Hidden in the verdant hills of the Sierra Chapaneca in the beautiful state of Chiapas, southern Mexico, is the ancient capital of the B’aakal Kingdom. The name of the city then was Lakamha’ in Maya-Yucatec language. The town is today called by its S…
Reading the Story of London’s Hindus Through Temple Architecture
I’m still several blocks away when the white towers of BAPS Sri Swaminarayan Temple come into view, gleaming in the sunshine I’m lucky to have coincide with my visit. Completed in 1995 in Neasden, a district of London, the structure is the first pur…
In Praise of Small Architecture
Architecture is not simply the stage set in which we live our lives. It is also a reflection of how we live our lives and who we are. An integral aspect to this is the unfolding of time. What happens when our needs, desires, and beliefs change, and the …
On the trail of the unexpected – a road trip around Albania
Open secret … Gjirokaster is a Unesco world heritage site and a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town. Photograph: Viktor Loki/Alamy Was it a wolf? As our car swung round yet another tight bend deep in the Albanian countryside, a gangly, shagg…
Benin Receives $22.5 Million Loan From France for New Museum
The Royal Palaces of Abomey, a UNESCO world heritage site (image via Wikimedia Commons) The Royal Palaces of Abomey are said to be the historic capital of the West African Kingdom of Dahomey, which ruled for nearly three hundred years from roughly 1600 …
Madrid’s Sobrino De Botin Is the Oldest Restaurant in the World
Updated: 21 May 2018 Save to wishlist Save to Wishlist Madrid is home to some of the oldest restaurants in the world—in fact—the oldest restaurant in the world, Sobrino de Botín, according to Guinness World Records. The restaurant dates back to 172…
The Stone Spheres of Diquí: An Ancient Mistery Revealed? | The Costa Rica News
The Stone Spheres of Costa Rica are a group of more than 5 hundred pyrospheres located mainly in the south of Costa Rica in the alluvial plain of the “Delta del Diquí” (confluence of the Sierpe River and Rio Grande de Turrialba), Osa Peninsula, and…
Welsh town Harlech claims world’s steepest street
The seaside town of Harlech in Wales is now home to the world’s steepest street, Guinness World Records has ruled. Ffordd Pen Llech , a winding street through the historic part of town, has a gradient of 37.45%. That means for every 2.67 meters …
Can This Flawed Brutalist Plaza in Boston Be Fixed?
A vast public plaza inside one of the more polarizing Brutalist complexes in the U.S., designed by architect Paul Rudolph, is reopening after being closed for more than a decade. On Thursday, Rosalin Acosta, the Massachusetts Secretary of Employment Lab…
America’s Best Guerrilla Bus Stop Benches
The world is full of sorry bus stops. The sorriest ones—as Streetsblog has chronicled in their annual contest—are just a sign and a patch of unshaded dirt. And while grassroots organizations have come up with creative ways to reimagine bus stops as …
This Year’s UNESCO Session Was an Insult to World Heritage
A 1915 photograph of researcher Aram Vruyr’s son with one of many thousand cross-stones at Djulfa, enhanced by Judith Crispin’s Julfa Cemetery Digital Repatriation Project (courtesy Aram Vruyr archives) Moments ago, the global organization for cultu…
Six Reasons To Visit Suzhou, China’s Lesser Known Cultural Hub
Suzhou is an ancient city whose profound history plays a large part in its culture and way of life, even today. Located in the Jiangsu Province, around 60 miles west of Shanghai, it’s easy for travelers to get to via train or car, making it a worthwhi…
Basketball launched from St Kilda sparks international manhunt
A basketball sparked an international manhunt after a joke – inspired by Tom Hanks’ film Cast Away – saw it travel more than a thousand miles over sea from the most remote part of the UK. The ball was launched into the North Atlantic at St Kilda, …
A Photographer Sees a Prophecy of Trump’s America in Atlantic City
Atlantic City, New Jersey never really had a heyday, at least not one that lived up to the halcyon daydreams of its original architects. First conceived as the East Coast’s answer to Europe’s fashionable seaside resorts, its tawdry boardwalk attract…
Penang’s Pulau Jerejak: A storied history beyond a high-security detention centre | Malay Mail
Pulau Jerejak was once a leper colony and holding area for newly-arrived immigrants. ? Picture by KE Ooi GEORGE TOWN, June 26 — The small island off the east coast of Penang island, known as Pulau Jerejak, has a long eventful past; through the decades…
The Breathtaking Images That Won the 2019 National Geographic Travel Contest
1st Place Cities and Grand Prize: “GREENLANDIC WINTER” BY CHU WEIMIN/ 2019 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVEL PHOTO CONTEST (all images courtesy of National Geographic) An arctic village cloaked in a winter blue hue, a griffon vulture soaring serenely, a…
“Not a Bed of Roses” – Burt Glinn’s Photos of the Cuban Revolution (1959)
“At 11pm. on December 31, 1958, I decided to fly to Cuba. At daybreak, I was sharing the streets of Havana with hundreds of delirious Cubans. Within four days, I had found Fidel, and by January 10 this project was completed” – Burt Glinn CUBA. 1…
My Sea
My Sea Haluk Safi By combining classic contrast with a contemporary setting, this photographer redefines the parameters of what we call “street photography.” How do we define street photography today? When we think about the classic genre, sharp lig…
St. Nicholas Fortress in Šibenik reopened to visitors
One of the top tourist spots and must-visit places of Šibenik – St. Nicholas Fortress, reopened to visitors after being closed for two years, announced the Municipality. The renovations’ total cost amounted to 5 million kuna (675,000 euros…
Heritage group upset Jerejak not going for World Heritage Site status
The state has big plans for Pulau Jerajak, approving a bridge to Penang island, the building of 1,200 residential units, a theme park, a marina, four-star and five-star hotels, and a cycling track. (Facebook pic) GEORGE TOWN: A heritage group said it wa…