Diamonds are forever???

The film Blood Diamond has revisited a debate on the price of diamonds, the human and social price paid in countries of origin. This was very hot also a few years ago, as a result of the civil wars of the 1990's, which resulted in Kimberley process in where the diamond industry and (some 70-odd members of) the United Nations could cooperate to stop the dirty trade.

The organization Global Witness also works on this issue, as well as Amnesty International.

And here is an additional link.

Learning more is always a good basis for making good decisions. Let's hope this does not mean that diamonds will be stigmatized, but actually lead to deeper knowledge and further clean-up.

These boots are made for walking?

This is sort of on demand, or at least I have promised several people to show pictures of the übercool boots I recently fell for. They are embroidered on velvet from Uzbekistan and made into boots in Turkey, according the the Grand Bazaar seller (my favourite corner, where I can never find my way before getting soundly lost first..., features a lot of Central Asian and Afghan sellers with very nice handicraft works for sale).

And yes, it is possible but not easy to walk on them. And I have worn them to the office!

Misleading and rectifying...

Of course, it turned out there is a special name for the instrument-which-is-not-a-classical-oud! It's called a baglama! Apparently though it's different from the Greek rembetiko-instrument of the same name (don't ask me!). I't s supposed to be one of the most used Turkish folk music instruments and has a very nice soft sound to it.

This is an oud, anyways.

Inscriptions

Commagenian remains abound in the hills near to Nemrut. This was a firmly Hellenistic world, but east of the Euphrates and so outside of entrenched Roman rule. Which was where, in the balance between them and the Persians, realms like Commagene found a place for themselves.

Internet freedom

Read here and here (in Swedish) about current developments in Egypt on this important and difficult topic.

Also, Reporters without borders follow developments in the issue continuously.

Some more stunners...

Very photogenique, wouldn't you say?

Adiyaman views

The surrounding landscape among the Taurus heights. To my amazement, the local population somehow managed to eke out a living from agriculture also on the barren-looking hillsides. It was more feast for the eyes, than the stomach, I believe...

Conspiracy theory

Make your own conspiracy theory!

We all hear them, we know they go around. Sometimes they make the world go around too. Some countries abound more than others (at least where I tend to go ;-) ). Conspiracy theorists frequently set the agenda. And now, you can even make your own...

The truth is out there!

Mt Nemrut views

The setting and scenery were mindblowing, and the whole project of heightening a Taurus summit for a grave also! But Antiochos continues to impress with his high-placed site, elevating towards the skies.

More Nemrut images

The lions were very striking, and there was also a relief of a lion probably symbolizing the astrological date of Antiochos, but I don't seem to have any proper pictures of it.

Now you probably think there was literally no end to the marvels, but there was, actually!

Reliefs in the cliffs

Apart from the giant broken statues, there are also some magnificent reliefs to be found on the two terraces (this from the western). Not least striking is of course the setting among the cliffs.

More Nemrut faces

Human and godly faces. Awesome!

Common ground?

This BBC poll gives us at least some hope in possibilities of building political and personal bridges over the divides currently shaping world affairs. It also gives hope that most people are in fact not extreme in their views. Help us build on this!

Eastern terrace

More images from the Eastern terrace of Antichos mountain-top shrine on Nemrut, in the Taurus.

Teheran photo special

This week's edition of Newsweek magazine has a photo special from Teheran, which you may enjoy. The photos are quite striking in black and white, but is, despite the name "Modern life in Iran" very focussed on religious and revolutionary aspects of life and the streets.

I have also done some work recently (if not all at once) on the links in the righthand margin. Take a look through them, if you find something to your interest.

Antiochos, Zeus and Ahura-Mazda

This very special mix of deities that filled the Commagenian universe.

Recommendations

Just to remind all of you in Stockholm (unless of course you belong to those of my friends who regularly hang out there already...) about the fantastic scene at Södra Teatern. Concerts, clubs, lecture series - you name it and they give it!

A friend also recommended this - a service that delivers a boxful of ecological fruit&veg to your Stockholm door every week. I am dying to try it myself, but will have to wait.

Mr Nemrut!

Here it is, the magnificent mountain-cum-grave of Antiochos of Commagene, a small Hellenistic kingdom in the Eastern Taurus, surviving by playing off the Romans and the Persians against each other. (read also)

The views and the site were breathtaking, but not least amazing on this December morning was at all getting up there. Usually, snow blocks the road in the winter season but we had very mild weather.



The Eastern terrace, with images of the king among his gods and ancestors, both Persian and Greek. Walking around among these deities and pondering the vanity of the builder and his success was quite an experience.

Atatürk dam

An early December morning, at daybreak, we stopped by the viewpoint to see the enormous turbines of the Atatürk dam, one of the prestige projects of the republic.



And here, the dam at sunrise.

The Ottoman Bank and other learning experiences

We spent a weekend in Istanbul and saw a number of interesting exhibitions. (find a list of Istanbul museums here)

Foremost, perhaps, was the Museum of the Ottoman Bank, located in their old Karaköy building. The vaults gave very interesting insights on social and economic issues during the last decades before the First World War, including photos and files on all their diverse staff in cities across the empire. Fascinating!

They also gave a special exhibition on symbols and aestethics in European nation-building in the 20's and 30's - comparing France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Soviet Russia and Turkey - which was quite striking. I can't find a web presence for it though, but will add it for you later if I do.

We also saw the Gengiz Han-exhibition on Mongol-Turkish history at the Sabanci Museum, in it's beautiful Bosphorus kösk. The Mongols in history have always been rather obscure to me, but is here illustrated well and as a coherent whole (even if I find some Asian religious imagery difficult to understand and digest).

Oud!

I have bought an oud! Or, at least I think it is one, even if it is smaller, more pearshaped than a traditional one and has a longer neck (pictures to come). If there is another name for it, please enlighten me...

This will surprise you, as I am not a musical person (at least not a performing one - I DO appreciate music! and especially so-called oriental music - find some traditional oud equilibrists in the link above for inspiration). The intention is actually not to learn to play, first of all (even if we may be inspired to that eventually, I guess) but for decorative purposes...

Another oud-link: here

Open internet

A friend reminded me today of the importance of an open internet. One of the frontlines of the struggle for that (even if I am sure there are many more) is in the Arab world today. Read this recent report on the situation.