Thursday, November 30, 2023

Cultural Sites of Al Ain (Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud and Oases Areas) - Emirates

The Cultural Sites of Al Ain (Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud and Oases Areas) constitute a serial property that testifies to sedentary human occupation of a desert region since the Neolithic period with vestiges of many prehistoric cultures. 
Remarkable vestiges in the property include circular stone tombs (ca 2500 B.C.), wells and a wide range of adobe constructions: residential buildings, towers, palaces and administrative buildings. 
Hili moreover features one of the oldest examples of the sophisticated aflaj irrigation system which dates back to the Iron Age. 
The property provides important testimony to the transition of cultures in the region from hunting and gathering to sedentarization.








Saxony

The Free State of Saxony is a federal state in eastern Germany. 
The capital is Dresden. 
As of December 31, 2018, 4.89% of residents had non-German citizenship and 1,060 residents had Dutch citizenship








Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Serra de Tramuntana - Spain

The Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana located on a sheer-sided mountain range parallel to the north-western coast of the island of Mallorca. 
Millennia of agriculture in an environment with scarce resources has transformed the terrain and displays an articulated network of devices for the management of water revolving around farming units of feudal origins. 
The landscape is marked by agricultural terraces and inter-connected water works - including water mills - as well as dry stone constructions and farms.








Orange

The orange is the fruit of the orange tree, which belongs to the Citrus genus. 
The species is also called sweet orange, to distinguish it from the sour orange or bitter orange.










Monday, November 27, 2023

Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia

An exceptional example of a sustainable and productive cultural landscape that is unique and representative of a tradition that is a strong symbol for coffee growing areas worldwide - encompasses six farming landscapes, which include 18 urban centres on the foothills of the western and central ranges of the Cordillera de los Andes in the west of the country. 
It reflects a centennial tradition of coffee growing in small plots in the high forest and the way farmers have adapted cultivation to difficult mountain conditions. 
The urban areas, mainly situated on the relatively flat tops of hills above sloping coffee fields, are characterized by the architecture of the Antioquian colonization with Spanish influence. 
Building materials were, and remain in some areas, cob and pleated cane for the walls with clay tiles for the roofs.








Essone

Essonne is a French department in the Île-de-France region. 
The capital is Évry-Courcouronnes.








Sunday, November 26, 2023

Citadel of the Ho Dynasty - Viet Nam

The 14th -century Ho Dynasty citadel, built according to the feng shui principles, testifies to the flowering of neo-Confucianism in late 14th century Viet Nam and its spread to other parts of east Asia. 
According to these principles it was sited in a landscape of great scenic beauty on an axis joining the Tuong Son and Don Son mountains in a plain between the Ma and Buoi rivers. 
The citadel buildings represent an outstanding example of a new style of south-east Asian imperial city.








Butterfly bush

The butterfly bush is a plant from the marmalade family. 
In Europe the species is mainly used as a garden plant, but the plant also occurs in the wild. 
The shrub can tolerate some but not very severe frost, the plant can die at around -15 °C. 
The plant is called butterfly bush because it attracts butterflies.








Friday, November 24, 2023

Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroe - Sudan

The Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroe, a semi-desert landscape between the Nile and Atbara rivers, was the heartland of the Kingdom of Kush, a major power from the 8th century B.C. to the 4th century A.D. 
The property consists of the royal city of the Kushite kings at Meroe, near the River Nile, the nearby religious site of Naqa and Musawwarat es Sufra. 
It was the seat of the rulers who occupied Egypt for close to a century and features, among other vestiges, pyramids, temples and domestic buildings as well as major installations connected to water management. Their vast empire extended from the Mediterranean to the heart of Africa, and the property testifies to the exchange between the art, architectures, religions and languages of both regions.








Full Metal Jacket (1987)

The first part of the film takes place in a US Marines training camp where young men are brainwashed by the villainous Sergeant Hartman into murderers for the war in Vietnam. 
The second part of the film shows how one of these soldiers, Joker, covers the war as a reporter during the Tet offensive.