Different places to travel » Structure

Travel – Spiez, located on the south shore of Lake Thun

Traveller — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:54:02 +0000

Spiez is in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental administrative district. It is a city in the canton of Bern in Switzerland and is located 11 kilometers on the south shore of Lake Thun. It is known for its waterside castle and lake views. It is a resort village surrounded with mountains.
The Old town or Stadtli and the train station are a major shopping area of Spiez. One can find boats from Thun and Interlaken. Schloss Spiez, which is a medieval castle, is a fifteenth / sixteenth century castle. It is usually open from April to October. This castle was the residence of Stretlingen family and then passed to noble dynasties of Bernese. Spiez is also having a renowned sailing school. The town has tiny lanes and yachts are filled in the bay.
The place of Spiez is populated with Germans and Swiss-Germans. The lake is surrounded with restaurants, tearooms and pizzerias.

Things to do:

• Hiking: Homebase Spiez
The peaks around Spiez are good for hiking. One can take a train or bus to reach the area. The right peak behind is Nisen which can be reached by a post auto. One can get to or back by train and enjoy the view around.
Stockhorn is another alpine mountain to hike. The starting point is Erlenbach which is 15 minutes from Spiez by train. Take a ride towards Zweissimen. To go to the peak, one can take a cable car or hike or reach there and hike. This hike is unique as the peak is above 400 metre cliff.
There are a few fantastic peaks that will definitely be great hikes starting from Spiez (by train or bus). The peak right behind Spiez is the Nisen. A post auto (bus) can take you to a variety of base locations, and there is a train that can take you down at the end of a tired day, or take you up just for the view.

• Cruising-day tickets in spring for both lakes
In spring one can get a day ticket for Thunersee and Brienzersee.
This ticket will include all of the cruises. Take the train between Interlaken Ost and Interlaken West.

Places to see:

• Schloss Spiez – a great medieval palace
The Schloss or the castle of Spiez is a medieval palace known for its architecture dating back to 10th century. It has old walls of the century. It has the 18th century architecture now because of the renovations taken place. It has fancy baroque furniture and ornate decorations, lovely stucco-works and frescos now.
• Step up the tower
A set of steps leads upwards to the tower of the castle of Schloss Spiez. The tower is 39 meters high and belongs to the year 1200. These steps have a panorama-view of the vineyards that are next to the castle, the village of Spiez with the Niesen and the lovely Thunersee.

• Lovely house
Next to the chapel of St.Columban, there is a house with a great balcony facing the Thuner See and a nice painting behind that balcony. One can view this on the way from the lake.

• Festsaal / the hall for festivities
One of the largest and spectacular rooms of the Schloss Spiez is the Festsall, which means the hall for festivities. The sidewalls, the ceilings have unique stucco-works all over it and they are believed to be made by Antonio Castello from Melide. These are unique and original as they have not been renovated or disturbed.

• Great interior of the Schloss Spiez
The interiors of the castle are open in the summer season. It opening starts on Friday before Easter. There is a medieval bed which is unique in style.

• Interior of the castle
In the castle one can see interesting exhibits. These exhibits belong to different centuries. There is a giant painting, wooden ceilings, spinning-wheel, painting of Swiss history etc.

• Spiez & its flowers
The lovely flower-arrangement of Spiez is one of the things you should not miss. This can be watched only if you take the path to the castle as it is in midway to castle. One can see some great wooden houses in the old Swiss style.

• Ship to Schloss Oberhofen
Take the ship from Spiez to Schloss Oberhofen in summer as it gives one a view of the castle and the surrounding park. The museum there is open between mid of May and mid of October.

• St.Columban – a popular wedding-chapel
Just a few meters from the castle of Spiez are the St. Columban chapel. It belongs to the 10th century. This church is a place for marriages in Switzerland and hence known the wedding-chapel.

How to get there

• Cisalpino (CIS) tilting trains
The Cisalpino Company is an Italian-Swiss joint venture with the Italian and Swiss railway systems as equal partners. Cisaplino tilting trains have been running through the Alps between Switzerland and Italy. These tilting trains can lean on curves and ideal for mountain routes rather than normal trains.
The trains between Switzerland and Italy are operated directly by the Swiss and Italian railways, mainly under the name “EuroCity”.

• Transportation hub:
Spiez is a major transportation hub. Two important rail routes meet her: the Lötschberg-Simplon route from Germany through Switzerland (Basel – Bern – Brig) to Italy and the Golden Pass trains from Montreux via Gstaad and Interlaken to Lucerne (continues to Zurich).

• Veloland Switzerland
There are two different bicycle routes, one for normal bicycles and one for mountain bikes.
Spiez is on the Swiss national cycling route number 8, called the “Aare Route” because it follows along the Aare River from its source to the Rhine, and number 9, the “Montreux–Rorschach” route. And there is a mountain bike route going to Leissingen, Krattigen and Aeschi.

• InterCityExpress (ICE) trains from Germany
Within Germany there is one ICE train per hour on most routes. Five of these ICE trains per day go beyond Basel into Switzerland, stopping at Olten, Bern, Thun, Spiez and Interlaken. For connections to Italy, you have to change trains at Spiez, at the latest.
The journey from Frankfurt to Spiez takes four hours and forty-one minutes.

• Take the train to Spiez
Spiez has its own train station and from Interlaken to Bern, almost all the trains halt here.

Best time to visit / climate:

The place is ideal to visit in summer as the castle is open in summer and you can see the interior of the castle as well. The other places, lake, cruising, hiking are all ideal in the weather of summer. The right peak behind is Nisen which can be reached by a post auto. One can get to or back by train and enjoy the view around.
Stockhorn is another alpine mountain to hike. The starting point is Erlenbach which is 15 minutes from Spiez by train. Take a ride towards Zweissimen. To go to the peak, one can take a cable car or hike or reach there and hike. This hike is unique as the peak is above 400 metre cliff.

Location on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

Places to stay (hotels / restaurants along with website):

• Travelpod
• Tripadvisor (hotel, restaurant)
• http://www.kayak.com/Spiez-Hotels.48838.hotel.ksp
• Booking.com
• http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/hotels/index.cfm/berneroberland/spiez
• http://www.holidaycityeurope.com/spiezhotels/
• http://www.eden-spiez.ch/de_neu/
• http://www.switzerlandhotel.net/spiez_hotels.html
• http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-489208-spiez_switzerland_vacations-i
• Virtualtourist (list of restaurants, list of hotels)

Blogs / Sites about Spiez:

• Travelpod
• http://www.tripadvisor.com/AllReviews-g580339-Spiez.html
• Travelpod.ca
• lonelyplanet
• http://realtravel.com/dm-22015-spiez_maps
• http://www.travbuddy.com/Spiez-travel-blogs-1192293
• http://lerlop.com/2009/07/berner-oberland-switzerland/
• http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photos-mountain-scene-spiez-switzerland-image15439233

Images and photos of Spiez:

• Google Search
• Travelpod
• http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Switzerland/West/Bern/Spiez/
• http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g580339-Spiez.html
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/eaglesky/4863206230/
• schweiz-bilder.ch

Videos of Spiez (Google Search)

The Trip Chicks in Spiez Switzerland

Morning Bells, Spiez, Switzerland

A beautiful scenery of Spiez

Switzerland.Spiez

Travel – Solothurn – The most beautiful Baroque City of Switzerland

Traveller — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 21:34:02 +0000

Solothurn is in the Canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is the capital and the only municipality of Canton of Solothurn. It is located on the banks of Aare and in the north-west of Switzerland. It is situated on the foot of Weissenstein Jura Mountains. The city is also known as most beautiful Baroque City of Switzerland. This town is known to be built in 1530-1792. It is a combination of architecture of Italian Grandezza, French style and Swiss ideas. Its population is approximately 15,137. Solothurn is also known to acquire Wakker Prize which is given for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage. It is 30km east to Bienne.
Other names for this place are as St. Ursen City, Wengi City, the City of Ambassadors, Switzerland’s most beautiful baroque city, and the city of culture. The cathedral, St. Ursen is famous for its skyline and its emblem. This city is known to be of Roman times where they built “Castrum Salodurum”, a bell-shaped walled fort in 350 BC.
The official language of Solothurn is German but French and English are also well known in the centre. The different places to see are Besenval Palace, Cathedral St. Ursus (1762–73), Church of the Jesuits (Jesuitenkirche, 1680–89), Clock tower (Zeitglockenturm, 12th century), Gate of Basel, Gate of Bienne, Landhaus, Museum of the Old Arsenal (1609–14), Old town, The Verena Gorge and the Hermitage , Waldegg Castle and Weissenstein mountain.
Solothurn was the eleventh to become part of Swiss Confederation, there are 11 churches and chapels, there 11 historic fountains and 11 towers, St. Ursus has 11 altars and 11 bells and has levels between 11 steps and so the place is believed to have special connection to the number eleven. There is also a local brewery called Oufi which means eleven and has a beer named Oufi.
The place is filled with renaissance buildings, noble Palais Besenval, religious building, chapels, churches, one of them known for its Italian style staircase; the town walls which were built according to the principles of the French military engineer Vauban. It is also known as Catholic town. This town belongs to 16th to 18th centuries.

The Events in the town:
• Weissensteinlauf: Weissenstein Walk (Aug)
• Swiss Walking Event (Sep)

Places to see:

• Old Town – It is the finest and most compact Old Towns in Switzerland. It has old building with many Baroque highlights and a marked French influence.
• St. Urs Cathedral – It is made of pale Solothurn marble. It is the most important Early Classical building in Switzerland which has 11 altars and 11 bells. It was begun by Gaetano Matteo Pisoni and completed by Paolo Antonio Pisoni. The interior has stuccoes by Francesco Pozzi and canvasses by Domenico Corvi.
• Museum of the Old Arsenal (1609–14) – This museum has the most ancient collection of armor in Europe.
• Museum of Fine Art –This museum has an important collection of Swiss Art from 1850 onwards, with works by Cuno Amiet, Ferdinand Hodler, Bernhard Luginbühl, Meret Oppenheim, and Jean Tinguely.
• Boat ride on the Aare (in summer) – The boat ride from Aare to the Stork Colony in Altreu and via Büren is splendid. The Old Town features in the National Inventory of Heritage Sites, to bilingual Biel/Bienne.
• Weissenstein – It is the Solothurn’s local mountain (1291 m) which has a chairlift to reach the top and the Hotel Kurhaus Weissenstein in the Jugendstil. One can enjoy the views of Central Switzerland and the Alps. It is a place for walking, cycling, cross-country skiing and sledging.
• The cathedral: This cathedral is of st. Urs and Victor and its tower to which one can go up, are worth watching.
• The clock tower
• Einsiedelei im Verenaschlucht (Hermitage in the Verena gorge): This can be reached by a 45-minute walk north of the city. It is in a forest. It is a place to walk around, especially in the evenings when candles are lit and placed in between the rocks throughout.

How to get there:
By train: Solothurn is served by passenger rail services, the Swiss Federal Rail (SBB) system. Trains run to and from Geneva, Zurich, Bern, and points in between. They are accessible half-hour between 4AM and 1AM every day.
By Boat: Solothurn is also connected by boat to the bilingual town of Biel/Bienne. Boats by the BSG connect to the two towns and leave two (Spring/Fall) or three (summer) times a day.
Get around: The old town is north of the train station and across the river. To get around the town, by foot is the best option.

Best time to visit / climate:

The best time to visit Solothurn is summer that is around May, June and August. The places are mostly churches, chapels, museums, and palace and walks which are best suited in early summer to mid summer.

Location on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

Driving directions from Geneva to Solothurn:

View Larger Map

Places to stay (hotels / restaurants along with website / contact numbers):

• Booking.com
• Hotel.info
• Tripadvisor (hotel, restaurant)
• http://www.hotelscombined.com/City/Solothurn.htm
• http://www.hotels-and-more.ch/en/solothurn/solothurn/
• http://www.hotelclub.com/Switzerland/Solothurn-hotels/
• http://www.switzerland-trips.com/Solothurn/Solothurn-Hotels-Tourist-Info.html
• http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-city/Switzerland/Solothurn/tpod.html
• Virtualtourist

Blogs / Sites about Solothurn:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solothurn
• http://wikitravel.org/en/Solothurn
• http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-city/Switzerland/Solothurn/tpod.html
• http://www.travbuddy.com/travel-blogs/57313/Solothurn-Switzerland-5
• http://realtravel.com/e-232547-solothurn_entry-solothurn
• Travelpost
• Virtualtourist

Images and photos of Solothurn:

• Google Search (link)
• http://search.pbase.com/search?q=Solothurn
• Tripadvisor
• Trekearth
• Vrtualtourist
• http://wiki.worldflicks.org/solothurn.html

Videos of Solothurn (link)

Solothurn the city, Switzerland

Solothurn city Switzerland

Solothurn: Timelapse Movie [HD]

Ephesus in Turkey: Glory in the ruins

Traveller — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 18:08:28 +0000

Ephesus is an ancient city located near the town of Selcuk, about 44 miles away from Izmir, in the Izmir province. The city was once famous for the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Lying in ruins, the city is now an archaeological site. Originally founded as a port on the river Cayster, Ephesus has had a long and interesting history. The city is said to have been founded by Androclos, the son of Kodros, the King of Athens. According to legend, in 10th century BC, Androclos, who had to leave Greece because of the Dor invasion, was looking for a site to establish a new settlement for himself and his accompanying people. It was predicted by a Greek oracle that a boar and fish would guide them to the site of their new settlement. One day Anroclos was frying fish in an open pan, when the fish flew from the pan, and landed in the nearby bushes, where a wild boar was hiding. Scared, the boar came out of bushes and started running. Androclos killed the boar, after pursuing it for some time. The place where he killed the boar was where the city of Ephesus was established. Androclos later on died in a war with the Carians. There was a mausoleum built in the memory of the first king of Ephesus.
Ephesus was ruled by the Lydian’s in the mid 6th century BC, under the Lydian king, Kreisos. This was the golden age of Ephesus. Kreisos even restored the Temple of Artemis, which had been razed by the Cimmerians. His signature is can still found on an excavated column of the temple. The Lydian’s were later defeated by the Persians. Alexander the Great defeated the Persians in the year 334 BC and took over Ephesus. During his reign, the Temple of Artemis was destroyed during a rebellion. Ephesus prospered greatly under Alexanders rule.
After the death of Alexander the Great, Ephesus was ruled was by his general, Lysimakhos, in 287 BC. He moved Ephesus further west, because of the destruction of the port on the river Cayster, due to silting. Lysimakhos changed the name of Ephesus to “Arsinoeina”, after his wife’s name, and built huge stone walls around the city. After his death, the people of Arsinoeina broke down the walls, and Arsinoeina became Ephesus again.
Then the Romans arrived in 190 BC. Ephesus was at the peak of its power and wealth during the reign of Augustus in 27 BC. It grew into a metropolis with a population of around 500,000 people, becoming the most important centre of commerce and culture in Asia. Ephesus was the most powerful and advanced city in Asia during this time, second only to Rome for the Romans. The city remained famous for the Temple of Artemis and the Library of Celsus and its open theatre.
In 263 AD, the whole city was destroyed by the Goths, including the Temple of Artemis, marking the decline of the city’s glory.
In 395 AD, Ephesus became a part of the Byzantine Empire. Constantine I rebuilt most of it, and it was their most important city in Asia. In 406 AD, the archbishop of Constantinople, John Chrysostom, ordered for the destruction of the Temple of Artemis.
An earthquake in 614 AD partially destroyed the city again.
As time went on, silting of the harbour, made it unusable and the city became unfit for trade. Slowly, people started abandoning the city. The remaining locals started using the ruins of the once magnificent temples, including the Temple of Artemis, for domestic and other purposes. The Arabs sacked the city in 645 AD and again in 700 AD and 716 AD. The Seljuk’s took over Ephesus in 1090 AD, with the Byzantines regaining control in 1100 AD.
But now Ephesus, remained nothing more than a small village (called Ayasalouk) with the Temple of Artemis completely forgotten. In 1304 AD, the town Ayasalouk saw some good times under the Seljuk’s, who built some monuments of their own. By the 15th century AD, completely abandoned, Ephesus just remained a name in history for people to talk and write about. Ephesus has also played an important role in the spread of Christianity. In 52 AD, St Paul arrived here, and with a lot of struggle and persistence, was able to make most of the Ephesians accept Christianity. The Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, is said to have made Ephesus her last home. The house of the Virgin Mary, about 4 miles from Selcuk, is an important place of pilgrimage for the Christians.
The ruined city of Ephesus is the most important tourist destination of Turkey. It attracts millions of people every year, who can still see the glory, splendour and magnificence of Ephesus, in its ruins.

Climate and best time to visit:

The climate of Ephesus is typical Mediterranean with long, hot and dry summers and cold, rainy winters. During the summer months (May to August) temperatures can reach as high as 40 degrees C. Winters can be chilly with temperatures dropping as low as 5 degrees C. The best time to visit Ephesus is during spring (Mid Feb to April) and autumn (September and October), when the weather is mild.

Location on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

How to get there:

By plane: There are flights to Izmir International airport from all major cities of Turkey and Europe as well. From the airport you can take a bus from Izmir central bus station to Selcuk or if you decide to stay in Izmir, your hotel can provide you with shuttle buses to Selcuk. Or even still, if you are tight on time and don’t mind spending some extra bucks, you can take a taxi from the airport to Selcuk.
By sea: You can also get there via ferry from the port of Kusadasi. Take a bus from Kusadasi bus station or a taxi from Kusadasi to Selcuk.

Places to stay (Hotels / Restaurants along with website / Contact details):

There are almost no hotels in Ephesus itself, but accommodation is available is available in the nearby towns of Selcuk and Kusadasi. If you are on a tight budget, some families also give away rooms on rent to tourists. Some nice hotels near Ephesus are given below:

1. Hotel Bella
Ataturk Mah. | St. John Street No: 7, Selcuk, Turkey
2. Hotel Nazar
S.M.Tavaslioglu cd. 2019 SK. No: 14, Selcuk 35920, Turkey
3. Aqua Fantasy Hotel & Aqua Park
Ephesus 35920, Turkey
4. Richmond Ephesus Resort
Pamucak, Selcuk 35920, Turkey

Source: Trip Advisor

You would find many small restaurants and fast food joints in Ephesus near the gates. Besides this, there are plenty of restaurants on the way to Ephesus from Kusadasi or Selcuk and in the towns itself, selling all kinds cuisines.

Some nice restaurants are given are given below:
1. Ejder Restaurant
9 Cengiz Topel Cad. Selcuk 35920, Turkey
2. Mehmet and Ali Baba Kebab House
4A, 1047 Sok. Selcuk 35920, Turkey
Phone: +902328923872
3. Amazon
Anton Kallinger cad 22, Selcuk, Turkey
4. Okumuslar Pide Salonu
Sahabettin Dede Caddesi 2, Selcuk, Turkey

Source: Trip Advisor

BLOGS / SITES ABOUT EPHESUS (WITH SMALL EXCERPTS FROM THESE BLOGS):

1. A brief history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus
Ephesus was founded as an Attic-Ionian colony in the 10th century BC on the Ayasuluk Hill, three kilometers from the center of antique Ephesus (as attested by excavations at the Seljuk castle during the 1990s). The mythical founder of the city was a prince of Athens named Androklos, who had to leave his country after the death of his father, King Kadros. According to the legend, he founded Ephesus on the place where the oracle of Delphi became reality (“A fish and a boar will show you the way”). Androklos drove away most of the native Carian and Lelegian inhabitants of the city and united his people with the remainder. He was a successful warrior, and as a king he was able to join the twelve cities of Ionia together into the Ionian League. During his reign the city began to prosper. He died in a battle against the Carians when he came to the aid of Priene, another city of the Ionian League. Androklos and his dog are depicted on the Hadrian temple frieze, dating from the second century. Later, Greek historians such as Pausanias, Strabo, the poet Kallinos, and the historian Herodotos reassigned the city’s mythological foundation to Ephos, queen of the Amazons.

2. Things to do, sightseeing and attractions:
• http://www.ephesus.us/ephesus/templeofartemis.htm
The temple of Artemis is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. It has been built in the areas of Ephesus on a flat area which has over the centuries turned into a swamp. Today one can only see the ruins of the foundations of this marvelous construction of the Hellenistic Age, entirely made of marble and full of sculptured columns’ capitals and shafts. The most beautiful remains of this temple are today exhibited in the London British Museum.
The oldest remaining found date back till the 6th century BC. It was surrounded by 36 huge columns, later enlarged upon the orders of the Lydia King, Kreisos, during the 6th century BC. Most of the exhibits in the London British Museum belong to this period.

• http://www.turizm.net/cities/ephesus/celsus.html
Library of Celsus: Although the building is of a mainly cultural character it is also a funerary monument. After the death of Celsus Polemaenus, a former consul who had been appointed governor of Ephesus, his son erected a magnificent reading room over his tomb. The building, which dates from the 2nd century, was attacked by fire in 260 but the facade suffered no damage. It is 21 m wide and 16 m high. Equestrian statues stood on pedestals on each side of the main staircases and there are also indications that statues were placed in the niches on the upper floor. The main room measures 16 x 10 m. The burial chamber under the ground floor contains a sarcophag s in an excellent state of preservation. Excavations carried out by Austrian archaJologists at the beginning of the 20th century revealed a 4th century fountain in the front courtyard and very valuable carvings in high relief depicting the wars waged by Marcus Aurelius and ucius Verus against the Parthians.

3. Map of Ephesus: http://www.ramtur.com/images/map/ephesus_big_map.jpg

4. Photos of Ephesus:
• Huge photo gallery of Ephesus: http://www.turkishclass.com/turkey_pictures_gallery_45
• Another picture gallery: http://www.ephesus.us/ephesus/ephesus_photos.htm

5. Videos on You Tube:
1. A tour of Ephesus:

2. Temple of Artemis (small video clip):

Trip to Egypt – Visit to various places in Cairo such as Saladin’s Citadel and the Khan el Khalili bazaar – Part 3

Traveller — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 18:32:46 +0000

In part 2 of this travel post (Visit to Coptic parts of Cairo), I described the Coptic area of Cairo, which includes some famous churches, as well as a Jewish synagogue. Unfortunately, I was not able to show many photos of the inside, since most of these monuments did not allow photography inside, so the camera remained inside its case. Soon after the visit to the Coptic areas, we set out for the next major monument inside Cairo, called Saladin’s Citadel, a majestic site on a hill. It is in the nature of a fortification that also contains 2 beautiful mosques, called Muhammad Ali mosque, and the Mosque of Nasir. Saladin Citadel is a structure that bears great importance to the history of Cairo. During the time of the Crusades, Fustat (now a part of Cairo) was the capital of Egypt, and Saladin wanted to ensure that his rule was safe from the Crusaders and other enemies. So, Saladin’s concept was to build a massive structure as well as a huge wall.

Location of Saladin’s Citadel on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

Saladin built the Citadel beneath the Muqattam Hills, and got his wish about making a place that was difficult to attack, although the wall was never built during his reign. Saladin rules Egypt from the Citadel, and from that time onwards till the 1860′s, the Citadel remained the seat of the Egyptian center of power. However, the importance of the Citadel as a place of power declined during the rule of the Ottoman Empire, since for them, Turkey was the center and Egypt was a province. Over a period of time, the structure that Saladin had built was expanded, with the rulers after him adding water well enhancements, mosques, other offices, and more buildings, including defense walls. Right now, the Citadel, contains 3 mosques, a Palace (Al-Gawhara Palace), and 2 museums (National Military Museum and the Police Museum).

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – view of the walls and the domes of the Mohammed Ali Mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – Closer view of the domes

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – Landscaping done to get the name of Allah on the plant

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – view of defensive tower in the structure

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – Grand arched Entrance to the Nasir mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – Grand corridors, pillars, and lamps in the Nasir mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – enclosure with carvings in the Nasir mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – Hypostyle corridor in the Nasir mosque with wonderful pillars

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – Tourists in the passageway inside the complex with an incline

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – View from the outside of the Police Museum inside the complex

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – View of the narrow passageway, as seen from the height of the Mohammed Ali Mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – view of the metal lattice of a window along with a lamp

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – Map of the inside of the Mohammed Ali Mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – the center point of the open courtyard of the Mohammed Ali Mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – a corridor inside the courtyard of the Mohammed Ali Mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – the well inside the courtyard of the Mohammed Ali Mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – the wonderful view inside the Mohammed Ali Mosque with 365 lamps

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – the 365 lamps hanging from the ceiling in the Mohammed Ali Mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – the altar inside the Mohammed Ali Mosque used for prayer

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – the open space behind the Mohammed Ali Mosque, also a mini shopping area

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – view of many parts of Cairo from the Mohammed Ali Mosque

When we reached the place, the vehicle stayed in the parking, and it is around a 15 minute walk from there to the top of the structure, where you can get a grand view of Cairo, after passing through a narrow passage (with the Wash Rooms being located in this passage – be prepared to shell out 1 Egyptian pound per tourist using the Wash Room to the attendant), and then you cross the mosques one by one, cross the museums (climbing a bit as you move), until you reach the Mohammed Ali Mosque and then the view.
You should allocate around 3-4 hours for this, admire the mosques (they are indeed beautiful), admire the view, and admire the overall structure (including a huge clock that was given as a gift by a European king, but which never worked); and then there is a well.
From here, we moved back to our vehicle, and then to the Khan el Khalili in the middle of town. The market is located in the middle of the city, and is located next to the Al Azhar University (the most famous place of Islamic learning in Egypt and in the Arab world). The market dates back to the 14th century, and has seen a huge part of the history of Cairo. Twice in the recent past decade, there have been terrorist attacks that have killed tourists (one killed a total of 21 people, and the last one happened only last year), so there is a large police presence clearly. Further, vehicles are not allowed to be parked there, but pick and drop from just next to the market is allowed. In front of the market, there are many eating places. Inside the market, expect to do an incredible amount of bargaining (but quality can be a concern in many cases), and expect to find narrow alleyways. It seems a bit strange, but is supposed to be very safe for tourists now. We spent around 2-3 hours in the two parallel paths inside the market, and did a bit of spending.

Khan el Khalili market in cairo – View of the front part

Khan el Khalili market in Cairo – starting to move inside

Khan el Khalili market in Cairo – shopping stuff hanging from both sides

Trip to Egypt – Visit to various places in Cairo such as Saladin’s Citadel and the Khan el Khalili bazaar – Part 2

Traveller — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:57:09 +0000

In the first post of this series (Arrival in Cairo), I wrote about arrival in Cairo, and also about the concept of tips, something that can cause problems to people who have not anticipated the extent to which tips are needed as part of the tourist industry in Egypt.
Carrying on from the last post, we caught up with the relatives who were arriving on another flight, and spent some time catching up with them (especially my 2 nephews who I had seen after many months). After a couple of hours, it was time for dinner, and we spent some time wondering about which place to eat (there were multiple choices of where to eat (inside our hotel – the Oasis Hotel at Giza), so we decided to go to the restaurant located near the pool). The restaurant had some nice food along with a few drinks (but again, there was something that we were not accustomed to – there was a service tax + a city tax + a service charge, together these made up an additional amount more than the charges listed in the menu).
This post is about some of the tourist locations inside the city of Cairo (but not the Pyramids or the Sphinx), which will be covered later. In the morning, we got our tour guide from Sakkara tour services (these are independent guides, not a part of the tour service, who work by the day for them). In our case, we got a young guy, seemingly very friendly and with good English skills. We worked through our schedule for the day, and it covered the Coptic areas of Cairo, followed by a visit to Saladin’s Citadel, and then a visit to the Khan el Khalili market.
So, we set out for the Coptic area of Cairo. Like most tourist locations in Cairo, there is an overt presence of policemen everywhere. Ever since a few attacks at tourist centers and on tourists in the last few years, Egypt has been very careful to ensure that such tourist locations are covered by gun-bearing policemen (also, since the attacks have been mostly inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood, which is against the Egyptian Government, the fight against these terrorists is personal for the Government); the tourist industry brings in a huge amount of revenue for the Government and employees a large number of people.
The Coptic area of Cairo bears a number of monuments, dedicated to both the Coptic Christian community in Egypt, and also monuments for the tiny Jewish community in Cairo. Some of the monuments in this ares are (photos will be extremely limited since most of these monuments did not allow photography inside):

Coptic areas of Cairo – the signs on the wall announcing the various monuments inside the area

1) The Hanging Church: Located above a gatehouse of Babylon Fortress, probably the most famous church in Egypt. Built long long ago, rumored to be in the 7th century. The Church has a number of icons inside it.
2) Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church (Abu Serga). This is a Church that is supposed to have been built over a site where the Holy Family stayed during their journey in Egypt, when they were fleeing persecution by the Romans. It is considered extremely holy, however, the exact spot where the stay is supposed to have happened (in a cave below the ground) is blocked by a metal gate, and only open on specific occasions. The church is named after 2 soldiers martyred in the 4th century in Syria.

Coptic areas of Cairo – entry to the St. Sergius Church and the Holy Crypt in it

3) Coptic Museum. This was founded in 1910 to house many old Coptic objects, and now houses many important Coptic items.
4) Ben Ezra Synagogue (also known as the El-Geniza Synagogue). It is supposed to be located on the site where the Moses was found as a baby on the Nile, and adopted by the Pharaoh.
Entry to this area is through a gate, and you need to pass through a small covered corridor to reach the area, with the corridor having many books and paintings on both sides for tourists to purchase.

Coptic areas of Cairo – Security police at a barrier to ensure safety of tourists

Coptic areas of Cairo – a guest house to the back of the monuments

Coptic areas of Cairo – entering the complex through a staircase descending down

Coptic areas of Cairo – view of the entry to the complex

Coptic areas of Cairo – narrow corridor with old books and paintings on either side

Coptic area in Cairo – a security metal gate before entering a monument

Coptic area of Cairo – inside a Church

Coptic area of Cairo – the older sections of the Coptic part

Coptic area of Cairo – a beautiful painting in a wooden structure inside a Church

This post is turning out to be longer than I thought, so will carry on with more locations inside Cairo in the next post.

Trip to Egypt – Landing in the city of Cairo and traveling through the city – the concept of tips and a stay at the Oasis Hotel in Giza – Part 1

Traveller — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 16:33:56 +0000

We were searching for a destination where we could have a family destination. It had many months since we met, and we were in different countries with a 8 hour flight gap between us. So, a lot of planning went into a common location, and the concept of traveling to Egypt to see the numerous important monuments over there was an important part of the planning. The trip was planned for around 8-9 days, and the challenge was about making the trip one that covers the major tourist destinations in Egypt, and yet the trip should not be one that attempts to run around the whole country without catching a breath of air (you know those trips, where the attempt is to capture everything that is there to see in the whole region, and where you end up more tired at the end of the trip than when you started the trip). Some of the places that we thought were important to see in the country were:
Cairo (Museums, Pyramid, Sphinx, etc)
Aswan (Enjoy Aswan) (High Dam, Abu Simbel, and unfinished obelisk)
Luxor (many temples, Valley of the Kings, etc)
Many temples between Aswan and Luxor on a cruise on the river Nile
Alexandria (Wikipedia)
Sharm-el-Sheikh
and there were many other locations in the country that were important, but these seemed the most significant from a tourist point of view. We had planned this trip for Feb, since that time worked out in terms of vacations, and hopefully, many of these locations would not be too hot. And of course, I am extremely fond of photography, so this seemed like a place where I could really get to enjoy on that front as well. Out of these, Alexandra proved a bit on the lower end in terms of priorities, and so, we dropped this from the list. Further, even though Sharm-el-Sheikh was fairly far away from Cairo, the planning was in terms of taking a vehicle for this journey. There were going to be young children with us for this journey as well, and we decided that getting a more comfortable trip in terms of guides and vehicles everywhere would be the good thing to do, rather than a backpacker journey (we are now all middle aged, and like our luxuries where possible).
And finally, the time came for the journey, we made sure that everything was in place, handed over the house to a caretaker for the 9-10 days we were going to be away, and off we went. The journey went fairly fine (as fine as long distance economy class journeys can be), and we were soon in Cairo International Airport. And this was where the first level of comfort was there, we were met by the local travel agency, Sakkara Travels, before the immigration, and we were guided from that point onwards.
Soon, we had collected our luggage from the Airport (the airport was fairly fine, the movement did not take too much time), and were bundled in the bus arranged by Sakkara to take us to our hotel. We had been booked into the Oasis Hotel located very close to Giza. This is a 4 star hotel located very close to the Pyramids in Giza, although this makes it atleast an hours distance from the airport. As a result, we ended up passing through the city of Cairo, and there were some areas where there was a good amount of traffic, but finally we made it.

Crowded streets of cairo – traffic can take some time to clear

Check-in in the hotel was fine, and we had some comfortable rooms, not very large or anything, but comfortable. The hotel has a lot of greenery inside, and seems to spend a lot of time on maintenance of the landscaped gardens.

Oasis Hotel in Giza in Egypt – the security at the entrance to the hotel

Oasis Hotel in Giza – the rocks arranged in a pattern

Oasis Hotel in Giza – View outside some of the rooms

Oasis Hotel in Giza in Egypt – Garden inside the hotel grounds

Oasis Hotel in Giza in cairo – a corridor in front of the rooms

Oasis Hotel in Giza – the swimming pool, very inviting

And then we encountered the question of tips. This is one of the points that really bothered us. Right at the beginning, when we got our travel itinerary, it was mentioned there that the concept of tips is almost like a compulsion, with the tips providing a comfort to the people employed in the travel industry who otherwise get low salaries. The same was mentioned by our travel managed from Sakkara, and the rate of the tips was supposed to be $6 per person per day for the days when you are on land, and $8 (American dollars) for the days when you are on the Nile cruise (3 days). For a group of 8 of us, on a 9 day trip, the amount of tips that we paid was itself a fairly large amount.
The next day we would do some local travel inside the city of Cairo, see the various places to see such as the Citadel, the mosque within it, and the famous local market known as ‘Khan el Khalili’.

Edfu Temple – The Temple of Horus; a spectacular temple in Egypt with a well preserved structure

Traveller — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 14:59:48 +0000

Of all the temples of ancient Egypt, the one at Edfu is the most complete and best preserved. The reason is that the temple had been totally submerged under the desert sand (so it got saved from the earthquakes and other natural events that caused damage to the other temples) except for the very top of the pylon entrance. A small amount of stone had been removed from the exposed part, but when excavated it was found to be in near perfect condition. The temple was built by the Greek pharaohs.

Location of Edfu temple

Edfu is located 60Km to the north of Aswan. The town of Edfu is located on the west back of the Nile River, some sixty miles south of Luxor, with Aswan further south. Edfu is located about halfway between Luxor (115km away) and Aswan (105km) and 65km north of Kom Ombo. It was the 2nd Nome of Upper Egypt and the centre of the cult of a triad of Gods, which consisted of Horus of Behdet, Hathor, and their son, Hor-Sama-Tawy.

How to get there

The temple is often included on Nile cruise itineraries but can also be reached from Aswan or Luxor, by train or road. The railway station is on the east bank and coaches often only stop on this side too. A taxi from Luxor takes around two hours and one and a half hours from Aswan. As of 2009 visitors no longer need to travel as part of the police convoy.

Location of Edfu temple on Google Maps:

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History of Edfu temple

- Dedicated to Horus, the falcon headed god. It was built during the reigns of six Ptolemies.
- In 332 BC, Alexander the Great conquered Egypt. After his death in 323, his successors ruled Egypt under the Ptolemaic Dynasty.
- The Temple of Horus at Edfu was built during the Ptolemiac era on top of an earlier temple to Horus.
- This is not only the best preserved ancient temple in Egypt, but the second largest after Karnak.
- The modern Arabic name of Edfu is derived from the ancient Egyptian name Djeba, or Etbo in Coptic. Djeba meant “Retribution Town”, since the enemies of the god were brought to justice therein.
- The Temple of Edfu is nearly intact and a very good example of an ancient Egyptian temple.
- The Temple of Edfu’s archaeological significance and high state of preservation has made it a center for tourism in Egypt.
- The falcon-headed Horus was originally the sky god, whose eyes were the sun and moon.
- He was later assimilated into the popular myth of Isis and Osiris as the divine couple’s child. Raised by Isis and Hathor after Osiris’ murder by his brother Seth, Horus avenged his father’s death in a great battle at Edfu. Seth was exiled and Horus took the throne, Osiris reigning through him from the underworld. Thus all pharoahs claimed to be the incarnation of Horus, the “living king.”
- The town of Edfu is today an important centre for sugar production and pottery-making.

Attractions at Edfu Temple

Pylon : The front shows illustrations of Horus and Hathor, and captives offered in sacrifice to the gods. The four niches held
flagstaffs when the temple was in use. This is the Great Pylon.

Edfu temple in Egypt – the first pylon along with tourists

The Temple of Edfu was actually not the first one here. It was built on top of a temple built for Thutmosis III by the famous architect Imhotep, who later was proclaimed a god himself because of his great works. You find him pictured in that role at the temple of Kom Ombo.
GOD Horus : Guarding the entrance of the temple are two statues of the god Horus. His importance was such that he was equalled with the king. The pharaoh was seen as a human manifestation of the god Horus.

Edfu Temple in Egypt – the statue of Horus

Birth House : The first structure we come to, at the south-west corner before the great temple pylon, is a rectangular colonnaded building peculiar to Graeco-Roman temples, known as a mammisi or birth-house, built to celebrate the divine birth of Horus. The Roman mammisi at Dendera was modelled on this structure.
Court of Offerings : Beyond the Pylon is the spacious Court of Offerings, where people could enter to make offerings to the image of Horus. The court is surrounded by columns on three sides and is decorated with festival reliefs. depict the Festival of the Beautiful Meeting, during which Hathor’s image sailed from Dendera to spend some intimate time with Horus in the sanctuary of the Temple of Edfu before sailing back.

Hypostyle Hall : The rectangular Hypostyle Hall was built under Ptolemy VII (145-116 BC) and has two rows of six pillars supporting an intact roof. The ceiling has astronomical paintings symbolizing the sky. This is the outer hypostyle hall or pronaos, with 18 tall carved columns to support a ceiling decorated with astronomical figures representing the sky. The usual offering scenes decorate the walls but there are also well-preserved reliefs from the temple foundation ceremony.

Edfu temple in Egypt – the grand Hypostyle Hall with astronomical paintings on the ceiling

Festival Hall : It marks the beginning of the oldest part of the temple, built 237-212 BC under Ptolemy III and IV. During festivals, this hall was decorated with faience, flowers and herbs and scented with incense and myrrh.

Hall of offerings : A small doorway, decorated with splendid reliefs of the sacred barques of Horus and Hathor, leads from the Festival Hall into the Hall of Offerings. During the New Year Festival, the image of Horus was carried up the ascending stairway on the left to be revitalized by the sun, then carried back down the descending stairway.

Sanctuary Of Horus : The Sanctuary of Horus, with ritual barque (barge) granite shrine in back is the holiest part of the temple. The sanctuary centers on a black-granite shrine that was dedicated by Nectanebo II, making it the oldest relic in the temple. This once contained the gilded wooden cult image of Horus. Next to the shrine is an offering table and the ceremonial barque (barge) on which Horus was carried during festivals.

Edfu temple in Egypt – Sanctuary Of Horus, the holiest part of the temple

Nilometer : One of the most remarkable elements of the Temple is the existence of a Nilometer, as well as a chapel, which was dedicated to the Goddess Nut.

Edfu temple in Egypt – Nilometer, for measuring the height of the Nile

Edfu temple in Egypt – taking a horse carriage from the cruise to the temple

Edfu temple in Egypt – view of the temple from a distance

Edfu temple in Egypt – tourist taking a photo of some of the pillars

Edfu temple in Egypt – the huge carving in the first pylon

Edfu temple in Egypt – the large carving in the first pylon

Martand Sun Temple, Kashmir – Ruins of a beautiful temple dedicated to the Sun God

Traveller — Mon, 24 May 2010 11:13:11 +0000

Martand, located atop a plateau, close to the township of Anantnag, has a temple dedicated to Surya, the “Sun God”. Built by king Laitaditya Muktapida (7th to 8th century AD), it is a medieval temple with a colonnaded courtyard and the shrine in its centre. The king appeared to be a worshiper of Sun, treating the Sun as an all pervading phenomenon. The Martand temple consists of a courtyard with main temple in the middle and colonnaded peristyle, which is 220 feet long and 142 feet broad. The temple complex has 84 columns and offers a commanding view of the valley of Kashmir. The style of the construction of the temple and the skill of the makers are rare in the history of the world. Apart from the exquisite architecture, another attraction of the Martand temple is its picturesque surroundings. It was constructed on the highest part of a plateau.
It is an example of not only some great Kashmiri architectural skill from the years past, but it also has pride of having been set up at a fine spot which is prettier than quite a few of the the spots where other historical buildings in India and outside have been built. The ruins of the huge temple stand in a square field with snow capped mountains of the smiling valley as the background. This temple has been built with strong and square limestones. The pillars of the temple are of Greek pattern.

Location of Anantnag (Martand Sun Temple located close by) on Google Maps:

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Mattan is derived from the name Macch(Fish)-Bhawan. This place is also called Martand, because an antient Temple named Martand is situated just 2 Kms from it. In Mattan there is a famous temple of Sun God, which is worshipped as of Konark. There are two springs named Vimal & Kamal Kunds.
Martand Temple is located at about 5 miles from the town of Anantnag, Anantnag District. By road, Martand Temple can be approached easily from Anantnag, Mattan and Achabal. The nearest airport is at Srinagar. Anantnag is situated at 33.44 latitude and 75.12 longitude, at an elevation of 5400 feet above sea level, at a distance of 33 miles from the main state-headquarters Srinagar.

A good description of Martand midway through the page on this link.
Some photos of Martand (link)
Many many photos of Martand from the Indira Gandhi National Center of Arts (link)
Older photograph of the ruins of the Surya Temple in Martand (link)
More photos of the ruins of the Sun Temple at Martand (link)

Stonehenge – a mystical site in Great Britain, with a circle of massive stones (for an unknown reason)

Traveller — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 05:16:27 +0000

Brief summary:
For those people who love to enjoy monuments that seem to show a different period of history, they must visit STONEHENGE. Stonehenge is a site full of mystery, interest & imagination. When people think of Stonehenge, they come up with an iconic image of large standing stone surrounded by earthworks. The stoneworks are supposed to have been done in the Bronze Age, comprising burial mounds; having been erected in the time period of around 2500 BC. Now, Stonehenge finds prime place in the list of “world heritage sites”, having been added in 1986 by UNESCO. The surrounding land is now owned by the National trust, & the actual site of Stonehenge is owned by the British Government.
What does Stonehenge mean ? stoneHENGE- henge/cliff means a hanging or supported stone.

Description:
Stonehenge is a site about which there is still some lack of clarity as to the actual purposes, but there is talk of association with druids, as well as a relation with the worship of older deities; and there were alternative reasons as well, such as it being an astronomical observatory. Given the supposed existence of burial sites in the area, there is the concept that maybe Stonehenge was actually a burial site for people from the higher strata in society of that time.

Construction:
Stonehenge shows the large stones still placed, but there has been damage in the past. Some of the stones in the past were used for other construction such as for roads or for homes (and even from visitor contact in the present, as a result of which visitors were prohibited from contact with the stones in 1978). When the structure was built, it would have been a massive engineering effort, with a huge amount of manual labor having been needed to make it happen. It was constructed in 3 phases, with the first phase (approx 5000 years ago) being a bank and ditch arrangement (called as a henge) (and digging of the ditch would not have been an easy task, using wood and animal antlers). Even removal of the dirt taken out during digging would not have been an easy task.
The second phase (around 4000 years back) was the construction of the first stone circle (which can now be seen as the inner circle) ; these stones where the bluestones were carted in from the mountains 240 miles away (with no clear answer as to how these 4 ton stones were dragged from the mountains to the site through land and over water).
The third and final phase (as visible now) was the construction of the outer ring, using the much larger sarsen stones (weighing 50 tons each). These stones were got from a place that was only 20 miles away, but would have still required a huge amount of effort to get them from the mountains, since there was a high obstacle at one part of the journey. There was a hole made in the ground, the stone was slowly leveraged over the hole and then lowered over the hole with stones filling the bottom of the hole.
‘The Heel Stone’ this special stone lies just outside the main entrance. It is a rough stone, and is also known as “Friar’s heal” or “Sun stone”. When one stands within the Stonehenge, facing north east through the entrance towards the heel stone, one sees the sunrise above the stone at summer solstice. A simple explanation for the name HEEL might be that stone heels or, leans.

Myths:
Since there is no clarity as to the actual purpose of the stones, there are many stories dealing with the construction. What could be some of the reasons for the stones ?
First, there was the concept that the stones were constructed as part of some prayers for the Druids (but there are doubts regarding the timelines). Next, you bring in King Arthur, where, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth, the rocks of Stonehenge were healing rocks, called the ‘Giant’s dance”, brought from Africa to Ireland for their healing properties, wishing to erect a memorial to the around 3000 nobles, who died in battle with the Saxons & were buried at Salisbury. The stones of giant’s ring were originally brought from Africa to Ireland by giants.

Trip to Jaipur – Jaipur City Palace, a beautiful and well maintained palace in the middle of the city

Traveller — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 13:33:46 +0000

After coming back from Chokhi Dhani (visit to Chokhi Dhani), it was pretty late at night, and tiring (plus all the delicious food we had eaten there had made us more tired), so we came back to our friend’s place and decided that it was now sleep time. The next day promised another day of visit to a tourist location.
The next day was about the visit to the Jaipur City Palace, the well maintained quarters of the former royal family of Jaipur, located in the heart of the old section of Jaipur. It is almost at the center of the old part, located slightly to the northeast of the actual center. It was originally designed to be located at a site of a royal hunting lodge, located eight kilometers distant from the then base of Amber (including the current Amber fort). The City Palace was built between 1729 and 1732, with the first construction having been carried out by the then ruler of Amber, Sawai Jai Singh II (who also shifted the capital of his kingdom from Amber to Jaipur, to deal with an increasing population and a shortage of water). Future rulers added and modified the structures inside, right upto the 20th century. Now the City Palace is actually a tourist haven, with cloth and arms museums (no photography allowed); however, there is a larger portion of the Palace that is meant as a private residence for the royal family and no tourists allowed.

Location of Jaipur City Palace on Google Maps:

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The City Palace complex covers a huge area, with gardens, buildings and structures, and courtyards. There are various buildings in the complex such as the Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal, Mukut Mahal, Maharani’s Palace, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum. The Mubarak Mahal is a museum visible as one enters the complex, with the museum being a costume museum, displaying the attires worn by the kings (including one huge dress worn by a very heavily endowed king).
Once you cross the cloth museum, you come across an open hall called the Diwan-I-Khas, which was a hall meant for the king for the private audience (as opposed to the public visiting hall). In this open hall, there are 2 huge silver vessels on display. They were made for a special purpose, to carry enough water of the Holy Ganga (Ganges) for the then Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II when he wanted to visit England. You can also see the Diwan-i-Aam, meant for the public audience by the Maharajah.

Tourists passing through a gate allowing movement between different sections of the Jaipur City Palace

The Ganga Jali meant for carrying holy water to purify the ruler Sawai Madho Singh on his trips

Row of canons parked outside the Jaipur City Palace

Rifles arranged around a central shield just next to the silver urns in Jaipur City Palace

Another museum in the complex is inside the Mahrani’s Mahal (Palace of the Queen, meant for the queens) showcasing a number of weapons starting from the 15th century. You get to see swords, guns, rifles, shields, daggers, and many other weapons. The museum could look much better, since when we went, it seemed much more dusty than normal.

Light and shade in the hall containing the silver urns in the Jaipur City Palace

Guards at the entrance to the cafe of the Jaipur City Palace

Entering the Jaipur City Palace through its main gate

Dolls of different shapes and colors inside the Jaipur City Palace

A beautiful long corridor inside the Jaipur City Palace

A closer view of weapons mounted on a wall in the Jaipur City Palace

Angular view of the beautiful central part of the City Palace in Jaipur

Beautiful buildings and gate inside the City Palace in Jaipur

A view of the cloth museum and beautiful colors of the sky in the Jaipur City Palace

A very well maintained inner section of the Jaipur City Palace

A pigeon walking on the floor of the Diwan-i-Khas (also known as the Sarbato Bhadra)

A music performance and dolls exhibited inside the City Palace in Jaipur

A more detailed look at the private residential part of the Jaipur City Palace

A detailed view of the clock-tower in the Jaipur City Palace

An ornate gate leading to the residential portion of the Jaipur City Place

Canons at the entrance to the private residence of the Jaipur City Palace

A view of the outside gate (form the inside) in the Jaipur City Palace