Historic Cities | Places For Tour

Bagan in Myanmar, Mandalay region

Myanmar - Mandalay Comments Off

Jun 012013

Introduction :
Bagan is an ancient city situated in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar and was historically home and capital to the Kingdom and Pagan during the 9th to 13 century. Bagan is renowed for its mass amount of temples, pagodas and cultural monuments built over a period of 6 centuries and was known by many as the Land of two thousand pagodas with the numbers currently standing at 2200. The area of the ancient city measures 104 square kilometres. Today it is one of the main attractions in Myanmar’s tourism industry and is believed to be visited by more than 300,000 international tourists annually. Despite its magnificence and importance, it did not make it into the list of World Heritage Sites in UNESCO due to some modern restoration works, however the ancient city of Bagan remains as impressive as any world wonders in the world.

The overall landscape of Bagan is its monuments
Image attribution to macloo @ Flickr

Closer look at the Bagan pagodas
Image attribution to sugarmeloncom @ Flickr

One faced temple built during the 12th century
Image attribution to JialiangGao @ Wiki

The Gubyaukgyi Temple is a Indian-style spire like 13th century Mahabodhi Pagoda
Image attribution to Gerd_Eichmann @ Wiki

The Sulamani Temple is built in 12th century by King Sithu II
Image attribution to bessieandkyle @ Flickr

The Shwesandaw Pagoda is a series of five terraces topped with a stupa
Image attribution to macloo @ Flickr

History :
According to Burmese history, Bagan was founded as a city as early as the 2nd century but was fortified during the 9th century. It was the capital city to the Pagan Empire from the 11th to 13th century where over 10,000 religious monuments were constructed in the Bagan plains over an area of 104 square kilometres. After the collapse of the Pagan Empire by repeated Mongal invasions in 1287, it became a place for pilgrimage and human settlement. Due to its location in an active earthquake zone, many of the religious architecture has been destroyed and underwent restoration works by the government during the 1990s.

Beautiful sunset on the landscape of Bagan
Image attribution to Martin Sojka @ Flickr

Ancient palace site believed to be of the Pagan Empire

Frescos in one of the temples

The Ananda Temple is one of the surviving four major temples in Bagan

The Ananda temple is one of the surviving four major temples in Bagan
Buddhist statue nside the Manuha Temple

Getting there :
The nearest international airport to Bagan is the Mandalay International Airport which is around 65 km away from the ancient city of Bagan and serves flights from the capital city of Yangon as well as China and Singapore. The nearest airport to Bagan would be the Nyaung U Airport (NYU) which is only 6 km away from the attraction.

Lijiang in China, Yunnan

China - Yunnan Comments Off

Apr 252013

Introduction :
Lijiang is a prefecture level city located in the province of Yunnan in China. Lijiang is home to more than 1.2 million people and has an area of 21219 square kilometres in area. The main attractions in Lijiang is the Old Town which is a World Heritage Site together with scenic natural and man made attractions which made the prefecture of Lijiang a popular attraction for tourists in the Yunnan province of China.

Overall aerial view of Lijiang City
Image attribution to bluebulgaria @ Flickr

The Black Dragon Pool linked by a bridge to a historic building
Image attribution to mulliganstu @ Flickr

The Jade Dragon Mountain just behind the Black Dragon Pool
Image attribution to azotesdivinos @ Flickr

Night time at the Black Dragon Pool
Image attribution to adifromusa @ Flickr

The Wangu Pavilion in Lijiang Old Town
Image attribution to bluebulgaria @ Flickr

Some attractions :
Black Dragon Pool – Great nice natural scenery with some historical buildings and a beautiful mountain serving as the background.

Old Town of Lijiang – World Heritage Site since 1997 and is famous for the orderly system of water canals and bridges around the city. The old town has a history that dates back to more than 800 years ago.

Lugu Lake – Around 200 km away from the Lijiang city centre, the Lugu Lake shores are inhabited by many minority ethnic groups and is considered home of the Moso Tribe. It is a natural lake with a horseshoe shaped and is located on a high plateau within the Xiaoliangshan Hills with an elevation of 2685 metres.

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain – A mountain capped with a glacier peak named Shanzidou at an elevation of 5596 metres. The view of the gardens at Black Dragon Pool together with the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain forms one of the most scenic views in China and is classified as a AAAAA scenic area by the Chinese government.

Mu Palace – The palace of the Mu Clan and the Naxi people which have ruled Lijiang for over 400 years with a Daoist temple at the top of the palace.

Canals linking the Lijiang Old Town
Image attribution to Jpatokal @ Wiki

Walking along the streets at the Lijiang Old Town

Courtyard at Shuhe Town which is part of the Old Town
Image attribution to bricoleurbanism @ Flickr

Water Wheels at the old town
Image attribution to Colegota @ Wiki

Women of the Naxi tribe
Image attribution to Colegota @ Wiki

History :
When the Mu Clan ruled from the Lijiang city, it was known as the Baisha Old Town and was the political and commercial center for the Naxi people since 658 AD for 400 years. The city began to take shape during the Southern Song Dynasty era and was named as Dayan County during the Ming Dynasty. The Lijiang Old Town was also a distribution center using for trading along the Ancient Tea-Horse Road which is also referred to as the Southern Silk Road.

Scenic view of the Lugu Lake
Image attribution to blokeonabike @ Flickr

Palace of the Mu Clan which ruled Lijiang region for over 400 years
The Impressions Show at the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

The glacier peak of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Image attribution to chensiyuan @ Wiki

Palace of the Mu Clan which ruled Lijiang region for over 400 years
Image attribution to chinatravelgo @ Flickr

Getting there :
The nearest airport to Lijiang is the Lijiang Sanyi Airport (LJG) which is located 25 km south from the city center of Lijiang and is served by most local airlines from major cities all over China. The nearest international airport would be from the Kunming Changshui International Airport which is 591 km away from Lijiang.

Bruges Historic City in Belgium, West Flanders

Belgium - West Flanders Comments Off

Mar 312013

Introduction :
Bruges is the capital and largest city in the West Flanders province of Belgium. Measuring an area of 138 square km, Bruges is a historical city center of Medieval Europe and a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO since year 2000. The city is oval in shape and is built on a canal based system and is one of the cities referred to as “The Venice of the North”. Bruges is a popular tourist attraction in Europe today and is famous for its charming historical houses and beautiful canals surrounding it.

The beautiful azure waters around the caves
The market square has hundreds of gift shops and lots of restaurants with good food
Image attribution to Michielverbeek @ Wiki

The Groenerei Canal
Image attribution to Jean Christophe @ Wiki

The Kruispoort Gateway
Image attribution to Wolfgang Staudt @ Flickr

The Beguinage of Bruges
Image attribution to ser_is_snarkish @ Flickr

Some attractions :
Historic center of Bruges – World Heritage Site area where you can walk on foot and enjoy the beautiful medieval buildings around it.

Basilica of the Holy Blood – Built in the 12th century and houses the venerated relic of the holy blood believed to be collected by Joseph of Arimathea.

The Markt – A square in the central of the town and home to hundreds of gift shops and lots of restaurants.

Minnewater Lake – A beautiful and quiet place to relax with its scenic surroundings

Groeninge Museum – Collection of artworks by painters living and working in Bruges since the 14th century

Restaurants in Bruges
Image attribution to prodiffusion @ Flickr

Delicious Belgium waffles with chocolate
Image attribution to williamsdb @ Flickr

Canal view of Bruges at night
Image attribution to neilhooting @ Flickr

Bonne Chiere windmill
Image attribution to Jim @ Flickr

History :
First traces of human activities in Bruges date back to the Pre-Roman Gaul era where fortifications were built after the Roman conquest of Menapii in around 100 BC and has been an important fortification in the Flemish coastal area to prevent Viking incursions. Bruges received its city charter in 1128 and new walls and canals were built. Gradual sliting since 1050 caused the city to lose direct access to the sea but access was resumed in 1134 naturally by a storm that created the Zwin channel and it soon became the commercial outpost of Bruges. At some point during the 15th century, it was the chief commercial city of the world thanks to its port until sliting denied access to the sea again at the beginning of the 16th century. The city soon fell being Antwerp and gradually declined until tourism picked up in the 19th century and it was soon the world’s first tourist destinations attracting wealthy British and French.

Inside the Church of our Lady
Image attribution to djstanek @ Flickr

Basilica of Holy Blood
Image attribution to Jim @ Flickr

Minnewater Lake is a great place to relax with its peaceful surroundings

Dolphinarium at Boudewjin Park

Reien Canal and bridge

Getting there :
The nearest international airport to Bruges is the Ostend Bruges International Airport (OST) located in Ostend which is 25 km away from the city centre of Bruges, however it only serves airports from few countries on a seasonal basis. The major airport located near Bruges is the Antwerp International Airport (AMR) which is 86 km away from the Bruges city centre.

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