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The Taj Mahal: Shah Jahan’s Vision of Paradise

by Em. Prof. Bernard Hoffert

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Architecture

Eternal City Silk Road Samarkand

Uzbekistan: Journey Through the Fabled Silk Road

Journey through the fabled Silk Road cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, where ancient towns and caravanserais, strung like pearls …

Exterior, Himeji Castle, Japan. Photo by Martin Mette, Dreamstime 3621691 | Dreamstime.com Interior Himeji Castle, Japan. Photo by Nathan, Dreamstime 9423553 | Dreamstime.com

Japanese Castles: Authenticity and Paradox

The Japanese castle is one of the most iconic and seemingly eternal fixtures of Japan, but it is also a …

Sicilian Baroque: Splendour Reborn from Ruin

Experiencing the Sicilian Baroque brings the visitor closer to the authentic flavour of this most remarkable of all Mediterranean islands …

Panorama of Odeon, Ephesos, Türkiye.

Ionian Cities of the Eastern Aegean

Scattered along the Western coast of modern Türkiye, stand a series of ruined cities. All Greek in origin, these settlements …

Meera Temple Chittorgarh Fort

Chittorgarh Fort, A Monument to Rajput Bravery

In a land of legends few places feature as dramatically as the great Rajput fort of Chittorgarh. Its history resounds …

Ginkaku-ji Silver Pavilion Kyoto Japan

Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu’s Ambition: Kinkaku-ji & Ginkaku-ji

In the historic city of Kyoto, two Zen temples stand as shimmering symbols of Japan’s cultural refinement: Kinkaku-ji and Ginkaku-ji. …

Amber fort Rajasthan

The Forts of Rajasthan: Strategic Integration Into the Landscape

The great fortresses crowning the hilltops of the Aravalli range, six of which are UNESCO World Heritage listed, echo the …

Sümela Monastery: A Highlight of the Black Sea Region

The Sümela Monastery Clings to a Sheer Cliff High Above Evergreen Forests Sümela Monastery on Mount Melá is dedicated to …

Victor Horta: The Key European Art Nouveau Architect

Brussels was the cradle of Art Nouveau that spread across the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. …

Abhayagir Dagoba, Anuradhapura Sri Lanka. Photo courtesy of Red Dot Tours

Wonders of Sri Lanka: The Historic Ruins of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya

From the magnificent highland forests and exotic flora of the coast, to the vast wildlife parks home to elephants, leopards, …

Lectures

Fresco Painting in the Veneto

Fresco Painting in the Veneto

Some of Italy’s most celebrated paintings were created using the ancient technique of fresco, of which a significant number are located in the Veneto.

Caravaggio in Sicily

Caravaggio in Sicily

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio is one of art history’s most fascinating personalities: a painter of genius and a man possessed of a violent, mercurial temperament.

Statues of kings, Grand Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Everywhere the Glint of Gold

After its long awaited opening, the Grand Egyptian Museum is now open and for the first time all the treasures from Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb are on display together. In this lecture Lucia reveals many lesser-known but wonderful items.

Sur, Oman

From desert trails to ocean sails

The distinctive landscapes of Oman were shaped by the ancient trade routes that crossed them, conveying luxury goods such as spices, textiles and incense between Africa, Arabia and the wider world of the Indian Ocean.

Paintings in Stone: Mosaics of Roman North Africa

Paintings in Stone

Between the 2nd and the 4th centuries CE, the mosaic workshops in the cities of the Roman Provinces of Africa (modern western Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco) excelled in the production of high quality coloured figurative and geometric pattern mosaics