Djerba: Testimony to a settlement pattern in an island territory

I boght these two cards in Tunisia, but I didn't visit Djerba

Djerba

This serial property is a testimony to a settlement pattern that developed on the island of Djerba around the 9th century CE amidst the semi-dry and water-scarce environment. Low‑density was its key characteristic: it involved the division of the island into neighbourhoods, clustered together, that were economically self-sustainable, connected to each other and to the religious and trading places of the island, through a complex network of roads. 

Sidi Yati Mosque, Djerba

Resulting from a mixture of environmental, socio-cultural and economic factors, the distinctive human settlement of Djerba demonstrates the way local people adapted their lifestyle to the conditions of their water-scarce natural environment. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1640/

Longobards in Italy. Places of the Power (568-774 A.D.)

This site is a group of seven sites, each one formed by several monuments... a mess! :D

I visited some years ago the monumental area with the monastic complex of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia in Brescia and I was amazed, specially with the frescoes!

The Longobards in Italy, Places of Power, 568 - 774 A.D. comprises seven groups of important buildings (including fortresses, churches, and monasteries) throughout the Italian Peninsula. They testify to the high achievement of the Lombards, who migrated from northern Europe and developed their own specific culture in Italy where they ruled over vast territories in the 6th to 8th centuries. The Lombards synthesis of architectural styles marked the transition from Antiquity to the European Middle Ages, drawing on the heritage of Ancient Rome, Christian spirituality, Byzantine influence and Germanic northern Europe. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1318/

The Santa Sofia complex, Benevento

Santa Sofia Church

This postcard was sent by Eduardo, who went to a wedding in this church.

Santa Sofia is a church in Benevento, southern Italy, one of the main surviving examples of Lombard architecture.

The church was founded by the Lombard Arechis II of Benevento around 760, as testified by numerous privileges signed by him, some of which are in the Museum of Samnium near the church. The edifice was modeled on the Palatine Chapel of the Lombard king Liutprand in Pavia and, after the defeat of Desiderius by Charlemagne and the fall of the Lombard kingdom in northern Italy (774), it became the national church of the Lombards who had taken shelter in the Duchy of Benevento. - in: wikipedia

The Gastaldaga area and the Episcopal complex, province of Udine

Tempietto Longobardo of Cividali del Friuli

This postcard was sent by Cristina and it was damaged by the Italian post service, so she, very kindly, sent me another one in perfect condition inside an envelope!

Tempietto Longobardo of Cividale del Friuli

The so-called “Tempietto Longobardo”, Oratory of Santa Maria in Valle, is one of the most complex and original buildings of Longobard architecture. It’s composed by a single chamber, square-plan, covered in a spacious cross-vault, which terminates in a lower presbytery, divided by pairs of columns in three parts covered in barrel vaults. - in: http://www.italialangobardorum.it/eng/sito/cividale/tempietto.asp?seza=1&sezb=1&sezc=%22

The monumental area with the monastic complex of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia, Brescia

Monastic Complex  of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia

It is an outstanding architectural palimpsest, today transformed into the Museo di Santa Giulia, which contains about 11,000 works of art and archaeological finds. During the period of Longobard domination, Princess Anselperga, daughter of King Desiderius, headed the monastery.

The monastery is traditionally considered the place where Desiderata, wife of Charlemagne and daughter of the Lombard King Desiderius, spent her exile after the annulment of her marriage in 771. -in: wikipedia

Basilica of San Salvatore

It has been built in 753 by Duke of Brescia Desiderius, future Lombard king, and his wife Ansa. It is characterized by the simultaneous use of the Longobards stylistic elements and decorative motifs of classical and Byzantine art and it is one of the most important examples of High Middle Ages architecture in Italy. The basilica has a nave with two apses and has a transept with three apses. It is located over a pre-existing church, which had a single nave and three apses. Expanded in the following centuries, it houses various works of art, including the Stories of St. Obizio painted by Romanino and Stories of the Virgin and the infancy of Christ by Paolo Caylina il Giovane, as well as others from the Carolingian age. - in: wikipedia

Domus dell'Ortaglia

In the former vegetable garden of this monastery have been discovered a group of Roman domus called Domus dell’Ortaglia that were used between the 1st and 4th centuries and they are some of the best preserved domus in northern Italy. - in: wikipedia

Cross of Desiderius

Desiderius’ Cross is a processional cross that used to be carried on a tall staff by hand or on carriages.  Considered its use, it was built in wood and covered with golden metal plates. Tradition recounts that it was a gift to San Salvatore and Santa Giulia monastery from the Longobard king Desiderius, who founded it between 753 and 760 together with his wife Ansa.

Among the examples of crux gemmata survived to the present day, this is the largest and it is covered with 211 gemstones set on the four arms. As unique case for this type of decoration, the goldsmiths here reused numerous ancient gems – about 50 – many of which came from other decorative pieces. - in: http://www.turismobrescia.it/en/punto-d-interesse/desiderius-cross

Capitolium

It was the most important temple of the ancient Brixia, dedicated to the cult of the Capitoline Triad. It was built in 73 AD and consists of three cellae that have preserved much of the original polychrome marble floors,^[18] while their interior walls are decorated by ancient Roman epigraphs placed here in the 19th century. In front of them, there are the remains of the portico, composed of Corinthian columns that support a pediment containing a dedication to the Emperor Vespasian. Almost entirely buried by a landslide of the Cidneo Hill, it was rediscovered in 1823 through various archaeological campaigns. - in: wikipedia

The Sanctuary of San Michele, province of Foggia

Sanctuary of San Michele

This postcard was sent by Pasquale

The Sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel (Italian: Santuario di San Michele Arcangelo) is a Roman Catholic shrine on Mount Gargano, Italy, part of the commune of Monte Sant'Angelo, in the province of Foggia, northern Apulia. It has the dignity of a minor basilica.

It is the oldest shrine in Western Europe dedicated to the Archangel Michael and has been an important site of pilgrimage since the early Middle Ages. The historic site and its environs are protected by the Parco Nazionale del Gargano. in: wikipedia

The seven sites that form this group are: (in red what I already have)

• The Gastaldaga area and the Episcopal complex, province of Udine
• The monumental area with the monastic complex of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia, Brescia
• The castrum with the Torba Tower and the church outside the walls, Santa Maria foris portas, province of Varese
• The basilica of San Salvatore, province of Perugia
• The Clitunno Tempietto, province of Perugia
• The Santa Sofia complex, Benevento
• The Sanctuary of San Michele, province of Foggia

Ancient City of Nessebar

Nessebar is often referred as "The Pearl of the Black Sea" because of its history and wonderful monuments 

Nessebar

This postcard was sent by Donka

Situated on a rocky peninsula on the Black Sea, the more than 3,000-year-old site of Nessebar was originally a Thracian settlement (Menebria). At the beginning of the 6th century BC, the city became a Greek colony. The city’s remains, which date mostly from the Hellenistic period, include the acropolis, a temple of Apollo, an agora and a wall from the Thracian fortifications. Among other monuments, the Stara Mitropolia Basilica and the fortress date from the Middle Ages, when this was one of the most important Byzantine towns on the west coast of the Black Sea. Wooden houses built in the 19th century are typical of the Black Sea architecture of the period.

Nessebar

This postcard was sent from Sweden by Amina 

The medieval religious architecture, modified by the imposition of the traditional Byzantine forms, illustrates ornamental ceramics art, the characteristic painted decoration for this age. The town has served for over thousands of years as remarkable spiritual hearth of Christian culture. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/217

Nessebar

This postcard was sent by Olga

The Maison Carrée of Nîmes

 I was once at Nîmes but I didn't see the Maison Carrée

Maison Carrée

The Maison carrée (French for "square house") is an ancient Roman temple in Nîmes, southern France; it is one of the best-preserved Roman temples to survive in the territory of the former Roman Empire. It is a mid-sized Augustan provincial temple of the Imperial cult, a caesareum.

In about 4–7 AD, the Maison carrée was dedicated or rededicated to Gaius and Lucius Caesar, grandsons and adopted heirs of Augustus who both died young. The inscription dedicating the temple to Gaius and Lucius was removed in medieval times. However, a local scholar, Jean-François Séguier, was able to reconstruct the inscription in 1758 from the order and number of the holes on the front frieze and architrave, to which the bronze letters had been affixed by projecting tines. According to Séguier's reconstruction, the text of the dedication read (in translation): "To Gaius Caesar, son of Augustus, Consul; to Lucius Caesar, son of Augustus, Consul designate; to the princes of youth." During the 19th century the temple slowly began to recover its original splendour, due to the efforts of Victor Grangent. - in: wikipedia

Maison Carrée (Bottom Left)

Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops

Last year there were no new sites in the World Heritage list. To make it up, this year were inscribed 42 new properties! Of those 42 I only had 3.

Žatec

Žatec is a town in Louny District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 19,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Ohře river. Žatec is famous for an over-700-year-long tradition of growing Saaz noble hops used by several breweries. Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation and partly also as an urban monument zone. - in: wikipedia

Rainforests of the Atsinanana

This is one of the six national parks distributed along the eastern part of Madagascar

Masoala National Park

This postcard was sent by Nancy

Masoala National Park, in northeast Madagascar, is the largest of the island's protected areas. Most of the park is situated in Sava Region and a part in Analanjirofo. Created in 1997, the park protects 2,300 square kilometres of rainforest and 100 square kilometres of marine parks. The Masoala Peninsula is exceptionally diverse due to its large size, and variety of habitats. Altogether, the park protects tropical rainforest, coastal forest, flooded forest, marsh, and mangrove. Three marine parks protect coral reefs and a dazzling array of marine life. 

There are ten lemur species, including the red ruffed lemur, which is native to the peninsula. 

Masoala harbors many other species, such as the Madagascar day gecko, leaf-tailed gecko, chameleons of all sizes, spectacular birds such as the helmet vanga, and rare species such as the red owl and tomato frog. Masoala is also home to the day-flying sunset moth, Chrysiridia rhipheus. The Madagascar serpent-eagle was recently rediscovered here, and exists in healthy populations only in this part of northeast Madagascar. - in: wikipedia

Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns

I know a lot of people that have already been in Thailand and everybody talks me about the beaches. I'm pretty sure the beaches are great but places like this one is what I'd love to see!

Wat Si Chum

This postcard was sent from Germany by Claus

The Sukhothai Historical Park (Thai: อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์สุโขทัย ) covers the ruins of Sukhothai, literally "Dawn of Happiness", capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom in the 13th and 14th centuries, in what is now Northern Thailand. It is located near the modern city of Sukhothai, capital of the province with the same name.

Wat Si Chum

This postcard was sent by Sirote

Wat Si Chum (Thai: วัดศรีชุม) has a massive mandapa in the middle of the complex which was built in the late 14th century by King Maha Thammaracha II. Inside the mandapa, there is a huge 11 meters wide and 15 meters high seated Buddha image called "Phra Achana", which was mentioned in Ramkhamhaeng stele. The Mandapa has a square base of 32 meters on each side and 15 meters high, and its walls are three feet thick. In the south wall there is a narrow staircase passage which can be used to reach the roof. In this passage more than 50 slates were discovered on which images from the life of Buddha (Jataka) are engraved. These slates are the oldest surviving examples of Thai art of drawing. East of mandapa are the ruins of vihara with column fragments and three Buddha image pedestals. North of the Mandapa are the ruins of another small vihara and another smaller mandapa with a Buddha image. The entire complex is surrounded by a moat. There is a legend that to boost morale of the ancient soldiers and people, the kings went through the hidden passageway and address the people through a hole, making them believed the voice they were hearing was actually the Buddha's. - in: wikipedia