The city where Alexander the Great was foretold conquest of the world. The city where Cleopatra used to go only to wash in warm healing springs to. The city that is hard to find on a map today without some fine optics. Siwa. In the heart of Sakhara in 560 kilometers away from Cairo small village with incommensurably big history is cunningly hidden awaiting “its” zetetic visitor.
Many populated localities of Egypt where erased from the face of earth with the rubber of either hostile armies or sandy hug of the desert. Siwa Oasis is a lucky one in this respect. First dwellings emerged here 10 000 years ago – and the city somehow survives until now in no small measure due to restlessness of tourists. According to another theory, guests have nothing to do with that and Siwa withstood being under the auspice of Amun – ancient Egyptian god, in his honor a temple was built here as far back as in 6th century B.C. Legend tells that when a Persian king Cambyses attempted at conquering the city, its enormous army disappeared in the desert without a trace. History is silent on the details.Photo amazontouregypt.com
Siwa wasn’t of the least importance in the life of Alexander the Great – it was there where he was predicted fame of the conqueror of the world, after that a content warlord made a will to be buried in the city. Sure enough, the majority of divine messages and prophecies of those times were of perfectly human nature. Nowadays it is easy to make sure of it when inspecting temple remnants to find small niches in the walls where epiphany-whispering ministers of cult used to hide.
Egyptians used to bury the dead pompously and in a big way, even in such a distant oasis. However, no one got a personal pyramid; instead the Mountain of the Dead that quite literarily hangs over the city looks massive as well. Sadly, sepulchral halls were mostly ransacked in wartime, but bas-reliefs and wall paintings that survived vandalism are wonderfully preserved. Therefore it is strictly forbidden to take pictures of “hosts” portraits that ornament shrines – structure of ancient paints is destructed even by such trifles as a simple camera flash.Photo guillenphoto.com
If you climb to the very top of the necropolis, you’ll see an overwhelmingly yellow view on the village on one side and an endless desert on the other. This area is called the Great Sand Sea.
When in Siwa you change scene of an era as if on a click to be taken away so far back to the past that it seems as if the air, the walls and the people around know and saw something more than you. It is probably the effect of the modest set of conveniences habitual for the citizens. A hospital, a school and a bus to the closest large city – these are all the blessings of civilization of the place. And local household almost didn’t change over centuries: people keep building houses of clay and grow olives and dates, women still wear traditional clothing and donkey-drawn carriages remain primary means of transport.Photo gites.fr
Against a moderate charge in the amount of a couple of dollar notes one can have a ride in a wagon of the kind, try some date wine and stock up on various and sundry souvenirs even not for the closest friends. Headrails, jewelry, jewelry-boxes and baskets – all these handiworks of Siwa citizens are unique. Thumbing through tourist notes of those who spent their hard-earned there of all places you realize that authentic makeshift weapon enjoys high demand. It is almost no other place but local smithery where one can order manjal – a special serrated knife with a long handle for palm leaves felling.Photo pinterest.com
Don’t forget to visit local springs before you leave. As any oasis, Siwa survives thank to lakes. But, alongside cold waters that drench ground, there are hot mineral wells. Most famous of them is named after Cleopatra. It is believed that the queen used to come here in order to take healing baths. There is no way to verify the legend. Modern skeptics would probably be satisfied only with a picture of an ancient beauty in a bathing suit. Anyway, every man and more importantly every woman can try the anti-aging spring. And you must agree that it is much more pleasant to dip into warm water imagining yourself somebody like a prototype of Vivien Leigh or Elizabeth Taylor. On your way back you will at least have a right to regally cast eyes upon everyone from top downward with a hint of affectedness, heated with the sun of the desert. Because you have probably become in a way allied to Cleopatra while they have not.
Often the Balkan countries are deemed to be something very close to us in terms of mentality, culture and traditions, that traveling there seems to be something second-rate, no match for a trip to Europe, or to some islands. However, today we would like to tell about magic Balkan cities that can compete with the much favoured tourist centres!
This mysterious eastern country can surprise even the most experienced tourist. We are convinced of this and will gladly tell you why. And let's start with the fact that tourism in today's Turkmenistan is a rather promising and dynamic economic sector.
Today in our review dedicated to the most interesting streets of the planet we are going to talk about Brivibas. The old city of Riga is truly magnificent and finely preserved part of Latvian capital. Verily here there are more tourists and less local citizens, however, 350-400 years ago around it there was nothing and city resembled inaccessible medieval fortress in semi-Scandinavian and semi-European style. All of its population could place here…
A function of UNESCO World Heritage Committee is to work in the most careful manner year after year on studying objects that constitute outstanding culture civilizations and are unique in their origins. Under number 569 of an impressive list of the organization city of Gjirokastër, the one from the south of Albania, is located – it is it we are going to study today through the length and breadth.
In the world there are two Cartagenas. In both, their inhabitants speak Spanish, love bullfighting, and in the evenings they go to the beach to skip the mojito and breathe the salty wind. But only in one of them a rhythm of hot salsa, placers of emeralds and pearls can burst into a languid city walk, and bright, hot beauties can cross the road. And this is Colombia!
Countries often flaunt their natural beauties: they invite tourists allowing them to examine closely every detail of jewellery coined by the nature. Among beauties, there are some that are the most extravagantly bright, showy and bizarre, and sometimes even wild for our eyes. African Ethiopia grabbed one of the most beautiful accessories - Dallol volcano.
When winds start wandering among those stone, caressing peaks of sand barchans and forcing down rare vegetationm entire space around gets filled with marvellous sounds. Herdsmen, who happen to spend nights in one of the most mysterious deserts of the globe, tell about drumrolls, enchanting sounds of flute and voices, murmuring something indistinguishable.
To visit three countries over one day – it is possible if you are in Aachen. Situated amid Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, small student town took in features of medieval culture that reflected in its astonishing architecture. Yelena Buravtsova visited the town for it to win her heart with its off-beat monuments, streets paved with stone blocks, cozy cafés, one of a kind printed spice cake, museums and spectacular races.
Even being adults, sometimes we are able to bring to life the children’s fantasies, see the stories from childish dreams, and embody what has seemed to be the fairytale. Have you ever dreamt of being in the whale’s chaps? Just imagine that you were swollen by the giant fish, and you were living there for a long time, looked at it inside, settled down there, swam and dived there?
Impressions of this city depend much on what you have visited before being introduced to it. After Los Angeles it may seem very business-like and culturally rich, after New York – provincial and old-fashioned somehow. In any case, it has a bright and memorable face of a gentleman from Massachusetts.
The Japanese are very creative people, especially when it comes to rice. If they have some extra spare time and large spacious rice paddies, then routine process of growing an agricultural crop turns into art...
Eastern cities are hard to imagine without a huge number of the commercial places. It is in the genes of the local citizens to sell and buy regardless their age and status. Despite the fact that Istanbul is semi-European city, the metropolis has prominent oriental features. So as to know exactly where to go and what to buy, OUTLOOK talks about the most spectacular markets after returning from Istanbul.
Nature and heritage are above and beyond temporary drawbacks in infrastructure and services of Kyrgyzstan, which in terms of tourism is approaching to Georgia and Armenia. Let's consider this through the example of the cosy city of Karakol.
Kyrgyzstan is called Middle Asian Switzerland. Mountains, rivers, waterfalls, caves, cols and green meadows aren’t a speck inferior in terms of aesthetics to European ones yet travelers haven't duly appreciated this country so far. Across-the-board exploration of the land by the state’s guests has only just begun. And alongside hotels that are being swiftly erected, ordinary yurts are still offered for residence to feel local natural.
On this great holiday for all Christians of the Orthodox rite, we want to present you a video about the holy places of Palestine, namely the city of Bethlehem.
Many travelers just don’t want to go into all the troubles to get an American visa for some two weeks of holidays. But having glanced at pictures of Puerto Rican Mosquito Bay they’ll change their minds instantly. Dark sea slick, silence… when suddenly mysterious green glow from the depth extends the darkness to shock the public on the shore.
There are hardly many travelers who would go somewhere further than city centre where their hotel is situated when on a short-term journey. And if location is a metropolis on top of everything else, such “outside” trips are sure to be put on hold till better occasions.
Except for Russian-speaking countries, nowhere else a round metal attraction is called a devil’s wheel. Named after its creator, Ferris wheel first opened panorama of Chicago city from 80-meter height in 1893. Since then rotating upright wheels with multiple passenger cabins began to spring up almost in every big city. OUTLOOK offers you to learn about the most impressive observation wheels.
Everybody remembers a child’s fairy tale about the magical rainbow-colored flower that could make wishes come true. But some of us don’t know that it actually exists. Not so much in the shape of a flower but more like in granular state. We mean the sand that one of the villages on Mauritius, called Shamarel, is covered with.
When planning a trip to Ligurian coast, even do not hope that within several days you will manage to explore the length and breadth of it. So you would only irritate your craving for travelling. Each ingredient of Liguria coast can only be savoured forgetting about the existence of the rest of the world. The port city of Genoa (Italian: Genova) is the chief city of the Liguria region.
Photo amazontouregypt.com
Photo guillenphoto.com
Photo gites.fr
Photo pinterest.com
