Beijing Olympics 2008 - Basketball Gymnasium

The next in line is an Official Olympics Postcard, issued at the eve of Beijing Olympics 2008, by the State Postal Bureau of  the People's Republic of China. The postcard depicts the grandeur building of Basketball Gymnasium.

The gymnasium covers a total area of 168,000 sq m and is about 7 floors high - with 3 floors underground and 4 above the ground. It has a total capacity of about 18,000 spectators.

One of the best features of the Gymnasium is its Energy Efficiency and it was one of the seven Green Venues for  Beijing Olympics. It has a funnel-shaped LCD Display System which is the first set of comprehensive displays in China that is able to meet the demands of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Not only are the standards met for basketball games, the LED system is also capable of being used for theatrical performances, real-time broadcasts and background imagery.

Furthermore, all audience seats are upholstered for comfort and convenience. On the second floor, there are 45 luxury boxes, with 29 large ones and 16 small ones.

By adopting a rainwater recycling system, easy-to-clean glass and other technologies, the designers fully implemented the idea of "Green Olympics, High-tech Olympics, and People's Olympics" into the construction of Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium.

The postcards were sold with a printed stamp of 80 Yuan (If I am not wrong!).

Thanks Edward for such a magnificent postcard to grace my collection.

Golden Sand Beach from China - A UNESCO World Heritage Site

Here is a Magnificent Postcard from China depicting one of the views of Huanglong: Scenic and Historic Interest Area. The view depicted on the postcard is of Golden Sand Beach.

It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site from China, and is popular for its colorful views. You can read more at my UNESCO Postcards Blog here.

Buddhist Monastery and Ruins at Takht-i-Bahi

It is astonishing to know that people from oldest times were more civilized and well-behaved as compared to present times, keeping in mind the technological backwardness and lack of infrastructure. This magnificent piece of architecture of a Buddhist Monastery was discovered in 1st Century and it is quite well-preserved till date.

The complex consists of court of stupas, temple complex, monastical complex and residential cells. All rooms are well-constructed using bricks.
The irony of the time is that, even most of the Pakistanis do not know about this site or have not seen it themselves. A large majority has even not heard about it. It is one of the only 6 UNESCO World Heritage Site from Pakistan included in the UNESCO list.
You can read more on my UNESCO Sites Blog at: "Buddhist Ruins of Takht-i-Bahi and Neighbouring City Remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol"

An Architectural wonder - Naulakha Pavilion in Lahore Fort

Lahore Fort is one of the 6 sites included in UNESCO World Heritage Site List and is one of the only 2 UNESCO sites listed as UNESCO Sites in Danger, which makes Lahore Fort a unique site indeed. This picture on postcard is taken from inside of Lahore Fort and shows us three historic monuments - Naulakha in Lahore Fort (The closest building with curved roof), Maharaja Ranjeet Singh Shrine (Building in yellow and white color) and the grandiose Badshahi Mosque (One of the largest mosques in the World) at the farther distance. 

Built in 1633 by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, Naulakha Pavilion is one of the 21 monuments inside Lahore Fort building which are still preserved. This pavilion is located near Sheesh Mahal (the Mirror Castle). Although the pavilion was decorated with precious and semi-precious stones in the beginning but none of them can be found anywhere now :(

The amount spent on the construction of the pavilion was 9 lakh Rupees (0.9 Million Rupees) which was an enormous sum at that time. Bearing in mind the huge expenditure, the building was named as "Nau-lakha", which refers to 9 Lakhs spent on it. The same word "Naulakha" was later inducted in Urdu language to refer to something "very precious". You can view more details here.

Naulakha Pavilion was one of the favorite building of Rudyard Kipling, when he spent some time in Lahore. One of Kipling's novel is also named as "The Naulahka" referring to a precious necklace. When Rudyard Kipling settled down in his own home in Dummerston, Vermont, he named his residence "Naulakha".

The "Naulakha" photo has also been used on the reverse side of Pakistani One Rupee Note from 1964 - 1980. You can see an image of the bank note below:-

The Pakistani Embassy in Washington D.C. is also inspired by Naulakha motif and is partly built on it. Here is an image of it too:-

The postcard was sent to me by Vera from Lahore itself and a common postage stamp of Rs 2 denomination is used on the postcard. The stamp features a portrait of the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. 

I wish Pakistan Post can improve their cancellations and the ink used to cancel. The present cancellations being used are so shabby and they ruin a nice piece of postal history so easily.

What are your comments about this historical building?

Historic Center of Yaroslavl, Russia - A Fairy Tale Land

At first sight, I thought that this fairy tale castle is depicted from Narnia or bears a close resemblance with Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - as mentioned in Harry Potter Books by JK Rowling, but the actual story is slightly different.

The postcard is from the beautiful city of Yaroslavl in Russia, which is a major commercial center in the area since 11th century. The castle shown on the card is absolutely awesome. The clouds and the yellowish trees make the scenery even more charismatic. It is infact a painting, but I believe that the actual scenery would be as beautiful as it is shown here.
You can read more about the Historic Areas of Yaroslavl in Russia on my UNESCO Sites Blog, as it is also a famous UNESCO World Heritage Site in Russia.

Desan Meadows, Kalam, Swat Valley, Pakistan

What a beautiful place to feel the awesome power of nature! So pure and so mesmerizing!!!

Desan Meadows form one of the most gorgeous landscapes where you can see crystal clear water gushing through the mountains, Frozen glaciers, lush green mountains, vast meadows, and countless other natural wonders. Travelling in Swat Valley is a lifetime experience for anyone.


After a brief pause in tourism in Swat Valley because of some hostile terrorist elements, the things are back to normal. Pakistan Army has cleared the valley from all types of miscreants and the tourists are enjoying the majestic beauty of the valley already.


If you ever decide to go to Desan Meadows, then you can find the way from Utror - about 16 kms from Kalam.


What do you think about the lush green meadows at this height?

Royal Wedding Postcards for Prince William and Kate Middleton's Wedding

While the World is suffering from Royal Wedding fever, I found this beautiful picture of the postcards presented for sale in a shop. The postcard compares the Royal Wedding of 2011 between Prince William and Kate Middleton with the wedding of his parents' Prince Charles and Lady Diana.

The wedding rings get a special attention on the postcard.
You can also see some other collectibles here:-

• Royal Wedding Stamps
• Royal Wedding Coins 

What do you think about both of them? Any comparison?

Rakaposhi - The crown Jewel of Hunza, Pakistan

A majestic mountain peak soaring to the height of 7,788 m above mean sea level. Its Rakaposhi which is located in Hunza valley in Gilgit-Baltistan Division in Northern Pakistan.

"Rakaposhi" is located in Nagar Valley and is the 27th highest peak in the World and 12th Highest in Pakistan. The word "Rakaposhi" means "Snow-covered" in local language. It is also called as "Dumani" meaning "Mother of Mist". It was first climbed in 1958 by a British-Pakistani expedition.
The Rakaposhi Mountain Range serves as a host to a number of endangered species including Snow Leopard, Marco Polo Sheep, Brown Bears, Wolves and many other species.