Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Narikala in Georgia


Narikala is an ancient fortress overlooking Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, and the Kura river. The fortress consists of two walled sections on a steep hill between the sulphur baths and the botanical gardens of Tbilisi. On the lower court there is the recently restored St Nicholas church.

The fortress was established in the 4th century as Shuris-tsikhe (i.e., "Invidious Fort"). It was considerably expanded in the 7th century and later, by king David the Builder (1089-1125). The Mongols renamed it "Narin Qala" (i.e., "Little Fortress"). Most of extant fortifications date from the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1827, parts of the fortress were damaged by an earthquake and demolished.


The city’s main citadel, which dates from the 4th Century AD. Rick: The Narikala Fortress sits above the Tbilisi botanical gardens, one can stroll the gardens and view the fortress quite well. Enter the fortress only with a guide, caution is urged. Look for two steel doors entering a hillside in the garden and have a look at the largest bomb shelter I have ever seen, built Soviet style. This is a tunnel which runs through the hill all the way to the center of the city again caution is urged. Tbilisi is a wonderful city for wine and food lovers, excellent resturants and very resonable. However, hard times always present some problems and unemployment is high.
















Wednesday, July 23, 2008




The Nubian Museum
The area of Egypt we now call Nubia follows the River Nile from
Aswan, 350km south to the town of Dabba, near the Fourth Cataract
and the Sudanese border. It is thought that the name Nubia may be
derived from the ancient Egyptian word for gold, 'nbu', as it was from
this land that Egypt obtained most of its rich source of gold and Nubia
was the passage from ancient Egypt to the exotic African lands farther
south. Many pharaohs built small temples and fortresses along the banks
of the Nile in Nubia and exported ebony, ivory, incense and precious
metals and minerals back to Egypt, as well as Nubian slaves. Throughout
Egyptian history Nubia has been alternatively an enemy or a conquered
race, apart from a brief period in Dynasty XXV, when the Nubian (or Kushite)
kings rose to rule Egypt as pharaohs.
Archaeologists have found close cultural ties between Egypt and Nubia from
Prehistoric times and there is much evidence of this from the Egyptian
objectsfound in Nubian graves. Scholars generally divide the history of Nubia
intodifferent cultural groups, assigning letters to each group: A, B, C, D etc.
A-Group and B-Group cultures are loosely tied to the Early Dynastic Period
and the Old Kingdom in Egypt. C-Group culture arose towards the end of the
Old Kingdom and stretched into the Early New Kingdom, whilst the Third
Intermediate Period is represented by the Kushite Kings and the Persian,
Late and Ptolemaic Periods in Egypt were contemporary with the Meroitic
Period in Nubia. At the peak of the Meroitic Period, around the 1st century AD
, Egypt became a Roman province. Nubian culture went into a decline after
this time and was dominated by different groups of desert tribes until the
6th century AD - a period assigned to X-Group culture. In 380AD, the Byzantine
Emperor Theodisius I declared Christianity the official state religion in Egypt
and ten years later banned all pagan religions in all parts of his empire, ordering
the closure of temples in all parts of Egypt and Nubia, including the Temple of
Isis at Philae in Aswan. The Nubians resisted and Isis continued to be worshipped
for another two centuries, although by this time the new religion had found its
way into the hearts of the Nubian people and many Coptic monasteries and
churches had been built. By the 8-9th centuries, the Arabs had also established
their presence in Nubia.Archaeologists have found close cultural ties between
Egypt and Nubia from Prehistoric times and there is much evidence of this from
the Egyptian objects found in Nubian graves. Scholars generally divide the history
of Nubia into different cultural groups, assigning letters to each group: A, B, C, D etc.
A-Group and B-Group cultures are loosely tied to the Early Dynastic Period and
the Old Kingdom in Egypt. C-Group culture arose towards the end of the Old
Kingdom and stretched into the Early New Kingdom, whilst the Third
Intermediate Period is represented by the Kushite Kings and the Persian,
Late and Ptolemaic Periods in Egypt were contemporary with the Meroitic
Period in Nubia. At the peak of the Meroitic Period, around the 1st century
AD, Egypt became a Roman province. Nubian culture went into a decline
after this time and was dominated by different groups of desert tribes until
the 6th century AD - a period assigned to X-Group culture. In 380AD, the
Byzantine Emperor Theodisius I declared Christianity the official state religion
in Egypt and ten years later banned all pagan religions in all parts of his empire,
ordering the closure of temples in all parts of Egypt and Nubia, including the
Temple of Isis at Philae in Aswan. The Nubians resisted and Isis continued to
be worshipped for another two centuries, although by this time the new religion
had found its way into the hearts of the Nubian people and many Coptic
monasteries and churches had been built. By the 8-9th centuries, the Arabs
had also established their presence in Nubia.Inside the museum a flight
of stairs leads down from street level to the entrance of the temperature
and light controlled exhibition space. The focal point is an 8m high Nubian
sandstone statue of Rameses II, brought from storage after 27 years. The
visitor is led around the exhibits in a chronological order, beginning with the
Prehistoric, through the Pharaonic era to Graeco-Roman, Coptic and Islamic
periods of art. Large 'history-boards' on the walls near each exhibit provide
plenty of background information on Nubia's role in Egyptian history. Other
exhibition zones depict the story of irrigation, the UNESCO campaign to save
the Nubian monuments threatened by flooding after the building of the High
Dam and many folk and heritage displays. There is an information centre,
a gift shop and toilets on the ground floor and stairs and lifts to other areas.
This museum is a showcase for the future of Egyptian museums and is a tribute
to those who took part in its design, which has recently been awarded the prestigious International Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
How to get there

The new Nubian Museum is situated east of the Old Cataract Hotel, at the southern entrance to the town and about half an hour's walk from the town centre. You should allow yourself at least two hours for a quick tour if you want to see all the exhibits, but I have found several visits are necessary to take it all in properly.



Pantheon

Pantheon

The Pantheon Paris, with its striking dome, was originally commissioned as a church in 1744 under Louis XV. However, it wasn’t finished until 1789, at which point, because of the Revolution, churches had fallen from popularity. Thus it became a temple to France, honoring historical figures. Within the Pantheon’s ornate walls you’ll find a crypt that houses the remains of more than 70 people, including Votaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Marie Curie, and Alexandre Dumas. Considered the soul of the Latin quarter, with its magnificent dome and solemn interior, the Pantheon Paris is an inspiring edifice.


The Eiffel Tower, built in 1889 for the World Exhibition, is perhaps the most famous of all monuments of Paris. Built from 7,000 tons of iron and reaching 1,050 feet into the sky, the tower wasn’t love at first sight for Parisians, who hated the structure initially. The Cathedrale Notre-Dame was begun in 1163 and completed in 1345. An example of French gothic architecture, the south tower holds the bell tolled by the fictional Quasimodo in The Huntchback of Notre Dame, written by Frenchman Victor Hugo. Sacre-Coeur sits atop Montmartre hill, offering sweeping views of the city, and a beautiful domed building. The Arc de Triomphe, located on the famed avenue Champs Élysées and centered in the world largest traffic roundabout, is a simple, yet daunting monument commissioned by Napoleon, and one of the best monuments of Paris. The gothic Saint Chapelle, built in the 13th century, has 15 stained glass windows depicting an entire biblical history. With famous buildings and museums all over the city, these are only a handful of the monuments of Paris.


Paris walking tours are a great way to see the city, and appreciate the sheer density of famous architecture, churches, galleries, and restaurants in Paris. No matter where you are in Paris, there’s something around the corner to look at. A walking tour is a great way to see Paris. The city is divided by the river Seine, with two islands in the middle. Paris is also divided into 20 districts, called arrondissements. Paris Walking Tours offers themed tours through the various districts.


If the lively city, monuments, and food aren’t enough to convince you to holiday in Pairs, than perhaps some of the festivals will. Féte de la musique happens in June, including an assortment of scheduled, and spontaneous performances in parks, clubs, and street corners. The summer includes jazz concerts in the park. Gay pride happens in March. Bastille Day is France’s national day, with massive firework displays. The Tour de France cycling race ends on the Champs-Élysées in early July.


The Pantheon Paris, with its visible dome and ornate, marble interior, is one of the important monuments of Paris. The most outspoken edifice in the Latin quarter, tourist flock to see the Pantheon, a monument to the history of the French, particularly its artistic leaders. It’s a popular stop during Paris walking tours, and top pick during a Paris vacation.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Castel Sant D'Angelo

Castel Sant D'Angelo

Having passed Sant' Angelo Bridge, one is immediately confronted with the mighty structure of Castel Sant'Angelo. This fortress was started by Hadrian and was designed to serve as his family tomb. It was not until the Medieval period that this tomb received several additional structures, including the present-day ramparts and tower. Thus, the castle acquired a distinctly Medieval feel. Thoroughly transformed into a citadel, Castel Sant'Angelo is, however, organised around the old tomb of Hadrian, with the innermost walls being perfectly preserved and the Medieval bastions having remained intact. There are also several entrances remaining of the initial construction, as well as the original tower from Hadrian's era. The marble coating and the sumptuous sculptures, however, belong to a more recent epoque.


aThe site bears some distinct Renaissance features, the most prominent example of these being the arcade galleries. The site's diverse architectural trends still blend in into a consistent whole, with the core tower having once included a monument to Emperor Hadrian being currently dominated by the bronze statue of an angel. The outer yard is an addition from the 16th Century, with its former five bastions having given way to the present-day Piazza Pia. The two forts are divided by a ditch, now employed as a park, and planted with various trees. The cylindrical building, following a millenium-long life as a castle, has been transformed into a museum in the 20th Century.

Hadrian commissioned the construction of his tomb somethime in the 2nd Century. The structure was initially conceived as a cylinder, which was to incorporate various decorations and was to be topped with a garden. The Emperor was, indeed, buried on the site, which also became the resting place of his wife and son, Lucius Aelius. The tradition of burying Roman Emperors here was continued until 217, with the tomb's Treasury Room becoming literally packed with urns containing royal ashes. Pons Aelius, which is also part of the edifice, was another structure commenced by Hadrian, and substantially rebuilt after the Medieval period. It now has various Baroque ornaments, including several sculptures and depictions of the Passion of Christ.

The tomb's interiors have supposedly been richly frescoed and decorated. Sadly, these have been lost to a great extent. As the structure was converted into a military fortress in the 5th Century, and was incorporated into the Aurelian Walls, the urns with ashes of important emperors were lost for good, and following a foreign raid, most of the bronze and marble sculptures were looted. Among the few surviving articles from these raids is the cap of a funerary urn, which has been found in the Basilica of Saint Peter.

During the Middle Ages, the site was converted into a castle. Back in the 14th Century, Pope Nicholas III connected it to the Basilica of St Peter via a covered arcade dubbed Passetto di Borgo. The castle served as a sanctuary for Pope Clement VII during the siege of Charles V in 1527. Almost a decade later, in 1536, Raffaello da Montelupo installed one of his fine depictions of a Madonna in one of the chapels, also constributing to the site with a statue of St Michael. Montelupo's mastepiece was replaced by a bronze statue by Flemish sculptor Peter Anton von Verschaffelt in 1753, while Montelupo's piece was relocated to the inner court. Sant'Angelo was further employed as a museum and as a prison, with the inner square used as an execution yard