Behind the Scenes
Behind the Scenes
The Aden water tanks or Cisterns of Tawila are a symbol of the long and varied history of this city. The city of Aden locates on the Gulf of Aden in the south of Yemen. Parts of the city are located on a peninsula shaped by an extinct volcano. The old part of the city is called the Crater district. Of course, the location is the volcano crater on the peninsula. The volcano rim forms the Shamsan Mountains. The peak is called […]
When were the world’s first skyscrapers built? If your answer is Manhattan you are wrong. You need to go farther to the East to Yemen. The city of Shibam with about 7,000 inhabitants and the capital for periods of the Hadramawt kingdom owes its fame to its distinct architecture. The houses of Shibam are made out of mud bricks. Still, there are about 500 tower houses, rising 5 to 9 storeys high. While Shibam has existed for around 2,000 years, […]
Sanaa, the capital of Yemen locates in the west of Yemen. Craggy, cleft and rocky landscapes surround the city. The mountains are part of the Central Highlands. Up to the present time, the capital is the largest city in Yemen. Taizz and Aden follow and are two other important Yemeni cities. The city of Sanaa has a very long history. With around 2300 m the city is, even more, one of the highest capitals in the world. The climate in Sanaa […]
A journey from Aden across the Yemeni Desert and Central Highlands to Sanaa the capital of Yemen is really a great adventure. It’s still early in the morning. The clouds have not vanished yet. The clouds hanging in the valleys and the view looks like from an aeroplane. The sun has not yet risen too much in the sky. However, impressive is the sunlight, with its long shadows on the rocks. The morning sunlight puts a veil of pinkish tint […]
One of the important and largest cities in Yemen is Aden. The city locates in the south of Yemen at the Gulf of Aden. Sanaa the capital of Yemen locates around three 300 km northwest. So far, Aden is an ancient city with a very long history and culture. The area is, actually, a bond between Africa and the Arabic peninsula. A part of the city locates on a peninsula. An extinct volcano formed the peninsula. The volcano rim forms the Shamsan Mountains. The peak […]
The gate to the world Shanghai was at all times the dream of every sailor in the world. Sometimes the city is called also the “Gate to the world”. Shanghai is one of the biggest agglomerations in the world. The urban centre counts around 15 million inhabitants. The whole agglomeration counts around 25 million inhabitants. It was and is still even today a very important business and trading centre. With the busiest harbour, a global financial centre and many industries, Shanghai is […]
The Summer Palace in Beijing is a fascinating place. During a stopover in Beijing, I took the opportunity to visit one of the city’s famous places. However, Beijing has many such great places. But the Summer Palace is an important part of Chinese history. The palace area combines a lake with palaces and gardens. The palaces and gardens were built on top and around a hill. From the top of the hill, it’s an amazing overview of the whole area. The palace is based on […]
Welcome to Memphis, Tennessee, that was the first what I read after a long journey from Frankfurt via Amsterdam to Memphis. What I know about the city isn’t so much. But some I remember from the books I read. The city locates on the Mississippi River. Probably the most famous and important river in North America. The city is home to Blues Music. Many world-famous musicians come from here. Indeed the famous Beal Street is one of the iconic places. But Memphis has […]
Memphis is not only famous for the Beale Street, BBQ and Blues music. The city especially Graceland is also the home of the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. He is one of the most famous icons in the entertainment business. Even though he was born in Tupelo, Tennessee he settled down in Memphis where he bought the Graceland mansion. Graceland is located at Elvis Presley Boulevard in the south of central Memphis. It’s easy to reach and has […]
China’s capital is Beijing located in the northeast of China. The city is one of the biggest metropolitan centres in the world. Also, the country has the highest population in the world. Anyway, China is one of the oldest civilizations on earth. As an empire, China exists for more than four thousand years. China is a country with many superlatives. The climate is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. The city suffers from smoke and heavy traffic as well as other problems. In two […]