Official ShiaChat A-Z Virtual Travel Thread

[_Fatima 589]

Quebec, Canada

"Quebec is Canada's largest province by area and its second-largest administrative division; only the territory of Nunavut is larger. It is bordered to the west by the province of Ontario, James Bay, and Hudson Bay; to the north by Hudson Strait and Ungava Bay; to the east by the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador; it is bordered on the south by the province of New Brunswick and the U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. It also shares maritime borders with Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_City

 

[Reza 9,793]

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

From the top, left to right: Christ the Redeemer, Botafogo's cove, Rio Downtown, Rio–Niterói bridge, Maracanã Stadium, and panoramic view of Barra da Tijuca from Pedra da Gávea

 

Rio de Janeiro (/ˈriːoʊ di ʒəˈnɛəroʊ, -deɪ ʒə-, -də dʒə-/; Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʁi.u dʒi ʒɐˈnejɾu];^[2] River of January), or simply Rio,^[3] is the second-largest city in Brazil, the sixth-largest city in the Americas, and the world's thirty-ninth largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area, the second most populous metropolitan area in Brazil, the seventh-most populous in the Americas, and the twenty-third largest in the world. Rio de Janeiro is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's third-most populous state. Part of the city has been designated as a World Heritage Site, named "Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea", by UNESCO on 1 July 2012 as a Cultural Landscape.^[4]

Founded in 1565 by the Portuguese, the city was initially the seat of the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, a domain of the Portuguese Empire. Later, in 1763, it became the capital of the State of Brazil, a state of the Portuguese Empire. In 1808, when the Portuguese Royal Court transferred itself from Portugal to Brazil, Rio de Janeiro became the chosen seat of the court of Queen Maria I of Portugal, who subsequently, in 1815, under the leadership of her son, the Prince Regent, and future King João VI of Portugal, raised Brazil to the dignity of a kingdom, within the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and Algarves. Rio stayed the capital of the pluricontinental Lusitanian monarchy until 1822, when the War of Brazilian Independence began. This is one of the few instances in history that the capital of a colonising country officially shifted to a city in one of its colonies. Rio de Janeiro subsequently served as the capital of the independent monarchy, the Empire of Brazil, until 1889, and then the capital of a republican Brazil until 1960 when the capital was transferred to Brasília.

Rio de Janeiro has the second largest municipal GDP in the country,^[5] and 30th largest in the world in 2008,^[6] estimated at about R$343 billion (IBGE, 2008) (nearly US$201 billion). It is headquarters to Brazilian oil, mining, and telecommunications companies, including two of the country's major corporations—Petrobras and Vale—and Latin America's largest telemedia conglomerate, Grupo Globo. The home of many universities and institutes, it is the second-largest center of research and development in Brazil, accounting for 17% of national scientific output according to 2005 data.^[7]

Rio de Janeiro is one of the most visited cities in the Southern Hemisphere and is known for its natural settings, Carnival, samba, bossa nova, and balneario beaches^[8] such as Barra da Tijuca, Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon. In addition to the beaches, some of the most famous landmarks include the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado mountain, named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World; Sugarloaf Mountain with its cable car; the Sambódromo, a permanent grandstand-lined parade avenue which is used during Carnival; and Maracanã Stadium, one of the world's largest football stadiums.

Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2016 Summer Paralympics—the first time a South American and Portuguese-speaking nation will host these events, and the third time the Olympics will be held in a Southern Hemisphere city.^[9] On 12 August 2012, at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, Mayor Eduardo Paes received the Olympic Flag, via Jacques Rogge, from London Mayor Boris Johnson. Rio's Maracanã Stadium held the finals of the 1950 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, and the XV Pan American Games including its opening and closing ceremonies. Rio de Janeiro also hosted World Youth Day in 2013.^[10]

 

[_Fatima 589]

Şanlıurfa, Turkey

"Şanlıurfa , pronounced [ʃanˈlɯuɾfa], often simply known as Urfa in daily language (Arabic الرها ar-Ruhā, Kurdish Riha, Syriac ܐܘܪܗ Urhoy), in ancient times Edessa (Έδεσσα in Greek), is a city with 561,465 inhabitants[3] in south-eastern Turkey, and the capital of Şanlıurfa Province. It is a city with a primarily Arab, Kurdish and Turkmen population. Urfa is situated on a plain about eighty kilometres east of the Euphrates River. Urfa's climate features extremely hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters.

The history of Şanlıurfa is recorded from the 4th century BC, but may date back at least to 9000 BC, when there is ample evidence for the surrounding sites at Duru, Harran and Nevali Cori.[4] Within the further area of the city are three neolithic sites known: Göbekli Tepe, Gürcütepe and the city itself, where the life-sized limestone "Urfa statue" was found during an excavation in Balıklıgöl.[5] The city was one of several in the upper Euphrates-Tigris basin, the fertile crescent where agriculture began." [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9Eanl%C4%B1urfa]

[Ibn al-Hussain 3,121]

(salam)

Tabriz, Iran

Kandovan, a village near Tabriz in Iran, carved into the mountains.

 

 

They have a hotel as well called Laleh Kandovan, was very close to going to it this summer, but plans didn't end up working out. Pictures of the hotel:

 

Read more about it on Trip Advisor.

Wassalam

Edited December 4, 2015 by magma
Added "Tabriz, Iran" to emphasize the letter "T"

[Reza 9,793]

Ürümqi, China

Ürümqi (literally "beautiful pasture", from the Dzungar Oirat language) is the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China^[2] in Northwest China. Ürümqi was a major hub on the Silk Road during China's Tang dynasty, and developed its reputation as a leading cultural and commercial center during the Qing dynasty.

With a built-up (or metro) population of 2,988,715 as of 2010 census (6 urban and suburban districts but Dabancheng not yet urbanized) and 3.03 million in 7 urban and suburban districts,^[3] Ürümqi is the largest city in China's western interior. Since the 1990s Ürümqi has developed economically and serves as a regional transport node, cultural, and commercial centre.

The largest city in western China, Ürümqi has earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the most remote city from any sea in the world.

From top: A panoramic view of Ürümqi's CBD, Red Mountain (Hong Shan), Ürümqi Night Market, and a view of Tian Shan from Ürümqi

Ürümqi (red) in Xinjiang (orange)

Tourist Locations:

• Grand Bazaar, a bazaar on South Jiefang Road (解放南路).
• Hong Shan (Red Mountain) is the symbol of Urumqi, located in Hongshan Park.
• People's Park, south of Hongshan Park.
• Glacier No. 1 (一号冰川), origin of Urumqi River, is the largest glacier near a major city in China.
• People's Square
• Nanhu Square (南湖广场)
• Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum (新疆维吾尔自治区博物馆), which was completely rebuilt in the early 2000s.^[38]
• Heavenly Lake Scenic Area, a popular park with some of China's most famous alpine scenery, a little more than two hours outside Urumqi.
• Shuimogou Hot Springs (水磨沟温泉) is located 5 km (3.1 mi) northeast of Urumqi.
• Xinjiang Silk Road Museum (新疆丝绸之路博物馆) is located right next to the Grand Bazaar at No. 160 Shengli Road. It is located on the fourth and fifth floor of a very large European style building which houses a shopping complex as well. Most of the exhibits have English names as well and some of their guides speak some English.
• Ürümqi City Museum (乌鲁木齐博物馆) is located at South Nanhu Road 123 (南湖南路123号).
• Urumqi Tartar Mosque (乌鲁木齐塔塔尔寺清真寺) is a luxuriously furbished mosque located on Jiefang Road. The mosque is open to female and male visitors unlike other mosques. However, permission must have been obtained prior to visiting the mosque.^[39]
• The monument at the Geographical Center of Asian Continent, in Yongfeng Township, Ürümqi County

The Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar (simplified Chinese: 新疆国际大巴扎; traditional Chinese: 新疆國際大巴扎; pinyin: Xīnjiāng Guójì Dàbāzhā; Uyghur: شىنجاڭ خەلقئارا چوڭ بازىرى‎, ULY: Shinjang Xelq'ara Chong Baziri), also known as International Grand Bazaar Xinjiang,^[1] is an Islamic bazaar in Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China. It is the largest bazaar in the world by scale,^[2] combining Islamic culture, architecture, ethnic commerce, tourism and entertainment. It is also one of the most famous landmarks in Ürümqi, and in Xinjiang.

Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar (Urumqi, China)

 

Edited December 4, 2015 by magma

[StarryNight 1,208]

Veracruz (Spanish pronunciation: [beɾaˈkɾus]), officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz.

It is the state's most populous city, with a population that is greater than the municipality's population, as part of the city of Veracruz extends into the neighboring Boca del Río Municipality.

 

*** so I can't upload more pics thanks to shiachat :( since I can't use shiachat at a computer it doesn't work, nor at home or work :(*** its annoying to do it on my phone all the time. 

[habib e najjaar 1,192]

WASINI ISLAND, KENYA

[from wikipedia] Wasini Island lies in southeast Kenya 3 km. off the coast of the Indian Ocean 75 km. south of Mombasa 3 km opposite the harbour of the village Shimoni. It is approximately 7 km long and 3 km across. The island has only footpaths of sharp old coral or sand; in the forest consisting of earth. There are no autocars, carts or bicycles. Cargo is transported by foot or by a wheelbarrow with a solid tyre. Transport is over the paths, or via the beaches, mainly consisting of coral and only passable with low tide, or by boat over the sea. In the British colonial time, so before 1963, there used to be an airstrip in the lagoon situated longitudinal south on the island; only small parts of tarmac are reminders of this history.

The island has a population of about 3.000 living at the northcoast in the two villages Wasini and Mwkiro at the west respectively east side of the island, and inland in the hamlet Nyuma Maji, which means in ki(=language) Swahili 'behind the water'. In Wasini-village and Nyuma Maji live the Bantu people the Vumba, whose mothertongue is the Swahili dialect kivumba; in Mwkiro the Digo have their own mothertongue, the Swahili dialect kidigo. Besides that they all speak Swahili and sometimes English. The Vumba are of Arabic origin, may be a little bit mixed with the Chinese. The Arabs came to the East-African coast in the 1st century A.D. and after mixing with the Bantu people they together formed the Coast or Swahili people. The Digo probably came from the Persian Gulf in the 15th century A,D. Between the island and the Tanzanian islands Pemba and Zanzibar south-east of the island in the Indian Ocean consist strong cultural connections and family ties. The population is for about 99% Muslim, from liberal to orthodox.

People enjoy going there for dolphin watching/swimming with dolphins, snorkeling, scuba diving, the dhowobserving life on the coral reef (very beautiful flora and fauna visible from the glass bottom boats) and the delicious unique cuisine (sea food and vegetarian). Definitely a must visit for anyone visiting Kenya.

 

 

 

 

[Hameedeh 17,545]

Who got X? 

[_Fatima 589]

1 hour ago, hameedeh said:

Who got X? 

Xuzhou, China ^_^

"Xuzhou, otherwise known as Pengcheng in ancient times, is a major city in and the fourth largest prefecture-level city of Jiangsu Province, China. Its population was 8,577,225 at the 2010 census whom 2,623,066 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of Quanshan, Gulou, Yunlong and Tongshan districts.[1] It is known for its role as a transportation hub in northwestern Jiangsu, as it has expressways and railway links connecting directly to the provinces of Henan and Shandong, the neighboring port city of Lianyungang, as well as the economic hub Shanghai.

Before the adoption of Hanyu Pinyin, the city's name was typically romanized as Suchow[2] or Süchow,[3][4] though it also appeared as Siu Tcheou [Fou],[5] Hsu-chou,[6] Hsuchow,[7] and Hsü-chow.[4]"

 

[Marbles 15,845]

On 07/12/2015, 02:17:21, habib e najjaar said:

WASINI ISLAND, KENYA

This place is seriously beautiful.

[Marbles 15,845]

2 hours ago, :Fatima: said:

Xuzhou, China ^_^

For X I knew it had to be some Chinese city. I had Xinjiang in mind but you beat me to it!

[baradar_jackson 8,042]

You all damn well know what's coming next

 

Yazd, I.R. Iran

 

With, I dunno, one million people (?) ... Yazd is the largest kahgeli (straw and clay... or "adobe" if you want to be a douchebag) city in the world. Even with the influx of cheap modern Third World concrete-and-steel construction (which has become the standard throughout Iran), the vast majority of buildings in Yazd are still gahgeli. Because these buildings tend to have a short life span (I am guessing in the olden times they would have to rebuild such structures every 50 or 60 years), nowadays the government reinforces these structures with brick. In addition to the added stability, it looks very nice and fitting.

 

Although Yazd lacks the technical beauty of Esfahan, Yazd is a monument to humanity and civilization. Civilization means to carve out some semblance of stability and welfare in a cold, barren, unforgiving wasteland that is this dunya. If that is the case, then Yazd marks the pinnacle of civilization. 3000 or God knows how many years ago, some people decided to build a city between two mighty deserts: Dasht-e Lut and Dasht-e Kavir. Unlike modern-day desert cities which are baseless and nonsensical. "Oh hey, there is a sand dune here, let's make an artificial snowstorm over it so we can build a mountain ski resort." Everything was planned. After all, people needed to live. In what would have otherwise been the harshest conditions imaginable. This is what led to many of the peculiarities of Yazd architecture which I will show some of them.

 

Here is a panorama of the city

 

Tekiyeh-ye Amir Chakhmagh

 

 

Masjed Jameh

 

 

 

These minarets are the tallest I've seen in my life. They are much taller in person.

 

 

 

Now, some of the architectural features common in Yazd.

 

Wind vents

 

These served as a sort of ancient air conditioner. You may laugh but they work. I remember being in Meibod at the peak of summer heat, walking into a shaded OUTSIDE area which was cooled by these vents. It's like standing under the air conditioning vents at Walmart. People don't live in the desert for thousands of years without learning about how to cool down, that's for sure.

 

Water storage facilities

 

Yazd doesn't have water. It has always had to import water. People would store them underground to keep it from drying up and to keep it cool. Basements have always played an important role in Yazd, as well. Back in the day, people would live in their basements during the summer time. Because of the nature of gahgeli buildings, basements would insulate the cool air. It's very refreshing.

 

These water storage basements are closed off nowadays. But they still exist. (And they usually have a water tap on the outside, for if anyone is thirsty).

 

This is Chak Chak, outside of Yazd. Zoroastrians consider it sacred. I don't consider it sacred, I just think it's beautiful.

 

 

And lastly, as a reminder of how bad California sucks, here is some pictures of Yazd covered in snow:

 

 

 

 

[Hasan0404 2,028]

Ziarat  

Ziarat is a famous holiday resort of Balochistan. Ziarat (literally ziarat is an Islamic shrine) was the summer residence of the chief commissioner of Baluchistan, and sanatorium for the European troops. It is 8850 ft. above the sea, and is about 125 km from Quetta. The hills around are well-wooded and picturesque. Khilafat Hills are the highest peak with an altitude of 11,400 feet (3,475 m) in Ziarat.

Pakistan’s largest juniper forest is located in this reserve. 

Juniper Forest

http://www.newspakistan.pk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Juniper-Forest-3.jpg

Ziarat Residency

http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/6390781.jpg

Juniper is a strange looking tree, 

https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2628/4003399865_0d7cd53f3b_b.jpg

Cherry from Ziarat

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4032/4699031600_f5efaf6c2d_b.jpg

 

Edited December 8, 2015 by Hasan0404

[Hasan0404 2,028]

Why arent these links transforming into images 

[Reza 9,793]

Trip #1 Complete!!!!!

Overview of Trip:

Akita, Japan
Bratislava, Slovakia
Caracas, Venezuela
Daegu, South Korea
Ekbatan, I.R. Iran
Figuig, Morocco
Galle, Sri Lanka
Hingol National Park, Pakistan
Isfahan, I.R. Iran
Jakarta, Indonesia
Kazan, Russia
Lima, Peru
Mombasa, Kenya
North Pole, USA
Orumiyeh, I.R. Iran
Puebla, Mexico
Quebec, Canada
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Şanlıurfa, Turkey
Tabriz, I.R. Iran
Ürümqi, P.R. China
Veracruz, Mexico
Wasini Island, Kenya
Xuzhou, P.R. China
Yazd, I.R. Iran
Ziarat, Pakistan

Stats:

Most visited countries:
I.R. Iran (5)
Pakistan (2)
P.R. China (2)
Mexico (2)
Kenya (2)

Regions by visit:
Middle East (6)
South/Southeast Asia (4)
East Asia (4)
North America (4)
South America (3)
Africa (3)
Eurasia (2)
Central Asia (0)
Oceania (0)

 

[Marbles 15,845]

15 hours ago, Hasan0404 said:

Ziarat  

Ziarat is a famous holiday resort of Balochistan. Ziarat (literally ziarat is an Islamic shrine) was the summer residence of the chief commissioner of Baluchistan, and sanatorium for the European troops. It is 8850 ft. above the sea, and is about 125 km from Quetta. The hills around are well-wooded and picturesque. Khilafat Hills are the highest peak with an altitude of 11,400 feet (3,475 m) in Ziarat.

Pakistan’s largest juniper forest is located in this reserve. 

 

14 hours ago, Hasan0404 said:

Why arent these links transforming into images 

On bottom right corner "Insert other media" --> Insert Image from URL --> Boom!!

Juniper Forest

Ziarat Residency

Juniper is a strange looking tree

Cherry from Ziarat

@Hasan0404 thanks for choosing Ziarat. I've fond childhood memories of this beautiful little hill station. I have seen the old Ziarat residency with all the historical stuff in there. All destroyed by the terrorist bombs. I wonder how does the reconstruction looks like...

[Marbles 15,845]

Ok, let's begin anew.

Agra, Hindustan.

Suffice it to say that this city captures the essence of Mughal Islamic Indian history and architecture, with the famous Taj Mahal as its most prominent building.

Agra is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most populous in India It is a major tourist destination because of its many splendid Mughal-era buildings, most notably the Tāj Mahal, Agra Fort andFatehpūr Sikrī, all three of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The golden age of the city began with the Mughals. It was known then as Akbarabād and remained the capital of the Mughal Empire under the Emperors Akbar,Jahāngīr and Shāh Jahān. Shāh Jahān later shifted his capital to Shāhjahānabād in the year 1689.

 

Other places of interest:

1) Fatehpur Sikri Palace in the vicinity of Agra built by Mughal Emperor Akbar.

 

 

2) Agra Fort A marvel of Mughal Architecture.

 

3) Tomb of Akbar the Great.

 

4) Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah

 

5)  Jameh Masjid, Agra built on the orders of Shahjahan in 1648.

 

Edited December 9, 2015 by Marbles

[Hasan0404 2,028]

(salam)

Thank you brother.

I intend to visit Ziarat in a couple of weeks, will share images. This is it how it looks.

[Hasan0404 2,028]

And i will take the liberty to start over again from A :P The one who finishes should have the option to start from A.

So..........

So our own, OBL fame, Abbotabad

 Located in the Hazara region of the KP province. The city is well known throughout Pakistan for its pleasant weather, high-standard educational institutions and Military Establishment Pakistan Military Academy Kakul. It remains a popular hill station attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists every year

Abbottabad, under the Raj was the headquarters of the Hazara District during British rule of India. It was named after Major James Abbot who founded the town and district in January 1853 after the annexation of Punjab. He remained the first Deputy Commissioner of the Hazara district from 1849 until April 1853. Major Abbott is noted for having written a poem titled "Abbotabad", before he went back to Britain, in which he wrote of his fondness for the town and his sadness at having to leave it.

Poem by James Abbot

St. Luke Church

Thandiani

City View

 

 

Shimla Pahari

[Reza 9,793]

Bro, Marbles just did A...

[Hasan0404 2,028]

@magma my bad... I somehow couldnt see. Apologies

[Ibn al-Hussain 3,121]

Abyaneh, Iran - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abyaneh

 

This is a village near the city of Kashan, in Iran. Visited it back in 2013. It is one of the oldest villages in Iran and the women still wear their ancient traditional dresses. The village is populated with only old people, as the younger population lives in cities and works there. From the few people that I saw and spoke with at the village, I think the average age-range of the residents in this village was around 60+.

 

These are two pics I took my self:

 

 

 

 

Wassalam

[Reza 9,793]

Three A places now.... ?

Edited December 10, 2015 by magma

[Ibn al-Hussain 3,121]

14 minutes ago, magma said:

Three A places now.... ?

 

lol is this a game or something? Thought we just come and post pics of cities.

[Reza 9,793]

^^^^^ Yeah bro, but we gotta move on to the next letter. I wanna see how many times we finish the alphabet, also its supposed to make you think and be creative...

Edited December 10, 2015 by magma