Friday, 6 April 2012

Sailing On A Dhow


Unguja Island, Zanzibar (Tanzania)

Wednesday, 4 April 2012

Monday, 2 April 2012

Tombs And Cloisters



Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral, built 1186-1250, Évora (108 kms SE of Lisbon), Portugal
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This post is linked to Taphophile Tragics

Friday, 30 March 2012

Tuesday, 27 March 2012

Misty Jungle


Iguaçu Falls, Brazil

Saturday, 24 March 2012

Blue



Perito Moreno Glacier (Patagonia), Argentina

Wednesday, 21 March 2012

Sunday, 18 March 2012

The Valley Of The Kings




Theban Hills, Egypt

Secluded amidst this bone-dry scenery, the large necropolis was intended as the ultimate insurance policy of life eternal. These secretive tombs of New Kingdom pharaos were planned to preserve their mummies and funerary impedimenta for eternity.

Most tombs are being damaged by visitors' breath and poor ventilation, causing damaging fungus to develop, and are currently closed. Cameras are no longer allowed. Glad I visited the place years ago! :-)

This might be the most famous and disappointing tomb as it's just an empty chamber. All treasures are on display at the Cairo Museum and they are fabulous!
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This post is linked to Taphophile Tragics

Friday, 16 March 2012

Tuesday, 13 March 2012

Sunday, 11 March 2012

Friday, 9 March 2012

Siblings


Chichicastenango, Guatemala

Wednesday, 7 March 2012

Sweet Eyes




Samburu National Reserve, Kenya

Sunday, 4 March 2012

Old Jewish Cemetery



Prague, Czech Republic

The Old Jewish Cemetery was established in the first half of the 15th century and burials took place until 1787. It contains about 12,000 tombstones but, as several layers are placed on top of each other, the number of persons buried here is much greater.
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My contribution to Taphophile Tragics

Friday, 2 March 2012

Reflections




Vila Flor Palace, Guimarães (312 kms north of Lisbon), Portugal
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For more reflection shots check Weekend Reflections

Wednesday, 29 February 2012

Red And Gold


Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet

Monday, 27 February 2012

King Mohammed V Mausoleum


Rabat, Marocco
The broken columns are the remnants of a mosque

These are some of my oldest travel photos, taken in the late 70's
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This is my contribution to Taphophile Tragics

Saturday, 25 February 2012

Roman Temple



... and the Lóios Convent, which is a hotel now.
Évora (108 kms SE of Lisbon), Portugal

Wednesday, 22 February 2012

Monday, 20 February 2012

A Monument To Romantic Love



Taj Mahal, Agra (Uttar Pradesh), India

The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj to enshrine the body of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died shortly after giving birth to her fourteenth child in 1631. He was devastated by her death and set out to create an unsurpassed, eternal monument to her memory.
The story is given an exquisite poignancy by the fate of Shah Jahan himself, who became a tragic and inconsolable figure.


Soon after the Taj Mahal's completion, Shah Jahan was deposed by his son Aurangzeb and put under house arrest at nearby Agra Fort, where I took the photo above from with the help of a little zoom. Upon Shah Jahan's death, Aurangzeb buried him in the mausoleum next to his wife.
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My contribution to Julie's Taphophile Tragics

Saturday, 18 February 2012

Wednesday, 15 February 2012

Monday, 13 February 2012

When The River Is The Grave


Cremation at Pashupatinath, the holiest place for the Hindu people in Nepal

A father says goodbye to his sixteen years old son, whose body lies on the ground (top photo), before taking him to the pyre and set it on fire.
The ceremony is not completed until what's left of the body is thrown into the water, but I left before it happened, the smell was too intense.
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My contribution to Julie's Taphophile Tragics

Friday, 10 February 2012

The Fishermen's Wives


Matosinhos, Porto (272 kms north of Lisbon), Portugal

Wednesday, 8 February 2012

Monday, 6 February 2012

Khufu's Tomb


Oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis (around 2560 BC)
Giza (Cairo), Egypt
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My contribution to Julie's Taphophile Tragics

Saturday, 4 February 2012

Beach Bungallow



Posada Ecologica Dos Ceibas, Tulum (Quintana Roo), Mexico

Thursday, 2 February 2012