1297 SOUTH KOREA (North Gyeongsang) - Gyeongju Historic Areas (UNESCO WHS)

Formerly the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (57 BC-935 AD), which ruled about two-thirds of the Korean Peninsula between the 7th and 9th centuries, Gyeongju, located at the coast of the Sea of Japan, has a vast number of archaeological sites and cultural properties from this period, being sometimes known as one of the largest outdoor museums in the world. The protected areas, designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000, encompass a remarkable concentration of outstanding examples of Korean Buddhist art, in the form of sculptures, reliefs, pagodas, and the remains of temples and palaces.

1296 NEW ZEALAND (North Island) - Waihi, the Heart of Gold

Located in the Coromandel Peninsula, one of the great gold mining districts of the world, Waihi is a little settlement (4,503 inhabitants at the 2006 census) notable even for its history as a gold mine town. The township grew around the mining operations since the discovery of gold in 1878, and was a major centre of union unrest in New Zealand during the early years of the 20th century. Mining stopped in 1952 after a total of 160 km of tunnels had been driven into the quartz of Martha Hill, not because the Martha had run out of gold, but rather because of fixed gold prices, lack of manpower, and increasing costs. Mining in the Coromandel Peninsula had otherwise ceased by the 1980s. However, mining later resumed, with some protests against it during the 1987 consent process. As of 2009, the mine comprises about 25-30% of the local economy.

1295 MOZAMBIQUE - Inhambane, Land of Good People

Located 470 km northeast of Maputo, Inhambane, Terra de Boa Gente (Land of Good People), one of the oldest settlements on Mozambique's eastern coast, is now a sleepy historic town with only about 55,000 inhabitants. The settlement owes its existence to a deep inlet into which the small Matamba river flows. Two protective sandy headlands protect the harbor and form a sandbank. Muslim and Persian traders were the first outsiders to arrive to the area by sea and traded pearls and ambergris. The area became well known for its local cotton spinning and production by the Tonga tribe.

1278 MALDIVES - Boduberu Music

The most widely known form of indigenous music in Maldives, and also the most popular, especially in the Northern Atolls, is called boduberu.  It is likely that the music was introduced to The Maldives by sailors from the Indian Ocean region in about the 11th century, and that it may have East African origins. It evolved among the common citizens as an alternative to court music. In the early days, the people gathered together to perform boduberu, and it became widely accepted as the music of the common people. The performing of the music is often referred as "vibrating the island".

1277 MALAYSIA (Penang) - Kapitan Keling Mosque in George Town

Founded in 1786 on the north-east corner of Penang Island, by Captain Francis Light, a trader for the British East India Company, as base for the company in the Malay States, George Town is a living testimony to the multi-cultural heritage and tradition of Asia, and European colonial influences. Kapitan Keling Mosque, built in the 19th century by Indian Muslim traders, is arguably the best known mosque in Penang. Keling is a Malay term for people of Indian origin, nowadays considered offensive but not so considered at the time when the mosque was built.

1276 IVORY COAST - Le Plateau in Abidjan

Located on the Gulf of Guinea, between Liberia, and Guinea, Ivory Coast, known also as Côte d'Ivoire was a French colony until 1960, when became independent. Former political capital and primary economic center of the country, Abidjan is the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris and Kinshasa. Located in Ébrié Lagoon on several converging peninsulas and islands connected by bridges, it is considered a cultural hub of West Africa, being characterized by a high level of industrialization and urbanization. The city grew up quickly after the construction of a new wharf in 1931, and the completion of the Vridi Canal in 1951 enabled it to become an important sea port. In 1983 Yamoussoukro was designated as the official capital city of Ivory Coast, but almost all political institutions and foreign embassies are still in Abidjan.

INDONESIA (Lesser Sunda) - Three genres of traditional dance in Bali (UNESCO ICH)

Balinese dance is a very ancient dance tradition that is part of the religious and artistic expression among the Balinese people of Bali island. Dances are performed by male and female dancers dressed in traditional costumes consisting of brightly coloured cloth painted with gold floral and faunal motifs, with gold-leafed and jewelled accessories. The dances are inspired by nature and symbolize particular traditions, customs and religious values.

0547, 1275 INDONESIA (Lesser Sunda) - Barong Dance - part of Three genres of traditional dance in Bali (UNESCO ICH)

0547 Barong Dance (1)

Posted on 10.03.2013, 11.10.2014
In Hinduism, dance is an accompaniment to the perpetual dissolving and reforming of the world. In the isle of Bali there are various categories of dance, the most known being Barong Dance, which illustrating the eternal battle between good and evil through the battle between Barong (a lion-like creature in the local mythology, the king of the spirits, leader of the hosts of good) and Rangda (the demon queen and mother of all spirit guarders).

1275 Barong Dance (2)

The story say that Rangda, the mother of Erlangga, the King of Bali in the 10th century, was condemned by Erlangga's father because she practiced black magic. After she became widow, she summoned all the evil spirits and demons to come after Erlangga, and she and her black magic troops were so strong, that the raja had to ask the help of Barong. The fight begun, and Rangda casted a spell that made Erlangga soldiers to want to commit suicide, stabbing themself with their own kris.

0660, 0661, 1273 UZBEKISTAN (Bukhara) - Historic Centre of Bukhara (UNESCO WHS)

0660 Bukhara - Minaret Kalyan and
the main portal of Kalyan Mosque

Posted on 30.05.2013, 09.10.2014
According to the Iranian epic poem Shahnameh, Bukhara was founded by King Siavash, son of Shah Kai Kavoos, one of the mythical Iranian kings. Officially, it was founded in 500 BCE, subsequently being mastered by Alexander the Great, Seleucid Empire, the Greco-Bactrians, and the Kushan Empire. When the Islamic armies arrived here in 650 AD, they found a multi-ethnic and multi-religious collection of peoples, and didn't managed to impose their religion until 751, when the Arab Abbasid Caliphate along with their ally the Tibetan Empire defeated the Chinese Tang dynasty.

0661 Bukhara - Chor-Minor Madrassah (1)

In 850 it became the capital of the Samanid Empire, which brought about a revival of Iranian language and culture, becaming the intellectual center of the Islamic world. In 999 AD the Samanids were toppled by the Karakhanid Turkic dynasty, later it became part of the kingdom of Khwarazm Shahs, and in 1220 it was leveled by Genghis Khan. It recovered and was part of first the Chaghatay Khanate, then the Timurid Empire. Capital city of the Khanate of Bukhara in 16th century, and since 18th century of the Emirate of Bukhara, in 1920 was conquered by Russians.

1273 Bukhara - Chor-Minor Madrassah (2)

Situated on the Silk Roads, Bukhara is "one of the best examples of well preserved Islamic cities of Central Asia of the 10th to 17th centuries, with an urban fabric that has remained largely intact. (...) With the exception of a few important vestiges from before the Mongol invasions of Genghis Khan in 1220 and Temur in 1370, the old town bears witness to the urbanism and architecture of the Sheibani period of Uzbek rule, from the early 16th century onwards. The citadel, rebuilt in the 16th century, has marked the civic center of the town since its earliest days to the present."

1239, 1271 UNITED STATES (New Mexico) - White Sands National Monument (UNESCO WHS - Tentative List)

Posted on 23.09.2014, and 06.10.2014
Located in  the mountain-ringed Tularosa Basin, at about 25 km southwest of Alamogordo, at an elevation of 1,291m, White Sands National Monument comprises the southern part of a 710-km² field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals (the largest gypsum dune field in the world). Gypsum is rarely found in the form of sand because it is water-soluble, and normally rain would dissolve the gypsum and carry it to the sea. The Tularosa Basin is enclosed, so that rain that dissolves gypsum from the surrounding San Andres and Sacramento Mountains is trapped within the basin. Thus water either sinks into the ground or forms shallow pools which subsequently dry out and leave gypsum in a crystalline form, called selenite, on the surface.

During the last ice age, a lake known as Lake Otero covered much of the basin. When it dried out, it left a large flat area of selenite crystals which is now the Alkali Flat. Another lake, Lake Lucero, at the southwest corner of the park, is a dry lake bed, at one of the lowest points of the basin, which occasionally fills with water. The ground is covered with selenite crystals which reach lengths of up to 1m. Weathering and erosion eventually breaks the crystals into sand-size grains that are carried away by the prevailing winds, forming white dunes. The dunes constantly change shape and slowly move downwind. Since gypsum is water-soluble, the sand that composes the dunes may dissolve and cement together after rain, forming a layer of sand that is more solid and could affect wind resistance of dunes. This resistance does not prevent dunes from quickly covering the plants in their path.

0199 UKRAINE (City of Kiev) - Paton Bridge

I have at least four reasons to consider this postcard a special one. The first is that the sender (many thanks, Tamila) is born in the same day as me, so she is the sixth added to my special topic, Received from those born on August 8. The second is that it was sent on February 29, a date which exist only an every four years. The third is that it shows a bridge from Kiev, from an area that will be radically transformed in the next 15 years according to the plans made by five Romanian architects. The fourth is that the stamp depicting Taras Shevchenko is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.

1268 PAKISTAN (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) - Kalash girls in Chitral

Chitral was an independent monarchical state until 1895, then a semiautonomous state within the Indian Empire (until 1947), and even within Pakistan, until 1969, when became a district of Pakistan, the northernmost. Even if the population is made up mainly of Kho people, the region has one of the greatest linguistic diversity in the world (more than ten languages are spoken here). Among Chitral's ethnic minorities is the Kalash tribe, who lives in  Bumburet and two other remote valleys southwest of Chitral town. They are one of the three Pakistani populations (the others being Burusho and Pathan) who claim descent from Greek soldiers associated with Alexander's invasion of southwest Asia. Even if an extensive genetic testing has shown no connection between Kalash and Greeks, no one can deny that the culture of Kalash is unique and differs drastically from the various ethnic groups surrounding them.

1266 FRANCE (New Aquitaine) - Château des Milandes, Josephine Baker's nest

The Château des Milandes is a small castle in the commune of Castelnaud-la-Chapelle (Dordogne), built by Francois de Caumont around 1489 for his young wife, who found medieval castle of Château de Castelnaud-la-Chapelle rather cold and unwelcoming. It is a fine example of Renaissance architecture, and it was the main house of the lords of Caumont until 1535. It fell into ruin after the French Revolution, but was restored by the legendary music hall star Josephine Baker, who rented the castle in 1940, and then bought it in 1947. She began her famous 'rainbow tribe' adopting children from different nationalities and religions. However, Josephine's generosity and naivety led to bankruptcy and she had to sell the castle.

1265 BELARUS - Blowing in horn

1265 Belarusian blowing in horn

Generally speaking, the traditional musical instruments emerged from very simple objects of life that were used to produce sounds and developed into rather complicated mechanisms. One should not forget that original music instruments were used not primarily for entertainment, but as signal instruments by gatherers, hunters and shepards. Probably that the first instruments used to make sounds were the wind instruments and the percussion ones.

1263 FRANCE (Réunion) - The map of the Réunion Island

Located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about 200km southwest of Mauritius, Réunion island is one of the overseas departments of France. Similar to the Island of Hawaiʻi, as both are located above hotspots in the Earth's crust, it is 63km long and 45 km wide, and has a tropical climate. The terrain is mostly rugged and mountainous, with fertile lowlands along the coast. The Piton de la Fournaise, a shield volcano on the eastern end of the island, has erupted more than 100 times since 1640, most recently in 2010. The Piton des Neiges extinct volcano, the highest point on the island at 3,070m above sea level, is north west of the Piton de la Fournaise. Collapsed calderas and canyons are south west of the mountain. The slopes of both volcanoes are heavily forested. Offshore, part of the west coast is characterised by a coral reef system.

1261, 1262 SWITZERLAND (Appenzell Innerrhoden) - Little herders

Settlement of the Appenzell region (in the northeast of Switzerland, entirely surrounded by the Canton of St. Gallen) began along the River Glatt during the 7th century. Herisau was first mentioned in 907, while the name of Appenzell (from the Latin abbatis cella, which means abbey cell) first appears in 1071. It joined the Old Swiss Confederacy as the 13th canton in 1513, and in 1597 it was divided into two half-cantons on denominational grounds: Appenzell Ausserrhoden is the Protestant part; Appenzell Innerrhoden is Catholic.

Known as the most authentic of Swiss villages, Appenzell is also the birthplace of yodeling, alphorn blowing, talerschwingen (the rolling of a coin around the inside of an earthenware bowl to create a rhythm) and alpstobede (herdmen’s sports). Cattle breeding and dairy farming are the main agricultural activities in Appenzell, so that for the rural people the most important events of the year aren't Christmas or Easter, but the times when the cows are moved up to mountain pastures or brought home.

0010, 1190, 1260 FINLAND - The map and the flag of the country

Posted on 13.10.2011, 17.08.2014, and 01.10.2014

Bordered by Sweden, Norway, and Russia, Finland has a population of around 5.5 million, with the majority concentrated in its southern regions. Lying approximately between latitudes 60° and 70° N, Finland is one of the world's northernmost countries. Of world capitals, only Reykjavík lies more to the north than Helsinki, established as a trading town by King Gustav I of Sweden in 1550, become the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland (in the Russian Empire) in 1812, and the capital of independent Finland in 1917. Finland is a country of thousands of lakes and islands - about 188,000 lakes and 179,000 islands. Much of its geography is explained by the Ice Age. The glaciers were thicker and lasted longer in Fennoscandia compared with the rest of Europe. Their eroding effects have left the Finnish landscape mostly flat with few hills and fewer mountains (the highest peak in Finland is Ridnitsohkka - 1,316m).

 

Taiga covers most of Finland from northern regions of southern provinces to the north of Lapland. On the southwestern coast, forests are mixed, that are more typical in the Baltic region. In the extreme north of Finland, near the tree line and Arctic Ocean, Montane Birch forests are common. It contains many species of mammals, birds, and fish, but only a few reptiles and amphibians. The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is Finland's national animal. The endangered Saimaa Ringed Seal, one of only three lake seal species in the world, exists only in the Saimaa lake system. It has become the emblem of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation.

Relatively late populated by Finno-Ugric people, which Christianized barely in 11th-12th centuries, the current territory of Finland (called in the Middle Ages Österland, which means Eastern Land) was ruled by the Swedes (since 12th century until 1809), then by the Russians (1809-1917), and become a state itself status only after the October Revolution. Tenacity, modern way of thinking, and the spirit of sacrifice made from Finland in just a few decades a nation that has a hard word to say in Europe. How they responded to Soviet aggression in 1939-1940, clear social and political line after WWII and prosperity in recent decades are strong evidence to that.

0245, 1259 BELARUS - The map and the flag of the country

0245 Belarus map

I have the conviction that Belarus and Ukraine broke away from Russia in 1990s for purely political reasons; ethnic and linguistic differences between the three being minimal, not to say also that they share the same history.

History: Many of the Russian principalities were first gathered under the flag of Kievan Rus, its dissolution in the 13th century following the Tatars attacks leading to the separation of northern Russians from Belarusian (White Russians) and Ukrainians. Moscow principality, became more stronger, shook the Tartar yoke in the late 15th century, conquering many of the Russian lands and becoming Grand Duchy of Moscow. Starting with Ivan the Terrible, the rulers took the title of "Grand Duke of all the Russias", but White Ruthenia (Belarus) and Ukraine remained under the rule of Grand Duchy of Lithuania (subsequent Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth) until 1795, when both were annexed by the Russian Empire (except a small part of Ukraine, Galicia, which remained under austrian control).

Language: Belarusian, Russian, Ukrainian, and Ruthenian have a high degree of mutual intelligibility, i.e. the speakers of any of these languages can readily understand without a previous study, and without the need for translation, many scholars claiming that they are dialects of the same language, and not different languages.