Tag Archives: architecture

The breadth and impact of the Roman Empire always amazes me. And I marvel at the remarkable endurance of the artefacts left behind. Walking on roads that were laid over three thousand years ago never ceases to fill me with awe. I was travelling around Morocco in a bus with a small group of seasoned […]

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Istanbul is the heart of Türkiye – economically, culturally, and historically. It is quite literally at the crossroads of Europe and Asia – sitting, as it does, either side of the Bosphorus Strait: part of the imaginary divide between the two continents. Strategically located along the historic Silk Road, it commands the only sea route […]

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Sorong, the largest city in the newly-formed Indonesian province of Southwest Papua, is the sort of place people usually go through rather than to. As the logistics hub for Indonesia’s thriving eastern oil and gas frontier, it harbours a busy industrial port. For tourists and scientists, it is the gateway to Raja Ampat, a collection […]

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It is like stepping into the past – but with artists’ ateliers, boutique shops, and great coffee! Saint-Cirq Lapopie is a heritage-listed medieval village in the southwest of France. Located on a steep cliff, 100m above the Lot River, it originally served as a defensive and administrative centre for one of the local viscomtés – […]

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Colour and pattern is everywhere! Tiled walls and fountains are around each corner and intricate wood, brass, and plaster work decorate every building in old Meknes. Founded in the 11th century under the Almoravid Berber dynasty, Meknes is one of Morocco’s four Imperial Cities: that is, it was once the capital of the country, and […]

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