Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Kok-Gumbaz interior
Inside the blue dome, were exquisite paintings of palm trees and marvellously fine patterns in white, blue and gold.
Shahrisabz
The Kok-Gumbaz (blue dome) mosque and the mausoleum complex with Timur's intended tomb behind.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
White Palace - Aksaray
Fragments of Timur's Aksaray (White Palace in Turkish) still stand in Sharisabz - my impression was that this was the front-portal.
Remains of magnificent mosaiques on both walls and floors can be seen.
Remains of magnificent mosaiques on both walls and floors can be seen.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Amir Timur
In Shahrisabz, Timur Lenk built a large palace and planned his tomb (but is not buried there). Local couples take wedding pictures by his statue (on an ordinary weekday we saw 3 or 4).
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Samarkand market bustle
Going to the market during the day was a totally different experience, with a mass of produce on sale.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Bibi-Khanym, a closer look
The top picture shows a stand for the world's reportedly largest Quran, shown in a museum in Samarkand.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Cracks on the inside
The damage on the buildings is seen best from the inside and no restoration seems to be enough.
Bibi-Khanym
Bibi-Khanym is a monument over Timur's wife. It pushed the extent of what architecture could perform at the time and it is in bad crumbling shape, also after earthquakes.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
More Middle East reading in an eventful July
This July is really turning out quite interesting, so lots of reading links here again.
A lot of Svenska Dagbladet-reporting as usual and I really wonder how discussions run between the editorial committe and the foreign policy-reporters?
Here is on labour conditions in Saudi-arabia, anyways.
A series of Bitte Hammargren-articles: on Syrians and Lebanese, on Lebanese conclusions from the exchange of prisoners with Israel and on diverging emotions in Israel and Lebanon.
The Svenska Dagbladet editorial on the issue of the prisoner exchange...
BBC writes on hopes for regional peace after the Paris summit earlier in the week.
Stephen Larrabee writes for Foreign Affairs on Turkey and the Middle East.
Abu Dhabi's new The National is emerging as an important media player on Gulf affairs, here on Iran's motives and hopes and steps.
Joost Hiltermann, here in MERIP, on the Kurds in Iraq.
A James Rubin op-ed in NY Times on the opening of a US interest section in Tehran. Svenska Dagbladet writes on the same issue here, quoting the Guardian.
Al-Jazeera looks at the stance of Arab media to the ongoing crisis in Darfur.
ICG has published actively, here on the position of Lebanon's Christians in the new political board, as well as on ruling Palestine.
As a followup to last week's ICG-report on Iraqi refugees, I here share the Norwegian research institute FAFO's work on Iraqis in Jordan.
Radio Free Europe writes on Iranians in Dubai, finding a hard life also away from hardships at home.
The National writes on Emirati involvements in Central Asia, here in Kazakhstan.
BBC links Al-Qaida to last week's Istanbul attack.
Egyptian author Alaa al-Aswany (The Yaqoubian Building and Chicago), is also featured in the National.
BBC tells the story of the screening of the Israeli film on the Egyptian band visiting, in Cairo.
Thwo important Swedish editorial writes, usually very far apart, have written a book together on fashion and style in politics!
Dagens Nyheter interviews Saskia Sassen on globalization and the nation-state.
A lot of Svenska Dagbladet-reporting as usual and I really wonder how discussions run between the editorial committe and the foreign policy-reporters?
Here is on labour conditions in Saudi-arabia, anyways.
A series of Bitte Hammargren-articles: on Syrians and Lebanese, on Lebanese conclusions from the exchange of prisoners with Israel and on diverging emotions in Israel and Lebanon.
The Svenska Dagbladet editorial on the issue of the prisoner exchange...
BBC writes on hopes for regional peace after the Paris summit earlier in the week.
Stephen Larrabee writes for Foreign Affairs on Turkey and the Middle East.
Abu Dhabi's new The National is emerging as an important media player on Gulf affairs, here on Iran's motives and hopes and steps.
Joost Hiltermann, here in MERIP, on the Kurds in Iraq.
A James Rubin op-ed in NY Times on the opening of a US interest section in Tehran. Svenska Dagbladet writes on the same issue here, quoting the Guardian.
Al-Jazeera looks at the stance of Arab media to the ongoing crisis in Darfur.
ICG has published actively, here on the position of Lebanon's Christians in the new political board, as well as on ruling Palestine.
As a followup to last week's ICG-report on Iraqi refugees, I here share the Norwegian research institute FAFO's work on Iraqis in Jordan.
Radio Free Europe writes on Iranians in Dubai, finding a hard life also away from hardships at home.
The National writes on Emirati involvements in Central Asia, here in Kazakhstan.
BBC links Al-Qaida to last week's Istanbul attack.
Egyptian author Alaa al-Aswany (The Yaqoubian Building and Chicago), is also featured in the National.
BBC tells the story of the screening of the Israeli film on the Egyptian band visiting, in Cairo.
Thwo important Swedish editorial writes, usually very far apart, have written a book together on fashion and style in politics!
Dagens Nyheter interviews Saskia Sassen on globalization and the nation-state.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Restoration incomplete
Sher-i Dor is in the worst shape of the three medressas around the Registan, even if it is the youngest of them. But still it felt the most genuine in many ways.
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