Official ShiaChat A-Z Virtual Travel Thread

[Marbles 16,080]

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 8,069]

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 2,031]

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 2,031]

Why arent these links transforming into images 

[Reza 10,880]

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 16,080]

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 16,080]

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 2,031]

(salam)

Thank you brother.

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

[Hasan0404 2,031]

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 10,880]

Bro, Marbles just did A...

[Hasan0404 2,031]

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

[Ibn al-Hussain 4,081]

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 10,880]

Three A places now.... ?

Edited December 10, 2015 by magma

[Ibn al-Hussain 4,081]

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 10,880]

^^^^^ 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

[Servidor 841]

L doesn't follow A.

Edited December 11, 2015 by Servidor

[Reza 10,880]

@Servidor Does L come after A in the Cyrillic alphabet or something?

[Servidor 841]

2 minutes ago, magma said:

@Servidor Does L come after A in the Cyrillic alphabet or something?

No. It does not. Forgive me.

[baradar_jackson 8,069]

Bam, I.R. Iran

 

Bam is a small city in Kerman province. It is best known for the deadly earthquake which rocked it in 2003 (?), and for its historic fortress (which is called an "arg").

 

Some pics of Bam and its fortress:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, Bam is also a kahgeli city. Every desert city in Iran has this type of architecture.

 

Fun fact: the mayor of Bam is called kazekage.

[Reza 10,880]

3 minutes ago, Servidor said:

No. It does not. Forgive me.

Don't worry. L will be reserved for you when (if) the time comes.

[baradar_jackson 8,069]

I have to put more pictures of Bam because I think it's too beautiful. The Bam fortress is maybe my favorite building ever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obligatory snow pictures:

 

 

 

 

FYI the population of Bam is around 70 thousand. That actually makes it smaller than my village by around 30 thousand. But we don't have anything nearly as cool as the Bam fortress.

[LeftCoastMom 5,021]

^ I like the crenelations. 

[baradar_jackson 8,069]

One last note and then I'll shut up: the pictures you see are old Bam. As you can tell, it does not look like it can fit 70 thousand people. That's because there is also a newer, c.rappier part of town, which lie outside the historic fortified walls. It's the same for any old walled city. You have the old (good) part, and the new (stupid) part. I won't bother showing pictures of the new part because it's typical third world garbage nonsense.

[LeftCoastMom 5,021]

Do they make any attempt to arrest the natural decay of the ancient section? Due to the state of the buildings...looks like no one lives there.

[baradar_jackson 8,069]

That's probably because of the earthquake. I am almost certain people still live in the non-dilapidated houses. Not sure when these were taken or whether the dilapidated ones were rebuilt.

[Marbles 16,080]

Old Bam looks like a readymade film set for shooting a movie set in Akkadian times.

[Tonks 767]

Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town is a city in South Africa. It ranks third among the most populous urban areas in South Africa, after Johannesburg, and has roughly the same population as the Durban Metropolitan Area.^[5] It is also the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape.

As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. The city is famous for its harbour, for its natural setting in the Cape Floristic Region, as well as for such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. As of 2014 it is the 10th most populous city in Africa and home to 64% of the Western Cape's population.^[6] It is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, reflecting its role as a major destination for immigrants and expatriates^[7] to South Africa. The city was named the World Design Capital for 2014 by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design.^[8] In 2014, Cape Town was named the best place in the world to visit by both The New York Times^[9] and The Telegraph.^[10]

Located on the shore of Table Bay, Cape Town was first developed by the Dutch East India Company as a victualling (supply) station for Dutch ships sailing to East Africa, India, and the Far East. Jan van Riebeeck's arrival on 6 April 1652 established the first permanent European settlement in South Africa. Cape Town quickly outgrew its original purpose as the first European outpost at the Castle of Good Hope, becoming the economic and cultural hub of the Cape Colony. Until the Wi[Edited Out]ersrand Gold Rush and the development of Johannesburg, Cape Town was the largest city in South Africa.

Cape Town is located at latitude 33.55° S (approx. the same as Sydney and Buenos Aires and equivalent to Casablanca and Los Angeles in the northern hemisphere) and longitude 18.25° E. Table Mountain, with its near vertical cliffs and flat-topped summit over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) high, and with Devil's Peak and Lion's Head on either side, together form a dramatic mountainous backdrop enclosing the central area of Cape Town, the so-called City Bowl. A thin strip of cloud, known colloquially as the "tablecloth", sometimes forms on top of the mountain. To the immediate south, the Cape Peninsula is a scenic mountainous spine jutting 40 kilometres (25 mi) southwards into the Atlantic Ocean and terminating at Cape Point. There are over 70 peaks above 300 m (980 ft) within Cape Town's official city limits. Many of the city's suburbs lie on the large plain called the Cape Flats, which extends over 50 kilometres (30 mi) to the east and joins the peninsula to the mainland. The Cape Flats is situated on what is known as a rising marine plain, consisting mostly of sandy geology and confirming that at one point Table Mountain was itself an island.^{[citation needed]}. The Cape Town region generally, with its Mediterranean climate, extensive coastline, rugged mountain ranges, coastal plains, inland valleys and semi-desert fringes, has much in common with Southern California.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Town

 

 

[Sumayyeh 2,734]

 @baradar_jackson  thanks for the Bam pics...takes me back to the time of that massive earthquake (I think back in '09). Structures that survived thousands of years became demolished...

do you know if they were able to re-construct to a good degree? I know they've been having restoration projects.

[_Fatima 612]

Dunedin, New Zealand

"Dunedin is a city in New Zealand, at the head of Otago Harbour on the South Island’s southeast coast. It's known for its Scottish and Maori heritage, Victorian and Edwardian architecture and a large student population. Hiking and cycling trails crisscross the dramatic landscape of the adjoining Otago Peninsula, home to colonies of albatrosses, sea lions and rare yellow-eyed penguins."

 

[StarryNight 1,225]

Ensenada (Spanish pronunciation: [enseˈnaða]) is a coastal city in Mexico, the third-largest in Baja California. Lying 125 kilometres (78 mi) south of San Diego on the Baja California Peninsula, it is locally referred to as La Cenicienta del Pacífico, "The Cinderellaof the Pacific."^[1]

One of the first settlements founded in the Californias, Ensenada has emerged as a cruise ship destination, aerospace center, and there is a nearby region to the north east where wine grapes are grown.^{[citation needed]} It is said that the first Vitis vinifera made it to the region's San Ignacio Mission in 1703, when Jesuit Padre Juan de Ugarte planted the first vineyards there.

Situated on the coastline of Bahía de Todos Santos—an inlet of the Pacific Ocean on the peninsula's Gold Coast—the Port of Ensenada is an important commercial, fishing, and tourist port. The city is home to a navy base, army base, and Ensenada Airport, a military airfield which doubles as an airport of entry into Mexico.

 

 

[_Fatima 612]

Fuengirola, Spain

"Fuengirola (/fʊˌɛnhiˈrɒlə/ fuu-en-hee-rol-ə; Spanish: [fweŋxiˈɾola]), in ancient times known as Suel and then Suhayl, is a large town and municipality on the Costa del Sol in the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is located on the central coast of the province and integrated into the region of the Costa del Sol and the Commonwealth of Municipalities of the Costa del Sol Occidental.[2]

It is a major tourist resort, with more than 8 km of beaches and a mediaeval Moorish fortress. In common with much of this coast, it has been the subject of considerable urban development. The area has a subtropical Mediterranean climate, with annual average temperatures of 18 °C and average summer temperatures of over 30 °C."

 

 

[baradar_jackson 8,069]

Guilin, PRC

 

 

 

This is a region in southeast China, known for it's beautiful and odd-shaped mountains.

 

It was also the setting for the last part of Yu Suzuki's masterpiece video game, Shenmue II.

 

 

 

[cPage33 0]

Me and my lads are planning to spend the Holiday in Canary Island. I was suggesting them that we should go to Tenerife first I heard is pretty famous for travelers there and i have been reading this article here in https://www.canaryislandsinfo.co.uk/tenerife/places/ and it just seems pretty wonderful. Can you give me any advice where to go and where are the best spots in Canary Island?