days.

Soak up the historic charm of Colonia del Sacramento

One of the prettiest colonial-era historic centres in all of

Latin America, Colonia’s UNESCO-listed core is an architectural gem like few

others. Having changed hands repeatedly, from Spanish to Portuguese and back

again a few more times, this historic walled city – the oldest in the country –

showcases traits and influences from both powerful empires. Cobblestone winding

laneways, ancient forts, museums, great shopping and delightful dining await

you at the end of the short and scenic ferry ride from Buenos Aires.

Get your history, cuisine and culture fix in Montevideo

The Uruguayan capital has much going for it, least of all the

fact that it feels more like an overgrown laid-back village than a truly

bustling metropolis. Being gorgeous helps, of course, yet Montevideo offers a

wide array of attractions to satisfy all tastes. Its historic harbour side

centre, Ciudad Vieja, boasts classical and art deco architectural gems as well

as several pedestrian-only strolling and shopping strips.

The city also boasts an impressive foodie scene that rivals

those of more illustrious capitals so make sure to spend a couple of days here

at the very least, as feasting takes time! Mercado del Puerto is a particularly

great hive of activity with artisan stalls and food carts feeding the eyes, the

taste buds and the soul, in equal measure.

Spend it up in Punta del Este

Down the southeast tip of Uruguay is the glitzy seaside hub

of Punta del Este, where lovely beaches, plush hotels and a wicked nightlife

attract locals and tourists alike. Dubbed the St Tropez of South America, Punta

del Este is where you go if you want to sip refreshing mojitos in swanky

seaside bars, whilst watching the fabulous emerge from their multi-million

dollar luxury yachts.

This luxury seaside resort town may be Uruguay’s most

expensive destination but living it up here is still cheaper than Europe and

Australia, so include a few days to enjoy the city attractions, long stretches

of beautiful beaches as well as expansive gaucho plains that surround the city.

Soak in the hot springs of Salto

Thermal resorts take advantage of the heated springs of the

Guarani Aquifer to offer a flurry of relaxing and rejuvenating treatments in

the area around Salto and Paysandu, in north-western Uruguay. With temps

ranging between 38 and 46, the mineral-enriched waters are said to be sublimely

therapeutic and, if nothing else, they are exceptionally relaxing. Thermal spa

vacations are popular with locals and you’ll discover several spa resort towns

along the revered Rio Uruguay.

Take a hike in Santa Teresa

Many visitors mistakenly consider Uruguay a country of

scenic but flat landscapes yet the truth is altogether different. Given the

ease of transport and relatively diminutive size, together with a surprisingly

eclectic topography, Uruguay is actually a much-coveted hiking country in South

America with well-established trails satisfying the cravings of multi-day avid

trekkers, day-hikers and even active families with young kids in tow.

One of the most enjoyable hikes in the whole country is done

in the Santa Teresa National Park, a forest-covered coastal reserve 300km north

of Montevideo, and only 180km from Punta del Este.  Views of sandy shores and the glistening

Atlantic keep you company as you meander your way through sections of pristine

forest that lead up to a 300-year-old fort affording all-encompassing views.

The balanced perspective Colombia

Colombia may have made gigantic safety leaps forward in

recent years yet there’s still room for much improvement. There are certain

areas of the country that are still considered unsafe for foreign travellers,

and keeping away from any known trouble spots will certainly be a wise choice.

Besides, even the Australian government warning website, which rates the whole

country deserving of ‘high caution’, actually goes to much trouble to list

places it considers unsafe, and many which it states as exceptions, including

all the above-mentioned tourist hubs. When reading such warnings, it is

imperative to read all the details, not just the headlines.

An important factor when considering travel to Colombia is

to pay close attention to what your insurance company says. Being covered by

insurance is essential not just when travelling to Colombia, but when traveling

ANYWHERE! Travel insurance companies are incredibly reliable and don’t scare

easily. They use facts and stats to concoct their policies, not unsubstantiated

warnings.

The UK Foreign Travel Advice for Colombia site has a great

map you can download, which will give you an overview of the areas that are

safe to visit, and those you should avoid.

Top tips for keeping safe when visiting Colombia

The great majority of safety travel tips pertain to

independent travellers, when solo taxi rides, use of public transport, and

overnight transfers, are part and parcel of everyday life. On a group tour in

Colombia, however, the major dangers are dissipated. Not only will you be in

the care of a local and experienced guide, but you’ll have the luxury of

private transport and a local’s knowledge of the safe roads to take, and the

ones to avoid.

Independent and group travellers alike ought to maintain a

low profile. No flashy displays of wealth are recommended (naturally) and

keeping a minimum of cash and valuables with you is imperative. More

importantly, should you be accosted by a would-be robber, it’s wise to simply

hand over what they want. Better to lose a hundred bucks rather than have a

nasty story to tell.

And then relax. Statistics SHOUT that you’re much more

likely to get attacked by a shark whilst swimming in Australia, than to be

kidnapped for ransom in Colombia. But we bet that won’t stop you from enjoying

another spectacular day at the beach back home. And it really shouldn’t.

Why you should visit Colombia

While so many people think ‘If you go to Colombia, you’ll

never come back!’ due to the overly-dramatic safety warnings, we chuckle and

think that (although for very different reasons) they’re quite right. Lush

tropical jungles, fantastic historical highlights and drop dead gorgeous

beaches. All of them devoid of mass tourism. Colombia is an absolute tourism

powerhouse and one of the most addictive destinations in all of South America.

The people are insanely friendly, the coffee and food sensational and the sheer

kaleidoscope of experiences simply out of this world. Visit once and you may

well feel an insatiable urge to come back, time and again.

VIENNA COFFEE HOUSE TRADITION

An ancient, still popular Vienna coffee house tradition known far beyond Austria’s borders dictates that the honoured guest of the establishment should always, and automatically, be served a small glass of water on the small silver tray beside his or her melange, kleiner Brauner or grofier Schwarzer.

This glass of water should not just be free of charge, of course. It should also be replaced with a fresh one the moment it has been imbibed by the guest, certainly in those coffee houses which keep to the old coffee house traditions, even if the guest has since ordered another coffee. And in really, really good coffee houses, this water will, should need be, continue to be served all afternoon, as the guest reads one newspaper after another or chats away to other customers.

And this is why the struggle over the price of water in Viennese guesthouses has become not so much a question of profitability and commerce as a true cultural battle. In Vienna, that small glass of water is a symbol of hospitality. An outmoded, almost anticapitalistic, egalitarian expression of the idea that, even if you are not blessed with a bulging wallet and can only afford the smallest of small black coffees today, you remain as welcome at a Viennese coffee house as a better-off guest.

Real coffee house

The coffee house, after all, is supposed to be a place to bring all in the community together, young and old, rich and poor. This water symbolises the idea that a real coffee house is more than just a gastronomic business oriented to nought but profit; rather, it is a communal meeting place, a place to be together. And it is a nonchalant nicety, because such a glass of water, which comes out of the tap and so has to be paid for by the coffee house owner through his rates whether served to customers or not, might just as well be served to a thirsty guest as used to wash the dishes.

Which is why it is really, really getting up the noses of the people of Vienna that simply because they have poured it into a small glass and put it on the guest’s table, some restaurateurs are now demanding money for a product they will quite happily waste by leaving their dishwashers on, and gallons of which they pour on their floors. In Vienna, that just isn’t on. The Viennese don’t like it. The only ones who buy it are tourists who are used to nothing else. In Vienna, however, it is not normal -and hopefully never will be.

Source: https://tour.ephesusday.com/vienna-coffee-house-tradition/

Myanmar Vietnam Indoesia

Spanning few

countries, thousands of islands, and hundreds of traditional cultures and

unique natural wonders, the region of Southeast Asia could take a lifetime to

fully explore. These few destinations each offer something different for the

most discerning travellers.

Bagan, Myanmar

Move over, Angkor Wat. While the ancient Khmer ruins are

undeniably beautiful, the towering Buddhist monuments of Bagan retain a rare

magic unsullied by droves of tour groups. Some 10,000 Buddhist temples,

pagodas, and monasteries sweep across a 42 square kilometre desert-like plain

encircled by the misty Bago Yoma mountain range in the distance. Each of the

structures were built nearly a century ago – between the years 1057 and 1287, at

which point the kingdom fell to invading Mongols – and have been since restored

and protected by Unesco.

Today, the best way to experience this step back in time is

by renting a bicycle or one of Bagans signature electric bicycles to tour the

enormous grounds at your own pace, joined only by passing tourists on their own

routes, groundskeepers and local villagers going about their day, and the

occasional monk.

Sa Pa, Vietnam

High in the Hoang Lien Son mountains of Northern Vietnam is

the remote village of Sa Pa, itself more reminiscent of the South Asian

trekking hotspots than of regional jungles and beaches. Aside from the

breathtaking beauty of the highlands, the culture that has developed over time

in the Lao Chai Province of Vietnam is unlike the rest of the country, home to

several ethnic tribal groups that settled in the region generations ago and

have since established their autonomous identities after decades of strife

among Vietnamese independence fighters and French imperialists. Today, Sa Pa’s grandest

attraction is its crowning peak,

Fan Si Pan – the highest mountain in Vietnam at 3,143 meters

above sea level. For the casual hiker, however, Haong Lien National Park offers

the picturesque mountain landscape sprinkled with valleys of terraced rice

paddies, and a unique forest ecosystem home to several endangered species and

small tribal villages.

Kuta Lombok, Indonesia

Not to be confused with Kuta Bali, this quiet little surfing

town has all the beachy vibes and coastal charm of its Balinese cousin, but

without the heavy commercialisation and curated tourism industry – at least for

now. Instead the area still retains its legacy as a fishing village, rather

uninterrupted by any uptick in tourism, but has designed itself nicely to

adjust to accommodating its small numbers of visitors.

Surfers of all levels will find it hard to move on from this

world-class destination, with several hotspots offering surf cresting toward

stunning white sand or volcanic rock beaches. Kuta’s coast also is a great

jumping off point to explore deeper into Southern Lombok and nearby Sumbawa. Coron,

So all went back to the host

It belongs to Ws nephew, who sits upon a throne among us, and is the son of his brother, the Emperor Isaac. But if he is willing to throw himself on the mercy of his nephew, and to give Mm back his crown and empire, then we will pray his nephew to forgive him, and bestow upon him as much as will enable him to live wealthily. And if you come not as the bearer of such a message, then be not so bold as to come here again.” So the envoy departed and went back to Constantinople, to the Emperor Alexius.

The Crusaders Show the Young Alexius to the People of Constantinople, and Prepare for the Battle

The barons consulted together on the morrow, and said that they would show the young Alexius, the son of the Emperor of Constantinople, to the people of the city. So they assembled all the galleys. The Doge of Venice and the Marquis of Montferrat entered into one, and took with them Alexius, the son of the Emperor Isaac; and into the other galleys entered the knights and barons, as many as would.

They went thus quite close to the walls of Constantinople and showed the youth to the people of the Greeks, and said, “Behold your natural lord; and be it known to you that we have not come to do you harm, but have come to guard and defend you, if so be that you return to your duty. For he whom you now obey as your lord holds rule by wrong and wickedness, against God and reason. And you know full well that he has dealt treasonably with him who is your lord and his brother, that he has blinded his eyes and reft from him his empire by wrong and wickedness. Now behold the rightful heir.

If you hold with him, you will be doing as you ought; and if not we will do to you the very worst that we can.” But for fear and terror of the Emperor Alexius, not one person on the land or in the city made show as if he held for the prince. So all went back to the host, and each sought his quarters.

On the morrow, when they had heard mass, they assembled in parliament, and the parliament was held on horseback in the midst of the fields. There might you have seen many a fine war-horse, and many a good knight thereon. And the council was held to discuss the order of the battalions, how many they should have, and of what strength. Many were the words said on one side and the other. But in the end it was settled that the advanced guard should be given to Baldwin of Flanders, because he had a very great number of good men, and archers and crossbowmen, more than any other chief that was in the host.

S: https://balkan.privatetours.info/memoirs-or-chronicle-of-the-fourth-crusade-part-32/

The guts of the Balkan Peninsula

Bulgaria occupies a territory of 111,000 sq.

kilometres, has a inhabitants of 9 million and is located within the coronary heart of the Balkan Peninsula. It’s a nation of roses, staunch

revolutionaries, well-known singers and dancers. Its

persons are well-known for his or her industriousness and hospitality.

A land of Historic

Civilizations

The Bulgarian state was based within the yr 681. Bulgaria just isn’t solely one of many oldest European states, but

in addition a land through which man has

appeared very early – some 150,000 years in the past.

Not removed from the town

of Stara Zagora, Central Bulgaria, the world’s oldest and

largest copper mines have been found. They had been exploited within the

late fifth and early 4th millennium B. C. Metallic instruments ensured a

labour productiveness which was 30 instances greater than that of

stone instruments, and their look

led to a veritable revolution within

the growth of human society. Moreover, beneficial weather conditions made attainable

the comparatively early look of animal husbandry and

plant-growing, which enriched the weight loss program

and made surer the existence of primitive man. Wheat was grown within the Balkans as early as the top

of the seventh millennium B. C. and it was from right here that it was unfold

to the remainder of Europe.

The nice climatic and materials

circumstances decided the looks on the territory of present-day Bulgaria of a few of the earliest civilizations in historical past. Just lately a

gold trove was unearthed close to the town of Varna, courting

from the top of the fifth

and early 4th millennium B. C. It’s a proof not solely of a excessive degree of growth of the crafts but in addition of a complicated

stage of social stratification. The clay tablets with written indicators on them discovered close to the city of Vratsa,

North-western Bulgaria, date again to roughly the identical interval.

You ask me in regards to the things

to do in Bulgaria? I can inform you a few of them. You’ll be able to

have enjoyable walks within the

nature, you can also make buddies,

get pleasure from adventurous excursions,

be taught historical past…

Shall I stick with it?

The Thracians had been the

primary inhabitants inhabiting the territory

of present-day Bulgaria, identified to science. Within the works of the traditional

Greek authors they’re described as a quite a few individuals, and

Thrace – as a land of abundance and merriment. Thrace was the place of birth of the legendary

musician Orpheus and of Spartacus, the chief of the

slaves’ rebellion which shook the Roman Empire early

in our period. Throughout the

previous few many years

Bulgarian archaeologists have unearthed imposing tombs with magnificent

frescoes, impregnable strongholds, workshops and beautiful

gold jewels and vessels.

After the seventh century B. C. a substantial variety of colonies

of the Greek poleis (city-states) had been based alongside the Thracian

Black Beach. They began

an animated commerce and cultural change with the hinterland, thus making

a second cultural layer on the present-day Bulgarian territory – of one other sensible historical civilization – that of the Greeks.

Departs for Copenhagen

The ‘Spitzbergen Experience’ cruise leads into the realm of polar bears.

On the MS Fram, passengers can explore the west coast of the largest island in the Svalbard Archipelago in detail. Starting out from the island capital of Longyearbyen, the MS Fram first sets a course for the ‘Sorkapp’ (southern cape) of Spitzbergen. The nine-day expeditionary voyage then leads north along the west coast to the north of the island at a latitude of 80° north.

The focus of the cruise entitled ‘Disko Bay Expedition’, meanwhile, is on the breathtakingly beautiful polar worlds, and encounters with the Inuit and their culture. The MS Fram starts off on its nine-day tour from Kangerlussuaq, moving north along the west coast of Greenland until it reaches Disko Bay, where gig antic glaciers and overwhelming ice landscapes mesmerise passengers. In addition to these fascinating natural experiences, high points of the trip include visits to small Inuit settlements.

Other providers are also aware of the magnetic attraction of this region, and the AIDA Northern Europe product now takes its guests further north than ever before: for the first time, the AlDAcara now travels to the idyllic Spitzbergen island group, between the North Sea and the Arctic Ocean, while the Lofoten islands, just off the Norwegian coast, are also visited for the first time on a Northern Europe trip. AIDA guests can enjoy the midnight sun and fjord landscape on a trip from Hammerfest to Gravdal via Tromso. These spectacular 17-day trips start out from Kiel on three dates in June and July 2012.

Nordic version

Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten is also setting a course firmly north: on the MS Europa, passengers can enjoy an introductory trip with the eclectic title ‘MS Euro pa meets Sansibar offSylt’. Highlights of this trip include the day-long passage through the Kiel Canal, the island of Sylt, and an invitation to feast at the legendary beach bar Sansibar, a Nordic version of the Cafe del Mar on Ibiza. As the sun sinks slowly beneath the horizon, another unexpected pleasure awaits: a raucous party night aboard the Europa.

Anyone wishing to discover their more adventurous side is in the right place: the expeditionary ships Hanseatic and Bremen ofHapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten are distinguished by their low draft, categorisation in the highest ice class possible for passenger ships (E4), and their manoeuvrable and robust inflatable boats, 14 and 12 in number respectively. The very latest technology on board ensures the ships can navigate the harsh conditions of the waters of the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans safely and venture deep into the polar regions, beyond the northern and southern polar circles.

After a long time out, the Bremen is setting out again in 2011, heading for Alaska, where it will offer two expeditionary voyages to the home of sea eagles and bears. The ship will navigate the legendary North-West Passage in August 2011, while the Hanseatic will take passengers to the eastern section of the North-West Passage at the same time.

Northern Europe

Convincedyou’ve seen all there is to see in Northern Europe? Then treat yourself to a cruise through the region on one of the ships in the MSC fleet. The fleet travels to the Baltic, Norway and its beautiful fjords, as well as Iceland and the unique Faroe and Shetland Islands. The cities of Tallinn, Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen and Amsterdam don’t just offer lovely tourist attractions, but are also perfect for taking extended shore leave.

In general, anyone who loves tumultuous waterfalls, crystal-dear air and fascinating landscapes will love a trip north. Due to the large demand, Cost a Kreuzfahrten now also sends its flagship, the Costa Pacifika, to the Great North: starting out from Hamburg or Kiel, the company offers uniquely lovely routes along the Norwegian coasts to the northern cape and Spitzbergen.

Absolutely magical cities await you on the 8-day cruises of the Costa Magica. From Elamburg, it departs for Copenhagen, Oslo, Dover (London), Le Havre (Paris) and Amsterdam. Could there be a lovelier way to travel the most fascinating cities of Northern and Western Europe? No matter whether you decide on a classic Nordic cruise to the serene Norwegian fjords or prefer to dive into the chaos of the region’s most beautiful cities, you can be sure of one thing on all these cruises: you will be warmly welcomed on board.

S: https://private.ensartourguide.com/spitzbergen-experience-cruise/

The later Vedic texts draw a line of demarcation

However usually the later Vedic texts draw a line of demarcation between

the three increased orders on the one hand, and the sudras on the opposite.

There have been, nonetheless, a number of public rituals linked with the

coronation of the king through which the sudras participated, presumably as

members of the unique tribe. Sure sections of artisans similar to rathakara or

chariot- maker loved a excessive standing, and have been entitled to the sacred

thread ceremony Subsequently even in later Vedic instances varna distinctions

had not superior very far

Within the household we discover the growing energy of the daddy, who may

even disinherit his son In princely households the suitable of primogeniture

was getting stronger Male ancestors got here to be worshipped. Girls have been

usually given a decrease place Though some girls theologians took half m

philosophic discussions and a few queens participated in coronation rituals,

ordinarily girls have been considered inferior and subordinate to males

The establishment of gore appeared in later Vedic instances Actually it

means the cow-pen or the place the place cattle belonging to the entire clan

aie stored, however in course of time it signified descent from a typical

ancestor. Individuals started to practise gotra exogamy. No marriage may happen

between individuals belonging to the identical gotra or having the identical

ancestor,

Asramas or 4 levels of life weren’t nicely established in Vedic instances. Within

the post-Vedic texts we hear of 4 asramas: that of brahmachan or pupil,

grihastha or householder, vanaprastha or partial retirement and samyasa or full

retirement from the world. However solely three arc talked about within the

later Vedic texts, the final or the fourth stage had not been nicely

established in later Vedic instances.

Gods, Rituals and Philosophy

Within the later Vedic interval the higher doab developed to be the cradle

of Aryan tradition underneath brahmanical affect. The entire of the Vedic

literature appears to have been compiled on this space within the land of the

Kuru-Panchalas. The cult of sacrifice was the corner-stone of this tradition

and was accompanied by quite a few rituals and formulae.

Indra and

Agni

The excellent Rig Vedic gods, Indra and Agni, misplaced their former significance. Alternatively Prajapati, the creator, got here to occupy the supreme place within the later Vedic pantheon. A few of the different minor gods of the Rig Vedic interval additionally got here to the forefront ‘Rudra, the god of animals, turned vital in later Vedic instances and Vishnu got here to be conceived as th preserver and protector of the individuals who now led a settled life as a substitute of a semi-nomadic life as they did in Rig Vedic instances.

As well as, some symbolic objects started to be worshipped, and we discover indicators of idolatry in later Vedic instances As society turned divided into social courses similar to brah- manas, rajanyas, vaisyas and sudras, a number of the social orders got here to have their very own deities. Pushan, who was alleged to take care of cattle, got here to be considered the god of the sudras, though within the age of the Rig Veda cattle- rearing was the first occupation of the Aryans Individuals worshipped gods for a similar materials causes on this interval as they did in earlier instances Nevertheless, the mode of worship modified significantly Prayers continued to be recited, however they ceased to be the dominant mode of placating the gods. Sacrifices turned way more vital, they usually assumed each public and home character. Public sacrifices concerned the king and the entire of the group, which was nonetheless in lots of instances equivalent with the tribe.

Non public sacrifices have been carried out by people of their homes be- -causa on this interval the Vedic individuals led a settled .life and maintained well-established households. People offeied oblations to Agni, and every one in every of these took the type of a ritual or sacrifice.

The only dwellings around

Semyon Ivanov was a track-walker. His hut was ten versts away from a railroad station in one direction and twelve versts away in the other. About four versts away there was a cotton mill that had opened the year before, and its tall chimney rose up darkly from behind the forest. The only dwellings around were the distant huts of the other track-walkers.
Semyon Ivanov’s health had been completely shattered. Nine years before he had served right through the war as servant to an officer. The sun had roasted him, the cold frozen him, and hunger famished him on the forced marches of forty and fifty versts a day in the heat and the cold and the rain and the shine. The bullets had whizzed about him, but, thank God! none had struck him!

Semyon’s regiment had once been on the firing line. For a whole week there had been skirmishing with the Turks, only a deep ravine separating the two hostile armies; and from mom till eve there had been a steady cross-fire. Thrice daily Semyon carried a steaming samovar and his officer’s meals from the camp kitchen to the ravine. The bullets hummed about him and rattled viciously against the rocks. Semyon was terrified and cried sometimes, but still he kept right on. The officers were pleased with him, because he always had hot tea ready for them.

He returned from the campaign with limbs unbroken but crippled with rheumatism. He had experienced no little sorrow since then. He arrived home to find his father, an old man, and his little four-year- old son had died. Semyon remained alone with his wife. They could not do much. It was difficult to plow with rheumatic arms and legs. They could no longer stay in their village, so they started off to seek their fortune in new places.

They stayed for a short time on the line, in Kherson and Donshchina, but nowhere found luck. Then the wife went out to service, and Semyon continued to travel about. Once he happened to ride on an engine, and at one of the stations the face of the station-master seemed familiar to him. Semyon looked at the station master and the station-master looked at Semyon, and they recognized each other. He had been an officer in Semyon’s regiment.

Vsevolod Garshin (1855-1888)

Garshin was all his life subject to melancholia. His work, consisting of only a score of stories, was influenced by his condition, and by his experiences in the Servian and Turkish wars. In 1888, sick with physical and mental torture, he killed himself. Garshin’s stark realism has that pitifully beautiful quality which makes his stories endure. They are pessimistic but never morbid.

Source: https://guide.ensaristanbul.com/the-signal-part-1/

The suppression of Macedonian terrorism

The suppression of Macedonian terrorism

would bring about better relations with Yugoslavia and, therefore, make for

stability in the Balkans. Stable Balkans would be less susceptible to the

blandishments and revisionist pressures of Rome and Berlin and would therefore

further British and western European interests. This was in line with Velchev’s

hopes because, wrote Swire, ‘Velchev has always insisted that in foreign

affairs Bulgaria should be guided by Great Britain. . ,’14 Indeed in later

letters and newspaper articles Swire was careful to link the 1934 coup with

foreign affairs. Typical of many such writings is a letter to the editor of The

Manchester Guardian, written after the war.

On 17 May 1934 the Prime Minister of the day, Moushanov, announced that Goering was about to visit Sofia. On 19 May a military coup d’etat took place, planned and directed by Colonel Damian Velchev . . . The coup was bloodless. There were no executions, no arrests save of a few proved terrorist assassins. A wave of relief swept the country. And while this Government remained in power, nothing more was heard of Goering. . . But in 1935 Tsar Boris skilfully regained absolute power by dividing his opponents upon domestic issues… No sooner did Tsar Boris hold the reins securely again than Goering’s deferred visit to Sofia took place on 26 May, 1935.

Swire was convinced that Velchev’s pacific

policy and his desire for conciliation with Yugoslavia was in tune with the

wishes of the vast majority of the Bulgarian nation. In an article published in

The Near East and India on 10 January, 1935 Swire had expanded more fully on

the relationship between Velchev, the army and the people. The article was

headed ‘A Pacifist People’ and began:

In some quarters grave doubts

Bulgaria today is pacifist. There may have been in some quarters grave doubts upon the subject while she was dominated by Macedonian terrorists and ruled by politicians who were in no danger, themselves, of being called upon to make war. But behind the present regime stands the Army; and the Army in democratic Bulgaria, springs from the people, of whom 80 percent are peasants. Most of the officers come from humble homes and know the abject poverty of those homes. The masses desire peace and an economic revival which cannot come by war. So pacifist they will remain . . .

Cappadocia the summer of 2012

“I’ve been first for two years in this marathon in which athletes from around the world compete. The Lycian Way combines rich history with magnificent natural beauty and is one of the world’s finest trails for an ultramarathon. Turkey’s second ultramarathon is going to be run in Cappadocia the summer of 2012. ”

Birmingham, at the heart of the uk with a population of over one million, is a destination of limitless opportunity, offering visitors an eclectic mix of things to do.

The city oozes style, culture and charm and attracts over 32 million people a year with its level of vibrancy and excitement. Whether it is heritage, culture, food, shopping or sport, there’s plenty of choice to keep you entertained in Birmingham. Birmingham’s early history as a city dates back to the early 12th century when Peter de Birmingham, holder of the manor, gained the right to hold a weekly market. Once famous as a ‘city of a thousand trades’, Birmingham is renowned for its pioneering past and was a world leader in the production of jewelry, pens, guns, buttons and buckles.

This exciting history has left visitors to Birmingham with a number of outstanding heritage attractions to discover, explore and enjoy, including great old vehicles and machines at Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum, the Motor Heritage Centre and Coventry Transport Museum. The Jacobean splendour of Aston Hall, the delightfully restored timber-framed farmhouse Blakesley Hall and the magical Sarehole Mill in Hall Green, which formed the inspiration for JRR Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’, are all well worth a visit, and the Black Country Living Museum creates a tribute to the people that once lived in the heart of industrial Britain. Birmingham’s flagship National Sea Life center offers a spectacular undersea voyage and is located alongside the city’s beautiful and historic canals. Birmingham promises you a shopping experience second to none. From clothing to jewelry, the world’s leading brands and shops offer a rich array of products to suit your taste.

Food for thought

Over the past decade Birmingham’s food scene has seen the city transform itself into the ultimate dining destination. Birmingham has over 200 topranking restaurants in the city center, spanning 27 countries across the globe, from Europe and the Far East to the Caribbean and the Americas. Birmingham has a hugely compelling and eclectic arts scene with world class and inspirational organizations and venues right across the cultural spectrum.

The diverse range of galleries, concert venues, theaters and cinemas the city has to offer are second to none. Since opening over 100 years ago, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is now home to more than half a million artifacts. Renaissance masterpieces, 9,000-year- old Middle Eastern treasures and the world’s largest collection of Pre-Raphaelite art are all on show here.

Housed in one of Birmingham’s finest Art Deco buildings, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts was designed by Robert Atkinson, one of Britain’s leading architects of the 1920s and 30s. And it displays major works by Monet, Turner, van Gogh and Picasso, while Birmingham’s Ikon Gallery, located in the neo-Gothic Oozells Street School in Brindleyplace, features exhibitions across two floors, spanning photography, painting and sculpture.

Source: LYCIAN WAY

Visited many countries passed through Bulgaria

Thomas J. Clayton who visited many countries passed through Bulgaria also. Going from Varna to Ruse and then on to Romania Clayton was “surprised” to discover that both Bulgaria and Romania were “such fertile countries.” He wrote that he “never saw better pasture lands or wheat fields” anywhere else in the world. These lands reminded him of the prairie lands of Illinois. He was also surprised to find that there were no farm houses like in America.

The lands, he stated, were “tilled by peasants who live in misserable little huts, or in villages. . . Our route lay through a spur of the Balkan Mountains and was very picturesque. . . very beautiful and entertaining. . . The scenery of these mountains is soft and has a soothing rather than a stirring influence upon the beholder.” The author believed that if peace prevailed in these parts of the world, Bulgaria and Romania “will soon become rich and prosperous.”

By Americans on Bulgaria

There are few more accounts by Americans on

Bulgaria. However, they are not much more different than those presented. Many

a time what Americans said

T. J. Clayton. Rambles and Reflections: Europe from Biscay to the Black Sea and from Aetna to the North Cape with Glimpses of Asia, Africa, America and the Islands of the Sea. Chester, Pennsylvania, about the Bulgarians or for that matter about other peoples, reflected on their own personal character or how they valued American culture and way of life. The descriptions presented by these travellers on a variety of topics, like national character and even the history of Bulgaria are hardly scientific or correct accounts.

Almost all of these travellers present

nothing but cliches. They did not have the necessary expertise to carefully

analyze the Bulgarian personality, their ethnic typicalness in terms of common

national cultural values. The frame of reference these travellers used was

founded on their perspective of American history and culture as the

repositories of values of liberty, freedom, democracy, justice, religion,

discipline, industry and progress.

Almost all of the authors sympathized with

the plight of the Bulgarian people under Ottoman domination. They all condemned

the alien system of despotism and many a time showed their preference for

republicanism. The Ottoman system did not permit the development of the

individual, the arts and crafts as well as agriculture and industry. The

authors were aware that the Ottoman state was in its stages of disintegration.

Those who visited Bulgaria before 1878 believed that the Bulgarians would

become free and those who travelled after the liberation of the country praised

the attempts of the Bulgarians to preserve their independence.

Autumn Beauty Kars

With the snow-capped beauty characteristic of a gateway to the caucasus, Kars at the end of summer awaits visitors eager to enjoy delightful moments cheek by jowl with nature and history.

A major city of trade down the centuries due to its position as a bridge between Anatolia and the Caucasus, Kars has a history dating back to the Paleolithic. The city center, which is blanketed in white for a third of the year on average, is fairly bursting with lovely examples of Baltic architecture. Monumental stone structures are a frequent sight in this city laid out like a chessboard. So much so that when you stroll down Ordu Caddesi, you will feel you’re in a European city.

Fethiye Mosque, Hekimevi Health Center, the old Russian Consulate, the Finance Ministry Building, the Health Directorate, the old Customs Building… Each one is more elegant than the last, and the newest is more than a century old. The 12th century Kars Castle meanwhile is the most impressive of the historic structures at the city center, which boasts colorful department stores, herbalists’ shops, dairies, candy stores, breakfast restaurants and working class eateries. And now for a special feature of Kars: Honey and cheese are plentiful here where red meat is consumed in serious quantities. Another culinary specialty of Kars is goose.

Post prandial tea

Besides goose meat with rice and goose meat doner (roasted on a spit), one of the area’s favorite dishes is a veal and vegetable stew called piti, which is cooked in an earthenware casserole. One of the best things to do following an elaborate Kars meal is to take a post-prandial tea at one of the city’s many coffeehouses. And going to Kars without seeing the ruins of Ani 50 kilometers outside the city is a no-no. You will travel through time for a few hours amidst churches, mosques and city walls at Ani, an 8,000-year-old monument-city. The gates of this city, which had its Golden Age in the 11th century, are magnificent even today.

The first mosque built by the Seljuks in Anatolia also stands here. The Seljuk Palace to the west of the ruins is striking for its crown portal with mosaics in a geometric pattern. As the sun slowly sets here, we realize that Kars, beautiful in every season, is even more beautiful in autumn.

Source: https://guide.ensarislamoglu.com/autumn-beauty-kars/

This Sounded Promising

It seemed to me that his Majesty was a very long time at his toilet; but at last we were rewarded. Abruptly from the glass porch he appeared in Euro-pean dress, with very baggy trousers much too long in the leg and a voluminous black frock coat. He stood for a moment holding the frock-coat with both hands, as if wishing to wrap himself up in it.

 Then, still grasping it, he walked quickly down the steps, his legs seeming almost to ripple beneath the weight of his body, and stepped heavily into the brougham, which swung upon its springs. The horses moved, the carriage passed close to me, and again I gazed at this mighty sovereign, while the Eastern pilgrims salaamed to the ground. Mechanically he saluted.

His large face was still unnaturally blank, and yet somehow it looked kind. And I felt that this old man was weary and sad, that his long years of imprisonment had robbed him of all vitality, of all power to enjoy; that he was unable to appreciate the pageant of life in which now, by the irony of fate, he was called to play the central part. All alone he sat in the bright-colored brougham, carrying a flaccid hand to his fez and gazing blankly before him. The carriage passed out of the courtyard, but it did not go up the hill to the palace.

“The sultan/’ said a voice, “is going out

into the country to rest and to divert himself.”

To rest, perhaps; but to divert himself!

After that day I often saw before me a large

white envelop, and the most expressive people in the world were salaaming

before it.

STAMBOUL, THE CITY OF MOSQUES

MOSQUE OF THE YENI-VALIDE-JAMISSI, CONSTANTINOPLE 

STAMBOUL, THE CITY OF MOSQUES

STAMBOUL is wonderfully various. Compressed

between two seas, it contains sharp, even brutal contrasts: of beauty and

ugliness, grandeur and squalor, purity and filth, silence and uproar, the most

delicate fascination and a fierceness that is barbaric. It can give you peace

or a sword. The sword is sharp and cruel; the peace is profound and exquisite.

Every day early I escaped from the uproar

of Pera and sought in Stamboul a place of forgetfulness. There are many such

places in the city and on its outskirts: the mosques, the little courts and

gardens of historic tombs; the strange and forgotten Byzan-tine churches, lost

in the maze of wooden houses; the cemeteries vast and melancholy, where the

dead sleep in the midst of dust and confusion, guarded by giant cypresses; the

lonely and shadowed ways by the walls and the towers; the poetic glades and the

sun-kissed terraces of Seraglio Point.

Opera Amateur Wrestlers

He said this openly, cynically, like a man. He was a little ragged street-arab, as tall as a boot, his forehead hidden under a queer mop of yellow hair.

Nobody claimed him, and they sent him to the Reform School.

Not very intelligent, idle, clumsy with his hands, the only trade he could learn there was not a good one that of reseating straw chairs. However, he was obedient, naturally quiet and silent, and he did not seem to be profoundly corrupted by that school of vice.

But when, in his seventeenth year, he was thrown out again on the streets of Paris, he unhappily found there his prison comrades, all great scamps, exercising their dirty professions: teaching dogs to catch rats in the sewers, and blacking shoes on ball nights in the passage of the Opera amateur wrestlers, who permitted themselves to be thrown by the Hercules of the booths or fishing at noontime from rafts; all of these occupations he followed to some extent, and, some months after he came out of the house of correction, he was arrested again for a petty theft a pair of old shoes prigged from a shop-window. Result: a year in the prison of Sainte Pclagie, where he served as valet to the political prisoners.

Prison and quite

He lived in much surprise among this group of prisoners, all very young, negligent in dress, who talked in loud voices, and carried their heads in a very solemn fashion. They used to meet in the cell of one of the oldest of them, a fellow of some thirty years, already a long time in prison and quite a fixture at Sainte Pagie a large cell, the walls covered with colored caricatures, and from the window of which one could see all Paris its roofs, its spires, and its domes and far away the distant line of hills, blue and indistinct upon the sky.

There were upon the walls some shelves filled with volumes and all the old para¬phernalia of a fencing-room: broken masks, rusty foils, breastplates, and gloves that were losing their tow. It was there that the “politi¬cians” used to dine together, adding to the everlasting “soup and beef,” fruit, cheese, and pints of wine which Jean Francois went out and got by the can a tumultuous repast interrupted by violent disputes, and where, during the dessert, the “Carmagnole” and “Qa Ira” were sung in full chorus.

Source: https://private.doholiday.com/the-substitute-part-2/

The Prince and his individuals extra intimate

I’m from the technology that witnessed communism. I had my good moments, I had my fears however I like Bulgaria probably the most. Many attention-grabbing issues will be learnt and seen on a communist Bulgaria tour. Positively, that is one thing to be skilled a tour in an ex-communist nation.

Inside the previous few months numerous occasions have contributed to render the relations between the Prince and his individuals extra intimate and cordial than they have been earlier than. His go to to the West, and the reception he acquired in Austria, and nonetheless extra in England, have been gratifying to his individuals as proof of the significance connected to Bulgaria overseas. Then, too, the Prince gained floor in common opinion by his marriage final 12 months with the Princess Marie of Parma.

The selection of the bride was acceptable to the nation from the actual fact of her representing the home of Bourbon, and of her thus claiming relationship by start with half the royal dynasties of Europe. Furthermore, by her appeal of method and kindliness of nature, the Princess Marie quickly made herself common in her adopted nation; and the sensation of common good-will entertained in the direction of her was intensified when, on the graduation of this 12 months, she gave start to a son, who was born on Bulgarian soil, and who was given by his dad and mom the title of Boris, the nationwide hero of Bulgarian custom.

The daddy of a Bulgarian Prince may not be considered a foreigner, and the dynasty has now acquired a nationwide character which, even below Prince Alexander, it had by no means fairly possessed. An outdated resident right here advised me that he had by no means witnessed such a show of enthusiasm amongst a individuals singularly undemonstrative by character, as that which greeted the announcement of Prince Boris’s start.

The favored feeling concerning the toddler Prince would in all probability have been much more enthusiastic if his dad and mom had consented to have him introduced up within the Orthodox Greek Religion. If the babe ever grows as much as manhood he’ll, if he’s smart, acknowledge the political benefits of belonging to the identical faith as his individuals. When the royal toddler occurs as was the case the opposite day, throughout his father or mother’s sojourn at Eberfeld to be the only kingly occupant of the royal palace, a flag of his personal is hoisted over the constructing. However, as he grows up, a creed of his personal can be a simpler passport to Bulgarian respect and affection.

The sudden demise of Prince

Alexander

Once more, the sudden demise

of Prince Alexander, which solely preceded by a number of weeks the start of

an inheritor to the Bulgarian throne, eliminated a supply of attainable hazard from the trail of the reigning dynasty. Earlier

than that occasion all Bulgarians, who, from

one trigger or one other,

have been dissatisfied with the

present rdgime, may at

all times ponder the

potential of Prince Alexander’s restoration as a way

of redressing the grievances, whether or not actual or imaginary, below

which they thought-about themselves to undergo.

Venice Biennale

But the Venice Biennale isn’t only these exhibitions. For one thing there is Venice itself. And its museums. Don’t miss them as you roam the city’s narrow streets and skip from this canal to that on the vaporetti. The exhibitions that open at the Punta Della Dogana, the Peggy Guggenheim and the Palazzo Grassi at Biennale time, as well as the Prada collection at the Corner Della Regina, are not to be missed.

Indeed, Biennale visitors must have been impressed too because 150,000 of them toured the Turkish pavilion in the first two months. Perhaps because they saw themselves in it, the art world especially was enamored of Erkmen’s sculpture. But Plan B’s main concern of course is Venice. With the canals that give it richness, that brought it power and fame, and to which it literally owes its existence. Today as well they ensure that Venice remains a leading center of tourism. In them circulates the water that is the city’s protector and, slowly rising now, is also becoming its enemy.

Realized with Fiat sponsorship and the support of the Promotion Fund of the Prime Ministry of Turkey under the auspices of Turkish Airlines, and coordinated by the Istanbul Foundation of Culture and Art, the Venice Biennale’s Turkey pavilion is less crowded today than it was in its early days. If you go to the Biennale, be sure to visit this venue, crisscrossed with pipes of red, blue, green and magenta through which water is driven by a constantly humming motor. Perhaps you’ll even be offered a surreptitious drop of distilled Venetian water… Until November 27.

Health

Astrong immune system is the best way to resist the flu, one of winter’s most common ills.

And you can set up your protective shield by living an active life, avoiding stress and maintaining a varied and balanced diet. Start with diet and exercise, because they are the main factors you can modify.

You are what you eat, as they say. To make sure you are getting the energy you need from the proper sources, your plate should include half vegetables, a quarter lean meat and the other quarter homemade yoghurt.

Nature provides the nutrients that supply human needs. You should, for example, eat 5 to 9 servings a day of the nutrients that give color to fruits and vegetables since they enhance protection against bacteria and viruses. Pomegranates, kiwi and citrus among the fruits, and celery, pumpkin, carrots, red pepper, red cabbage, onions, garlic, spinach, chard, radishes, broccoli and cauliflower among the vegetables should be consumed frequently in winter. Natural antibiotics onion and garlic especially should be consumed in large quantities, if possible by swallowing a clove of garlic every morning.

The liver and intestines, which metabolize the nutrients as well as cleansing the body, are the virtual bastion of the immune system, and should be reinforced by special cures. Keep yours in shipshape as winter approaches by mixing 10 stalks of flat leaf parsley and the juice of half a lemon in a glass of water and drinking it regularly twice a week on an empty stomach for liver health. To enrich the intestinal flora and prevent constipation, make use of probiotics.

You can simply take advantage of the probiotic yoghurt and dairy products, muesli, kephir, pickles, traditional homemade yoghurt, boza (a fermented millet drink) and apple vinegar that are available on the market. To increase your fiber intake, have some fresh or dried jujubes, pears, apples, apricots or prunes and a cup of herbal tea as an in-between meal snack.

Don’t neglect your protein sources either, but be sure to choose lean ones. The amino acids that are the building blocks of proteins foster the basic health of cells and develop the immune system. Choose things like white meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dried legumes and soy-based products that are free of saturated fats.

Source: https://private.tourguideensar.com/venice-biennale/

Ubaidian and Tell Halaf

However, to return to Mallowan’s sounding, which was now passing through the ’Ubaidian and Tell Halaf levels; the area was becoming increasingly restricted. By the time, Mallowan had come to the crucial last stage, where he could hope to excavate the levels underlying the earliest Tell Halaf occupation, he could not hope for finds on a large scale. Nevertheless, with the shaft reduced in dimensions to approximately eight feet square, his reward was by no means negligible.

From pavements directly above virgin soil,

he recovered a basketful of potsherds, ornamented with curious incised designs.

This pottery came appropriately to be known as “Ninevite One”: and for the ten

years which followed, these few sherds remained the only existing clue to the

pre Halaf occupation of Mesopotamia.

In 1942, an inspector of the Iraq

Antiquities Department, who was assisting Land Settlement officers in the

agricultural areas southwest of Mosul, sent into headquarters some bags of

surface pottery from mounds which he had found in that area. Examining one of

these, my Arab colleague, Fuad Safar and I were astonished to find that it

contained almost exclusively Ninevite I pottery far more, in fact, than had

been found by Mallowan at Nineveh itself.

Twenty miles from Mosul

They came from a mound called Hassuna, some twenty miles from Mosul, and understandably only a few days elapsed before an opportunity was found for us to visit it. The most intimidating aspect of the place proved to be its remote situation, on the extreme edge of the cultivated country west of the Tigris, with nothing beyond but the desolate Jasirah Desert, stretching away towards Hatra and the Dantesque landscape of the Wadi Tharthar. Nevertheless, there was a tiny village, and nearby, at the junction of two dry river beds, a small mound hardly more than fifteen feet high and a hundred yards in diameter.

Also the surface pottery appeared to be

Ninevite I, with a large number of interesting variations. So no doubt remained

that the site must be excavated. By the early spring of that year, we had

organized an expedition and were living in a tent camp on the site.

The excavation at Hassuna is one, which

will always remain in my memory, as distinguished by two unusual features. One

was the extreme demands which it made on one’s ingenuity as an excavator; the

other the disconcerting insecurity of our living conditions. The village itself

seemed to be outside the jurisdiction of the nearest police post: and beyond it

was a tribal area that no one within living memory had ever attempted to

administer.

Imaginary Restoration

Only a few stones remained in place to suggest the shape of the latter: but a minute examination and recording of these enabled us to reconstruct the “portico” feature, which appears in our subsequent restoration. As for the temple itself by which the whole structure was crowned, no evidence of its shape remained. For the purpose of imaginary restoration we were compelled to fall back on the known appearance of the contemporary Painted Temple at ’Uqair.

Since this framework of speculation

regarding the raison deter of such isolated temple mounds has departed rather

far from the subject of excavating technique, it may be interesting as a

postscript to reflect on the frustration which Campbell Thompson must have felt

in his attempts to probe the secrets of so characteristic a Mesopotamian mound.

His previous experience had been largely in Britain. His method of approach

therefore, was to cover the site with small trial holes, seldom much more than

two yards square. These were indeed excavated with extreme care, as one gathers

from his report, in which he meticulously records, with sketches, the depth

beneath the surface and character of each sherd or email object found.

Nevertheless, one sees now that this

process could have been prolonged almost indefinitely without any prospect

whatever of coming to understand the anatomy of the mound. Nor, for that

matter, does it seem likely that any textbook rule of procedure, which is today

available, would have been over much help to a prospective excavator at a site

of this sort. In our own case, flexibility of procedure and an understanding of

what Campbell Thompson called “dissolved mud brick” were perhaps the two

factors, which contributed most to the success of our operation.

North Iraq Prehistoric Mounds

During the greater part of the two previous

chapters, our subject has been confined to the excavation of mounds in

Mesopotamia: and this country must still occupy us a little longer. The quest

for early civilizations, which we have been unconsciously following, since it

ran parallel to the evolution of an excavating technique, may now be pursued

one stage further by turning our attention northwards towards the undulating

hill country, which was once Assyria. This will still serve our primary

purpose, because northern Iraq is outside the limits of the alluvial plain and

excavating conditions are a little different from those in the south.

Istiklal Street and Taksim Square

Istiklal Street

Istiklal Caddesi is the main street of Beyoglu (Pera) and is a pedestrian area. The street that used to be called “Grand-Rue de Pera” during its bright times, was a modem meeting point by the beginning of the 20^th century, during the best times (“Belle e’poque”) of Istanbul.

The cultural and social activities for different tastes as well as the cafes, cinemas, bookshops, restaurants, bars come out of istiklal Caddesi or the streets it has connection. There are many shops on the street.

At the south end of the street is the entrance of Tunel. Tunel is an underground railway system that is 570m, from 1875 extending to Galata Bridge and is the second underground of the world in terms of construction date after that of London. While walking towards Taksim, after passing Galatasaray Lisesi, you will see (Jigek Pasaji (Cite de Pera) on the left hand side.

As its Turkish name implies it used to be a passage that flowers were sold; today has many cheerful bars and ‘meyhane’s. It’s an ideal atmosphere to eat, to drink Turkish Raki and to feel Beyoglu. Balik Pazari is worth to see just next to the passage. Although it is prefered for finding fresh fish, you can explore the shops that you can find kind of meat, cheese, desserts, pickles, almost anything you can buy as you walk further Beyoglu.

Taksim Square

Taksim square is one of the important centres of this multi-centred city. After Pera became popular and crowded the new type of urbanization moved to Nisantasi and Sisli neighbourhood; thus, Taksim has become an important centre. It was a cemetery area until the end of 19™ century. There was a large barrack in the middle of the square and the biggest football field in the city used to be in this barracks.

Taksim had become the most important square of the city during the years when the Republic was founded. It was the most expensive residential area in 1950s. The name of the square is Taksim due to the water coming from Belgrat Ormanlan used to distributed here in 18®1 century. The cistern, made by Mahmut U in 1732, is still at the entrance of Istiklal Caddesi. At the southwest of the square is the monumental statue of Taksim Cumhuriyet Aniti showing the founder of Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey and his friends, made by the Italian artist Canonica in 1928.

500 years of Ottoman Cuisim

Marianna Yerasimos

Otoman Cuisine with the mixture of modem recipes, reminding us the tastes which are almost desappeared.

99 recipes of Ottoman cuisine took place in the book Author Marianna Yerasimos’s 1,5 years work of modernizing the recipes gave its results.

It’s not only the recipes you’ll be reading in the book but also nutrition habits, how to behaved while eating and more to explore.

Source: https://www.ensartourguide.com/istiklal-street-taksim-square/

Flinders Petrie

But it was of course the Director himself

whose inexhaustible energy and multifarious talents animated the whole

undertaking. The fact is that Woolley, like Flinders Petrie and others,

belonged to a generation of archaeologists whose individual genius kept them

withdrawn from any confidential relationship with their staff. To his

assistants he deputed specific work and himself inspired sufficient loyalty to

ensure that it was carried out to the limits of their ability.

But the purpose and progress of his operations

and the sequence of conclusions to which it led, were seldom discussed with

them. It was in fact not unusual, after an excavation was over, for his junior

assistants to read with interest in the newspapers the details of discoveries

in which they themselves had presumably taken part. This was the case, for

instance, with the attribution of certain rifled tombs to the Second Dynasty

kings of Ur, on whose identity Woolley had apparently remained undecided until

the season’s digging was finished. In these days, when the secondary function

of a field director is to train younger archaeologists, this form of reticence

would have the most obvious disadvantages.

Also, it is hardly surprising that his

conclusions were occasionally wrong. To recollect that his dating of the Royal

Tombs now proves to have been approximately five hundred years too early is

perhaps to be “wise after the event”, since his interpretation of the available

evidence has been corrected by more recent discoveries. But undoubtedly certain

theories which he devised, mainly for purposes of publicity, required the most

tortuous arguments to justify them. One remembers for instance, how, in his

soundings, clay deposits which appeared out of context in relation to the

Flood, became “quays for shipping.” And soon, in the press Ur became the

“Venice of the Ancient East.”

Deductive reasoning

But here again, on the serious scientific

side, nothing could detract from the almost intuitive logic which distinguished

Woolley’s deductive

reasoning. As Sir Mortimer Wheeler has understandingly

observed quite recently, “The confident but always acutely experimental

intelligence underlying the remarkable discoveries which again and again

advertised his achievements was too often of a kind that escaped the easy

comprehension of his cloistered critics.

In this unimportant sense he suffered from

success.”1 In the polemical phraseology which has sometimes been used to point

a contrast between the shortcomings of old fashioned archaeology and the newly

perfected academic discipline, Woolley’s work has tended to be included by

implication in the general target for categorical disparagement. Posthumous

testimonials like that quoted above must be treated as a welcome corrective.

Bulgaria Vacations

Khans, Tzars, Orpheus, Spartacus, Thracians, Levski, Botev … All of them start with capital ‘B’ for Bulgaria. These are also the places that you can see on your Bulgaria vacations.

Bulgaria is the Thracians – great warriors and horsemen that were feared and outsiders respected them. It is also the country of accomplished artists and farmers who grew wealthy from trading jewelry, copper and gold. Their fierce weaponry is in archaeological museums around the country. Anyone who likes to see it, can do it there. Many tombs, discovered mainly in central Bulgaria – the region of Kazanlak and Shipka, reveal the Thracians’ rituals, their beliefs. A gold mask and a bronze head of a Thracian King have been found there.

Interesting Bulgaria

Places to see and things to do on Bulgaria vacations are waiting you to discover them. These are Rila Mountain that gave home to the Rila Monastery, the magnificent holy cloister, unity of spirituality, culture and nature. Then Rupite – a source of energy. Also the medieval archaeological complex Perperikon – the ancient monumental megalithic structures. Certainly the ‘Kukeri’ Festival – costumed men who perform rituals intending to scare the evil away and to announce the coming of spring. Another one is Nestinarstvo – a fire ritual that barefoot men and women (nestinari) perform on zharava (smouldering embers)… Visit Bulgaria and experience these places and take more mystical Bulgaria tours!

Bulgaria vacations in the sea of events, Golden times Bulgaria Vacations
Yes, good foundations had been laid. Time for the invaders and conquerors. First the Greeks, followed by the Scythians. Then the Romans, Byzantines and the Turks. (Istanbul guided tours) Nobody had ever spared Bulgaria. All of them left their indelible marks on the lands of that country. For us, the successors, to see, learn and know our Bulgaria travel experience.

The above text has been copied from www.enmarbg.com. ; For the rest of the story you can visit link Bulgaria Vacations.

Megiddo in Palestine

A photograph taken while this operation was in progress has some technical interest, because it was taken with a camera suspended from an ordinary kite. I had at the time recently visited the Oriental Institute excavations at Megiddo in Palestine, and watched the process of taking air photographs from a stationary kite balloon.

But it seemed to me, both that the

apparatus involved in this experiment must be extremely expensive and that a

lot of unnecessary time was wasted on the operation. My own attempt to simplify

the process was surprisingly successful. I used two six foot naval kites,

flying in tandem, and suspended beneath them a cheap camera with an automatic

release and swivels for retaining it in a vertical position. Admittedly this

was no more than a rough and ready way of getting low air verticals; but out of

some scores of pictures which were taken in this way, a dozen or so proved

extremely revealing and useful.

One could, for instance, recover quite

large sections of the ancient town plan, by photographing the unexcavated

surface of the mound after rain; for the tops of the walls were found to dry

and change colour much more rapidly than the filling in between, (PL. IS)

But, while still engaged in recording the

Abu Temple at Tell Asmar, I had at the same time become involved in what proved

to be a much more frustrating operation. Eshnunna, which is the ancient name of

Tell Asmar, had been an important city state during the Isin Larsa dynasty at

the beginning of the second millennium B.C; and we were also excavating a

complex of public buildings belonging to that period, known by the name of its

original founder, Gimil Sin.

Here, as so often happens in Mesopotamia,

the chronology of the stratified remains presented very little difficulty,

because the buildings at successive structural periods were constructed partly

of kiln baked bricks stamped with apictograph inscription bearing the name of

the prince who had rebuilt it.

Not only was his name given, but very often

also that of his father and son; so that a genealogical table was comparatively

easy to establish. But another element in these texts proved more puzzling. It

wTas the repeated references to another and evidently much larger temple

dedicated to Tishpak, the patron god of

Eshnunna. This seemed, (like the Marduk

Temple at Babylon, for instance), to have been the most important building in

the city.

Understanding of ancient materials

In theory, these could not fail to locate

any conspicuous architectural remains. However, today, with labor costs

enormously increased, they would be prohibitively expensive and involve a great

deal of work, which would be likely to prove pointlessly repetitive.

The truth is that the disposal of trial

excavations, their area and shape, can only be determined by practical

considerations, depending on inferences made from the conformation of the mound

itself. In addition, the nature of these can only be adequately explained by

citing a variety of practical examples, as it is intended to do in the pages,

which follow.

However, for the moment it may be well to

return to the subject of wall tracing and the understanding of ancient

materials.

In the very early stages of community life

in the Near East, walls were often built of pies, which is the equivalent of

the South American term, adobe; that is, simple clay mixed with straw and built

up in convenient lumps or slabs. After this came the almost universal use of

sun dried mud bricks, prismatic in shape but of widely varying dimensions. Mud

brick, as is now generally known, is made with the aid of a four-sided wooden

mound, having no top or bottom.

Into this, the tempered clay is dumped and

the surplus normally smoothed off with the side of the hand. The mound is then

lifted and the brick left to dry in the sun. It is this concluding process,

which sets a geographical limit to countries in which mud bricks can be used,

since cloudless skies and hot sunshine are indispensable to their manufacture.

In almost all countries of the Near East such conditions are favorable during

at least a part of the year, and up to comparatively recent times, kiln baked

bricks have consequently been considered a luxury.

It is for this reason that today, in those

countries, a proper understanding of the nature and uses of this material,

particularly in Iraq, has become as indispensable to a twentieth century

excavator as it was to the architects of antiquity. In neighboring countries where

stone is available, a wall may have stone foundations or even be built up to a

height of several feet in stone before the brick begins. In Anatolia

particularly, the structure above this may be a framework of wooden beams,

forming panels, which are filled with mud brick. In all cases the wall is

finished inside and out with a plastering of mud and straw. Outside at least,

this has to be renewed every year.

Mound at Khorsabad

This building, on its platform, accounts for the main mound at Khorsabad on the summit of which we lived. Smaller mounds covering the ruins of the gateways and the line of the city walls themselves can be seen spreading out into the cultivated plain on either side. It was one of these gateways No. 7 in the plan made by Botta’s successor, Victor Place, in which we started excavating in 1930.1

C1) This is now incorporated in the

American expedition’s fine perspective reconstruction of the whole palace

setting. G. loud. Khorscbad. VoL II. Frontispiece.

(2) Reproduced in G. Loud. Khorsabad. VoL L

Chicago 1936. Fig. L

We pegged out a careful trench across one

side of the little hill, and, as might have been expected, dug for several days

without finding anything at all.

Pierre Delougaz

At about that date our party was joined by Mr. Pierre Delougaz, who is now Curator of the Oriental Institute Museum, and afterwards it was not difficult to discern that his arrival marked the beginning of our seven years experimenting and discovery in the realm of excavating technique. In fact, so much of the effective work referred to in the remainder of this chapter must be credited to Delougaz’ insight and initiative, that it may be well here to explain his presence at that time in Iraq.

In the previous winter of 1927/28,

Breasted’s Iraq Expedition had suffered what could be regarded as an

unfortunate false start, in that Dr. Edward Chiera, who had been in charge of

it, had unhappily died almost before it had time to get under way. Chiera

himself had at first concentrated on the Khorsabad palace.

He had arrived to find the site pillaged

and neglected, with everywhere signs of the looting and destruction which had

continued throughout the long aftermath of Botta’s and Place’s excavations. The

place had to all intents and purposes become a stone quarry, from which the

sculptured slabs were extracted to be broken up and burnt into lime for local

building purposes.

There was then a village on the summit of

the main mound, and he noticed in the courtyard of the local agha’s house a

fine bearded head of one of King Sargon’s officials, retained as a curiosity

and now being used as a chopping block for wood. The sight of such vandalism

was as Chiera with remarkable restraint observed in his report  “irritating to say the least”, and he spent

the remainder of his first season in effecting such rescue work as he could

manage; packing and removing the surviving slab fragments in several of the

principal chambers, (PL. 9).

This in the end involved him in what proved

to be an almost embarrassing discovery the broken pieces of one of the largest

portal sculptures of all— a winged bull from the entry to Sargon’s throne room,

which now stands in the Oriental Institute Museum.

Certain rich man

I heard of a certain rich man, who was as

notorious for parsimony as Hatim Tai for liberality. His external form was

adorned with wealth, but the meanness of his disposition was so radiated, that

he never gave even a loaf of bread to any one: he would not have bestowed a

scrap on the cat of Abu Horiera, nor thrown a bone to the dog of companions of

the cave. In short, no one ever saw his door open nor his table spread. A

Durwesh never knew his victuals, excepting by the smell; no bird ever picked up

any crumbs that fell from his table. I heard that he was sailing on the

Mediterranean Sea towards Egypt, with all the pride of Pharaoh in his

imagination, according to the word of God, ‘Until the time that he was

drowned.’ Suddenly a contrary wind assailed the ship, in the manner as they

have said, ‘What can the heart do that it may not record with your sorrowful disposition;

the north wind is not always favourable for the ship.’ He lifted up the hands

of imploration, and uttered ineffectual lamentations. God hath said, ‘“When you

embark on ships offer up your prayers unto the Lord.’

Of what benefit will it be to the servant

in the time of need, to lift up his hands in imploration, which are extended

during prayers, but when any favour is wanted are folded under his arms?

‘Bestow comfort on others with silver and gold, and from thence derive also

benefit yourself. Know thou, that this edifice of yours will remain, use

therefore bricks of gold and bricks of silver.’

They have related, that he had poor

relations in Egypt, who were enriched with the remainder of his wealth. At his

death they rent their old garments and made up silks and damask. In that same

week I saw one of them riding a fleet horse, with an angelic youth running

after him. I said, “Alas if the dead man should return amongst his tribe and

relations, the heirs would feel more sorrow in restoring him his estate than

they suffered on account of his death.” On the strength of the acquaintance

which had formerly subsisted between us, I pulled his sleeve, and said, “Enjoy

thou, 0 good man of happy endowments, that wealth which the late possessor

accumulated to no purpose.”

Certain rich man

I heard of a certain rich man, who was as

notorious for parsimony as Hatim Tai for liberality. His external form was

adorned with wealth, but the meanness of his disposition was so radiated, that

he never gave even a loaf of bread to any one: he would not have bestowed a

scrap on the cat of Abu Horiera, nor thrown a bone to the dog of companions of

the cave. In short, no one ever saw his door open nor his table spread. A

Durwesh never knew his victuals, excepting by the smell; no bird ever picked up

any crumbs that fell from his table. I heard that he was sailing on the

Mediterranean Sea towards Egypt, with all the pride of Pharaoh in his

imagination, according to the word of God, ‘Until the time that he was

drowned.’ Suddenly a contrary wind assailed the ship, in the manner as they

have said, ‘What can the heart do that it may not record with your sorrowful disposition;

the north wind is not always favourable for the ship.’ He lifted up the hands

of imploration, and uttered ineffectual lamentations. God hath said, ‘“When you

embark on ships offer up your prayers unto the Lord.’

Of what benefit will it be to the servant

in the time of need, to lift up his hands in imploration, which are extended

during prayers, but when any favour is wanted are folded under his arms?

‘Bestow comfort on others with silver and gold, and from thence derive also

benefit yourself. Know thou, that this edifice of yours will remain, use

therefore bricks of gold and bricks of silver.’

They have related, that he had poor

relations in Egypt, who were enriched with the remainder of his wealth. At his

death they rent their old garments and made up silks and damask. In that same

week I saw one of them riding a fleet horse, with an angelic youth running

after him. I said, “Alas if the dead man should return amongst his tribe and

relations, the heirs would feel more sorrow in restoring him his estate than

they suffered on account of his death.” On the strength of the acquaintance

which had formerly subsisted between us, I pulled his sleeve, and said, “Enjoy

thou, 0 good man of happy endowments, that wealth which the late possessor

accumulated to no purpose.”

Romania Clayton

Thomas J. Clayton who visited many

countries passed through Bulgaria also. Going from Varna to Ruse and then on to

Romania

Clayton was “surprised” to discover that both Bulgaria and

Romania were “such fertile countries.” He wrote that he “never saw better

pasture lands or wheat fields” anywhere else in the world. These lands reminded

him of the prairie lands of Illinois. He was also surprised to find that there

were no farm houses like in America. The lands, he stated, were “tilled by

peasants who live in miserable little huts, or in villagesOur route lay through

a spur of the Balkan Mountains and was very picturesque very beautiful and

entertainingThe scenery of these mountains is soft and has a soothing rather

than a stirring influence upon the beholder.” The author believed that if peace

prevailed in these parts of the world, Bulgaria and Romania “will soon become

rich and prosperous.”

There are few more accounts by Americans on

Bulgaria. However, they are not much more different than those presented. Many

a time what Americans said about the Bulgarians or for that matter about other

peoples, reflected on their own personal character or how they valued American

culture and way of life. The descriptions presented by these travelers on a

variety of topics, like national character and even the history of Bulgaria are

hardly scientific or correct accounts.

Bulgarian personality

Almost all of these travelers present

nothing but clichés. They did not have the necessary expertise to carefully

analyze the Bulgarian

personality, their ethnic typicalness in terms of common

national cultural values. The frame of reference these travelers used was

founded on their perspective of American history and culture as the

repositories of values of liberty, freedom, democracy, justice, religion,

discipline, industry and progress.

Almost all of the authors sympathized with

the plight of the Bulgarian people under Ottoman domination. They all condemned

the alien system of despotism and many a time showed their preference for

republicanism. The Ottoman system did not permit the development of the

individual, the arts and crafts as well as agriculture and industry. The

authors were aware that the Ottoman state was in its stages of disintegration.

Those who visited Bulgaria before 1878 believed that the Bulgarians would

become free and those who travelled after the liberation of the country praised

the attempts of the Bulgarians to preserve their independence.

Process Mesopotamia

We must now consider more closely the

manner in which these artificial hills come to be created. Any of the mounds

which we have mentioned in the preceding paragraphs would probably serve to

illustrate the broad lines of this process: but those in Mesopotamia will

perhaps serve our purpose best, since they are uncomplicated by the presence of

large stone buildings and at the same time provide examples of some anatomical

eccentricities seldom found elsewhere. This process, then, by which in

antiquity the repeated rebuilding’s of human habitations on a single site

created a perpetually increasing elevation, is by no means difficult to

understand.

The average life of a mud brick building

today seldom exceeds the span of a single generation: and in earlier times,

military conquest or localized raiding on a smaller scale would certainly have

accounted for demolitions that are more frequent. Roofs would be burnt or

collapse and the upper parts of the walls subside, filling the rooms to about a

third of their height with brick debris. Before rebuilding, the site would

usually be systematically levelled, the stumps of the old walls being used as

foundations for the new.

Prehistoric fortresses at Mersin

Thus, after a time, the town or village

would find itself occupying the summit of a rising eminence; a situation, which

had the double advantage of being easily defensible and of affording an

expansive view of the surrounding countryside. One remembers in a connection

how the walls of the little prehistoric fortresses at Mersin in Cilicia were

lined with identical small dwellings for the garrison; and each was provided

with a pair of slit openings from which a watch could be kept on the approaches

to the mound.

What, then, an excavator is concerned with

is the stratified accumulation of archaeological remains, unconsciously created

by the activities of these early builders. By reversing the process and

examining each successive phase of occupation, from the latest (and therefore

uppermost) downwards, he obtains a chronological cross section of the mound’s history,

and can, if circumstances are favorable, reconstruct a remarkably clear picture

of the cultural and political vicissitudes through which its occupants have

passed.

However, it must be remembered that the

procedure, which he adopts, itself involves a new form of demolition. For as

the architectural remains associated with each phase of occupation are cleared,

examined and recorded, they must in turn be removed in order to attend to the

phase beneath. In a Near Eastern mound, the product of an operation of this

sort is often a deep hole in the ground and very little else that could

interest a subsequent visitor to the site of the excavation.