Jordan - UNESCO Postcard - Um Er-Rasas

A magnificent postcard posted direct from Jordan featuring a UNESCO World Heritage Site - Um Er-Rasas. It is one of the 5 UNESCO sites from Jordan.

 Most of this archaeological site, which started as a Roman military camp and grew to become a town from the 5th century, has not been excavated. It contains remains from the Roman, Byzantine and Early Muslim periods (end of 3rd to 9th centuries AD) and a fortified Roman military camp. The site also has 16 churches, some with well-preserved mosaic floors. Particularly noteworthy is the mosaic floor of the Church of Saint Stephen with its representation of towns in the region. Two square towers are probably the only remains of the practice, well known in this part of the world, of the stylites (ascetic monks who spent time in isolation atop a column or tower). Um er-Rasas is surrounded by, and dotted with, remains of ancient agricultural cultivation in an arid area.

The two stamps used for postage include:-

• Right side stamp in the photo shows the Ruins of Arc de Triomphe. Initially the stamp was issued in 2003 for a value of 25 Fils, however it was later surcharged for 80 pt in 2009.
• The fox stamp on the left is with a face value of 30 pt was issued on 25th August 2009. It was one of the set of 5 stamps.

P is for Pakistan Postcards

As a matter of fact, most of you must be knowing that this blog is dedicated to my postcards collection and taking part in ABC Wednesday is really fun especially when I came across the latest post, it was evident that today's post is dedicated to Postcards of my beloved PAKISTAN.
In this post, I shall share 3 of my favorite postcards with you, so that you can enjoy a glimpse of my beautiful Pakistan. To know more about these places, you can either click on the photo or visit the link at the bottom of the post.

K-2 is Pakistan's Highest Mountain and the World's 2nd Highest Mountain after the majestic Mount Everest. Standing tall at 8,611 meters, K-2 is a mighty mountain which is much more difficult to climb than its elder brother, Mount Everest.
As per Wikipedia: "K2 is known as the Savage Mountain due to the difficulty of ascent and the second-highest fatality rate among the eight thousanders. For every four people who have reached the summit, one has died trying. It is more hazardous to reach K2 from the Chinese side; thus, it is mostly climbed from the Pakistani side. Unlike Annapurna, the mountain with the highest fatality-to-summit rate, K2 has never been climbed in winter."

Lahore Fort - One of Pakistan's marvellous pieces of architecture and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Danger.
You can read more at one of my previous posts here: Lahore Fort or at Wikipedia here: Lahore Fort at Wikipedia

Takht Bhai (or Takht Bahi) is a Buddhist monastic complex dating to the 1st century BCE. The complex is regarded by archaeologists as being particularly representative of the architecture of Buddhist monastic centers from its era. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.
You can read more about these fascinating ruins at Ruins of Buddhist Monastery at Takht-e-Bahi, Swat Valley  in another post at my UNESCO blog.
Having said that its your turn to share your opinion in the comments section below. I would love to hear your thoughts about this post!!!

Slovenian Map Postcard - Slovenia at a Glance

A beautiful postcard from Slovenia depicting the Slovenian Country Map along with different multi-views of buildings and landscapes from the beautiful European country.

This marvellous postcard was sent inside an envelope by Karmen.
This postcard is uploaded specifically for Postcard Friendship Friday!!

China : Laoshan Velodrome, Beijing Olympics 2008

This Olympics Stadium Postcard shows Laoshan Velodrome, which is one of the venues for Beijing Olympics 2008. It is one of the 10 official postcards issued on the occasion by State Postal Bureau in 2007. Another postcard showing Basketball Gymnasium can be seen here.

The Laoshan Velodrome hosted track cycling events during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. It has a capacity of 6,000 spectators. A 250-meter oval shaped track is prepared for cycling events. The total area covered by the Velodrome is 33,320 square metres.

The Laoshan Velodrome is being used for international and national cycling competitions and training after the Olympic Games. The velodrome was designed by Schuermann Architects, designers of the ADT Event Center in Carson, CA and the UCI Cycling Center in Aigle, Switzerland.

The following prepaid stamp was printed on the postcard.

 

Any thoughts on the Postcard or the Laoshan Velodrome design are welcome!

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!).
Another postcard of the same set showing Laoshan Velodrome can be seen too!

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

Lansdowne Bridge and Ayub Arch - Railway Bridges on Indus River linking Sukkur-Rohri, Pakistan

Today I would like to share this lovely postcard from Pakistan with you. The postcard features the famous Sukkur Bridge in Sindh Province, Pakistan.
By looking closely, you can see that these are two different bridges - The old one (Brown in color) was built in 1889 and is named as Lansdowne Bridge while the new one (Silver in color) is called Ayub Arch and it was built in 1962. Both bridges are Railway Bridges and link the twin cities of Sukkur and Rohri over the mighty Indus River.

You can read the detailed account of the bridges at Wikipedia and Lansdowne Bridge Sukkur.

These two bridges are worth a look and are absolutely gorgeous - Truly a pair of architectural wonders. Do you like them?

UNESCO WHS Postcard from Athens, Greece - Parthenon in Athenian Acropolis

Hi!

I never knew that I had this magnificent UNESCO World Heritage Site in my collection until today. The postcard was sent to me by a lovely phonecard collector from Greece - Makis. Since it came to me with a package of used phonecards therefore it was placed in my phonecards collection portion. It in indeed a magnificent postcard depicting Parthenon in Athens, Greece.

Interestingly, Parthenon has served the purpose of being a treasury, a Christian temple, a Muslim Mosque and an Military Ammunition Dump in the past.

Brief History as per Wikipedia: 

• The Parthenon is a temple in the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their protector. 
• Its construction began in 447 BC and was completed in 438 BC, although decorations of the Parthenon continued until 431 BC. 
• It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, generally considered to be the culmination of the development of the Doric order. 
• Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of Greek art. 
• The Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece and of Athenian democracy and one of the world's greatest cultural monuments. 
• The Parthenon itself replaced an older temple of Athena, which historians call the Pre-Parthenon or Older Parthenon, that was destroyed in the Persian invasion of 480 BC. 
• Like most Greek temples, the Parthenon was used as a treasury. 
• For a time, it served as the treasury of the Delian League, which later became the Athenian Empire. 
• In the 6th century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. 
• After the Ottoman Turk conquest, it was turned into a mosque in the early 1460s, and it had a minaret built in it. 
• On 26 September 1687, an Ottoman Turk ammunition dump inside the building was ignited by Venetian bombardment. The resulting explosion severely damaged the Parthenon and its sculptures. 
• In 1806, Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin removed some of the surviving sculptures, with Ottoman Turk's permission. These sculptures, now known as the Elgin Marbles or the Parthenon Marbles, were sold in 1816 to the British Museum in London, where they are now displayed. 
• The Greek government is committed to the return of the sculptures to Greece, so far with no success.

Thanks a lot Makis for such a magnificent postcard.

Do you like the postcard? 

What do you think: Is there any other building which has been used so diversely?