Monday, 21 August 2017

Old Town of Corfu

Corfu is the only part of Greece that never fell in the hands of the Ottomans, thanks to the Venetian fortresses 

Corfu
This postcard was sent by Sini

The Old Town of Corfu, on the Island of Corfu off the western coasts of Albania and Greece, is located in a strategic position at the entrance of the Adriatic Sea, and has its roots in the 8th century BC. The three forts of the town, designed by renowned Venetian engineers, were used for four centuries to defend the maritime trading interests of the Republic of Venice against the Ottoman Empire. In the course of time, the forts were repaired and partly rebuilt several times, more recently under British rule in the 19th century. The mainly neoclassical housing stock of the Old Town is partly from the Venetian period, partly of later construction, notably the 19th century. As a fortified Mediterranean port, Corfu’s urban and port ensemble is notable for its high level of integrity and authenticity. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/978

Mount Athos

Mount Athos is known as the Holy Mountain, where 20 inhabited monasteries can be found

Osiou Gregoriou Monastery
This postcard was sent Elena

Osiou Gregoriou monastery  is an Orthodox Christian monastery in the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. The monastery ranks seventeenth in the hierarchy of the Athonite monasteries. The monastery is built by the sea, on the southeastern side of the peninsula. It's close neighbours are Simonospetros and St Pauls Monasteries. Gregoriou is very much a pilgrim friendly monastery with a strong pastoral sense.
It was founded by Saint (Osios) Gregory (Gregorios) and it is dedicated to Saint Nicholas. - in: wikipedia

Thursday, 17 August 2017

Maya Site of Copan

The Maya site of Copan is one of the most important sites of the Mayan civilization.

Copan Ruins
This postcard was sent by Steffi

Copán is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization located in the Copán Department of western Honduras, not far from the border with Guatemala. It was the capital city of a major Classic period kingdom from the 5th to 9th centuries AD. The city was located in the extreme southeast of the Mesoamerican cultural region, on the frontier with the Isthmo-Colombian cultural region, and was almost surrounded by non-Maya peoples. - in: wikipedia

Stela H at Copan
This postcard was sent by Marco

Stela H was erected by Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil in the early 8th century AD.
Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil (also known by the appellation "18-Rabbit" or "Eighteen Rabbit"), was the 13th ajaw or ruler of the powerful Maya polity associated with the site of Copán in modern Honduras. He ruled from January 2, 695, to May 3, 738.
Based on the number of structures and monuments constructed during his reign, Uaxaclajuun Ub’aah Kawiil is considered the greatest patron of the arts in Copan’s history. This period was characterized by a deep, florid relief, which represents the culmination of the sculptural tradition of Copan. - in: wikipedia

Tikal National Park

It already happened to me a few times being weeks trying to get a postcard of a site and when I finally get one, almost immediately I receive a second one. In this case and after a lot of time trying to get it, when I finally received one, 3 more arrived! But I don't mind, they are all different and great!

Tikal - Plaza Mayor
This postcard was sent by Marco

Tikal National Park is located in Northern Guatemala's Petén Province within a large forest region often referred to as the Maya Forest, which extends into neighbouring Mexico and Belize. Embedded within the much larger Maya Biosphere Reserve, exceeding two million hectares and contiguous with additional conservation areas, Tikal National Park is one of the few World Heritage properties inscribed according to both natural and cultural criteria for its extraordinary biodiversity and archaeological importance. It comprises 57,600 hectares of wetlands, savannah, tropical broadleaf and palm forests with thousands of architectural and artistic remains of the Mayan civilization from the Preclassic Period (600 B.C.) to the decline and eventual collapse of the urban centre around 900 AD. The diverse ecosystems and habitats harbour a wide spectrum of neotropical fauna and flora. Five cats, including Jaguar and Puma, several species of monkeys and anteaters and more than 300 species of birds are among the notable wildlife. The forests comprise more than 200 tree species and over 2000 higher plants have been recorded across the diverse habitats. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/64

Tikal - Temple I
This postcard was sent by Marco

Tikal Temple I is the designation given to one of the major structures at Tikal, one of the largest cities and archaeological sites of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization in Mesoamerica. It also is known as the Temple of the Great Jaguar because of a lintel that represents a king sitting upon a jaguar throne. An alternative name is the Temple of Ah Cacao, after the ruler buried in the temple. Temple I is a typically Petén-styled limestone stepped pyramid structure that is dated to approximately 732 AD.
The temple rises 47 meters (154 ft) over the Great Plaza. The pyramid is topped by a funerary shrine, containing finely carved wooden lintels, the execution of which probably was overseen by Jasaw Chan K'awiil as part of his plans for his funerary monument. - in: wikipedia

Tikal - Temple II
This postcard was sent by Lisa

Tikal Temple II (or the Temple of the Masks, alternatively labelled by archaeologists as Tikal Structure 5D-2) is a Mesoamerican pyramid at the Maya archaeological site of Tikal in the Petén Department of northern Guatemala. The temple was built in the Late Classic Period in a style reminiscent of the Early Classic. Temple II is located on the west side of the Great Plaza, opposite Temple I. Temple II was built by the king Jasaw Chan K'awiil I in honour of his wife, Lady Kalajuun Une' Mo'. Temple II had a single wooden sculpted lintel that bears the portrait of a royal woman who may have been the wife of Jasaw Chan K'awiil I, who was entombed beneath Temple I. Lady Kalajuun Une' Mo', whose name means "Twelve Macaw Tails", was also important for being the mother of Jasaw Chan K'awill I's heir. In fact her son Yik'in Chan K'awiil oversaw the completion of Temple II when he became king. - in: wikipedia

Tikal - Temple III above the forest
This postcard was sent by Steffi

Tikal Temple III, also known as the Temple of the Jaguar Priest, was one of the principal temple pyramids at the ancient Maya city of Tikal, in the Petén Department of modern Guatemala. The temple stands approximately 55 metres (180 ft) tall. The summit shrine of Temple III differs from those of the other major temples at Tikal in that it only possesses two rooms instead of the usual three. The pyramid was built in the Late Classic Period, and has been dated to 810 AD using the hieroglyphic text on Stela 24, which was raised at the base of its access stairway. - in: wikipedia

Wednesday, 16 August 2017

Baroque Churches of the Philippines

Four wonderful baroque churches are part of this site

Church of Saint Augustine
This postcard was sent by Jan


The Saint Augustine Church (SpanishIglesia de San Agustín de Paoay), commonly known as the Paoay Church, is the Roman Catholic church of the municipality of PaoayIlocos Norte in the Philippines. Completed in 1710, the church is famous for its distinct architecture highlighted by the enormous buttresses on the sides and back of the building.
Paoay church is the Philippines' primary example of a Spanish colonial earthquake baroque architecture dubbed by Alicia Coseteng, an interpretation of the European Baroque adapted to the seismic condition of the country through the use of enormous buttresses on the sides and back of the building. The adaptive reuse of baroque style against earthquake is developed since many destructive earthquakes destroyed earlier churches in the country. Javanese architecture reminiscent of Borobudur of Java can also be seen on the church walls and facade. - in: wikipedia

Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva
This postcard was sent by Cristina

The Miagao Church, also known as the Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva, stands on the highest point in the town of MiagaoIloilo. The church's towers served as lookouts against Muslim raids and it is the finest surviving example of 'Fortress Baroque'. The sumptuous facade epitomizes the Filipino transfiguration of western decorative elements, with the figure of St Christopher on the pediment dressed in native clothes, carrying the Christ Child on his back, and holding on to a coconut palm for support. The entire riotously decorated facade is flanked by massive tapering bell towers of unequal heights. - in: wikipedia


The four churches (in red what I have):

  • Church of the Immaculate Conception of San Agustin (Manila)
  • Church of La Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion
  • Church of San Agustin (Paoay)
  • Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva

Saturday, 12 August 2017

Xinjiang Tianshan

This site, with beautiful landscapes, presents a lot of contrast between hot and cold environments: from snowy mountains to desert, but also with forests and meadows, clear rivers and lakes and red bed canyon. 

Heavenly Lake of Tianshan
This postcard was sent by Haley

Tianchi is an alpine lake in Xinjiang, Northwest China. The name literally means Heavenly Lake and can refer to several lakes in mainland China and Taiwan. This Tianchi lies on the north side of the Bogda Shan ("Mountain of God", Bogda is a Mongolian word meaning "God") range of the Tian Shan ("Mountain of Heaven"). - in: wikipedia

Friday, 11 August 2017

Qinghai Hoh Xil

Hoh Xil in Qinghai was listed among the World Heritage Sites as "the largest and highest plateau in the world".

Hoh Xil
This postcard was sent by Wei Tianyi

Hoh Xil or Kekexili, (Mongolian for "Blue Ridge", also Aqênganggyai for "Lord of Ten Thousand Mountains"), is an isolated region in the northwestern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China
Despite the harsh climate, Hoh Xil is home to more than 230 species of wild animals, 20 of which are under Chinese state protection, including the wild yak, wild donkey, white-lip deerbrown bear and the endangered Tibetan antelope or chiru. The abundant plateau pika, a small burrowing rodent, is the main food of the region's brown bears; the bears also feed on the yak and antelope. - in: wikipedia