Tag:asia

 Dammam, Dhahran and Al Khobar

Dammam, Dhahran and Al Khobar

The triplets Dammam, Dhahran and Al Khobar are three major cities in Saudi Arabia. All three belong to the Eastern Province. The province borders in the east the Persian Gulf. However, southeast Qatar and the United Arabic Emirates are not far from Dammam. From Al Khobar starts the 26 km long “King Fahd Causeway”. The highway connects Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. That is the only connection between both countries. The three cities of Dammam, Dhahran and Al Khobar are linked together […]

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Dehradun the gate to northern India

Dehradun the gate to northern India

Dehradun the gate to northern India is a city in the northern part of India. The city is the capital of the north Indian district of Uttarakhand. Dehradun is approximately 250 km north of New Delhi. By train, it takes around six hours to travel time from New Delhi. The district of Uttarakhand borders in the north to China. While in the east the border is with Nepal. Some of the highest mountains in India are situated in this district. Two […]

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Himalayan foothills in northern India

Himalayan foothills in Northern India

The Himalayan foothills in northern India are part of the north Indian district of Uttarakhand. Dehradun is the capital of this district. The district of Uttarakhand borders in north China. While in the east the border is with Nepal. Some of the highest mountains in India are situated here.  Two of the four most important Hindu sanctuaries have their home here as well. Moreover, it’s the headwater of the rivers Ganges and Yamuna. Both are India’s holy rivers. Both rivers flow […]

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The Aden water tanks in Tawila gorge

Aden water tanks

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 […]

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The world's first skyscrapers

The world’s first skyscrapers

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, […]

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Sanaa, One Thousand and One Nights

Sanaa, One Thousand and One Nights

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 […]

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Yemeni Desert and Central Highlands

Yemeni Desert and Central Highlands

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 […]

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Aden, the city in a volcanic crater

Aden, the city in a volcanic crater

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 […]

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Shanghai

Shanghai

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 […]

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