This is really hard to understand the philosophy of nature. We are sometimes the beneficiaries of Nature and sometimes the victims of its aggression. The history of the human development is filled with the catastrophic acts of Nature. Nature becomes furious sometimes in shape of the harassing oceans, sometimes with the calamitous tsunamis and sometimes by the disastrous earthquakes.

By : Trey Ratcliff ( A fantastic image of the ruins of Pompeii with the Mount Vesuvius)

In Europe, Italy is well known for its marvelous archaeological heritage. Pompeii is one of it’s the most renowned historic ruins. This famous site is actually a sepulcher town which was a center of the Roman civilization, culture, art and customs. This ancient city was destroyed by a massive volcanic eruption almost 1700 years ago. It was an unlucky day of 79 A.D when the Mount Vesuvius exploded ash and lava that destroyed the prosperity of the people of Pompeii and their amazing cultivation forever.

The Historic Pompeii Ruins ( Image: JAMES MARSHALL D )

It was not possible for the people of Pompeii to get any idea about the eruption of Vesuvius at the time of the disaster. People were busy in their day to day affairs and they were damn sure that the volcano is inactive for more than centuries so it would never explode again. They were totally unaware of the fact that a longer inactivity of a volcano coupled with mounting seismic activity is a pure sign of forthcoming fiasco. Although they had firm belief in the might of their gods and their ability to predict about the future, but they remained blind about the happenings of 24^th August of 79 A.D. On this day Mount Vesuvius detonated its massive lava and within no time the whole city was buried under a 20 feet layer of ash and pumice. The whole population and the architecture of Pompeii were covered in up to twelve different layers of tephra, in total 25 meters deep, which rained down for about 6 hours. Rest of the world was totally oblivious about this tragedy until the rediscovery of Pompeii in 1738 by some laborers, who were working in the construction a summer palace for the then King of Naples. However, Pompeii was properly found again as the result of intentional excavations in 1748 by a Spanish team.

A dead body of Pompeii inhabitant ( Image: CameliaTWU )

However, after this many excavation activities were executed in order to bring out the appropriate facts about Pompeii. The different theories of the historians suggest that Pompeii was inhabited with more than 20,000 people at that time and it was an ideal town where the Romans spent their holidays. Pompeii was located near the modern day Naples in Campania region. The construction style adopted by the people of Pompeii was luxuriant and they possessed a very opulent way of life. The walls, pavements and floors of their villas were embellished with magnificent mosaics.

POMPEII - ITALY ( Pavement ) Image Courtesy : Ggarner

Pompeii is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the archaeologists from all over the world have made tremendous research on the remains of Pompeii including the Greek-inspired buildings, cobble-stoned streets, brothels, frescoes and numerous artifacts. These all remained under ideal conditions of preservation when they were out of sight. The lack of air and moisture were the main contribution factors that safeguarded these objects from deterioration. However after their rediscovery they are on the verge of rapid decay due to the both natural and man-made forces. Weathering, erosion, light exposure, water damage, poor methods of excavation and reconstruction, introduced plants and animals, tourism, vandalism and theft have all damaged the site in some way. For the last 250 years, Pompeii, the historic ruins of Italy are attracting millions of visitors annually to visit this phenomenal site and it is one of the most popular tourist sites of Italy.

Imagine in a full moon night,  you are sitting on the bank of a river , in front of a highland. And on the surface of this ascent , a white jewel is shining.  And it is reverting itself in the mirror of the water. Probably you are thinking it as the most romantic fantasy. But this is not dreamy. The river , we are talking about is Yamuna and the white jewel is the great “Taj Mahal“.  The incomparable , peerless and unparalleled Taj Mahal !

Taj Mahal, the greatest Mausoleum of Love is an elegy in white marble which is in fact the most phenomenal burial place ever built by any Romeo for his Juliet. Taj Mahal was constructed by the Mughal Emperor , Shahab u Din Muhammad Shahjahan, who was the fifth emperor of the then great Mughal empire of India.  Shahjahan was also famous with the name of the “Engineer Emperor” and his period was the most glorious period for Mughal architecture. He constructed many remarkable structures but the most breathtaking of all of them is surely the Taj Mahal.

In 1631 , Shahjahan lost his most beloved wife the Empress Mumtaz Mahal ” Arjumand Banu Begum ” during the birth of their fourteenth child.  She was the most trustworthy companion of the Emperor Shahjehan who remained with his husband during all of her life. Mumtaz Mahal was Emperor’s true love and she was also the mother of Aurangzeb Alamgir who was the successor of the Emperor Shahjehan. The death of the Empress was the most dejected incident in the life of the Emperor Shahjahan. At that time , he decided to make the tomb of his valentine as the most elegant final resting place in the world.

Taj Mahal. The Greatest Mausoleum of Love

The construction of Taj Mahal was started in 1632. The location was selected in  the center of the historic city of Agra on a high rising point, right on the bank of the river Yamuna. Agra which is also known as  Akbarabad is a city of Uttar Pardesh which is the largest state of India. The city enjoyed its highest significance during the reigns of the Mughal Emperors and it also remained as the capital  the of Mughal Empire till 1649. The city has witnessed a lot  of construction activities by the Mughals and obviously, the erection of the legendary Taj Mahal.

Fantastic view of the white marbled Taj Mahal , Agra

There are many controversies about the designer of the Taj Mahal, but many facts suggest that the architectural design which was based on interlocking arabesque was prepared by Ustad Isa Afandi, who was the renowned Persian Architect of that times. The whole selected piece of land was leveled 50 m above the bank of Yamuna river. Before the erection of the tomb place , many wells were dug and after that all of them were filled with stones and rubbles. The most delicate part of the construction was the building of the main dome and four smaller domes. The top of these fabulous onion shaped domes were decorated in lotus style and these were embellished with typical Persian patterns. The diameter of the main dome is 80 feet high. To fix the precious marble stones a 15 km ramp was constructed to transport the material. More than 22,000 workforce was applied for the construction of Taj Mahal. The circumference of the tomb is 30 meters and the height of the four splendid minarets of the tomb was kept 35 meters. The erection of these fantastic minarets were executed in away that they were built  slightly away from the main foundation in order to avoid total collapse of the main building.

The Interior hall of Taj Mahal. Image Coutesy : Paisley Curtain

The inside of the tomb consists of one central octagonal room surrounded by four other rectangular rooms on the side and four octangular rooms on the four corners. The interior decoration of the main chamber was also done in superb manner. Fantastic decoration work comprising of the fixation of the precious gemstones and the incredible calligraphic work reflects the supreme sovereign taste of the Emperor Shahjehan. The burial chamber is located right beneath the central chamber and consists of the actual graves of the Empress Mumtaz Mahal and the Emperor  Shahjahan covered by two cenotaphs.

The awesome Gateway of Taj Mahal. Photo : Ula Ch-L

An exceptional monument of Taj Mahal is its distinguished Gateway. It was prepared in such a way to prevent any glimpse of the tomb from outside. But once you get inside the doorway , the stunning view of the Taj Mahal astonishes the visitor. The Gateway of Taj Mahal was completetd in 1648 and it is 30 meter high. Similarly the garden of Taj Mahal is another awesome feature of this great mausoleum. Once you enter from the Gateway , you’ll feel the lush green domination of Taj Gardens in the whole complex. At the time of the construction , Taj Gardens were divided in a total number of 64 beds out of which 16 were only for flowers. 400 plants including cypress and fruit trees were planted to maintain the symmetry.

A painted illustration of the Mughal Couple with their final resting places

It took a period of almost 20 years for the construction of this brilliant memorial of love. Taj Mahal would had remained a great symbol of gratification and a sense of delight for the Emperor Shahjehan after its completion. But when his own son Aurangzeb Alamgir imprisoned him in the Agra Fort in 1657, when a civil war began in India. Shahjehan used to view Taj Mahal from his private chamber , mourning for his destiny and beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal and he died during this captivity of eight years. Shahjehean was buried in Taj Mahal besides his beloved Mumtaz Mahal and thus this great love story which passed through many tragic phases ended in the meeting of the souls with each other forever.

Today, Taj Mahal, the greatest Mausoleum of Love is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also one of the seven Wonders of the World which attracts 3 to 4 million visitors annually. A proper conservation strategy is adopted by the Indian Government to safeguard this unique beauty of the world. Whole surrounding area is declared a complete Buffer Zone to prevent the great Taj Mahal from the environmental threats and pollution.

The federal state of Salzburg is no doubt the best place to know the Austrian heritage and the history of Austria . Salzburg is the fourth largest but the most attractive city of Austria. The unique “Baroque Architecture” unprecedentedly symbolizes the glory of the old town. Similarly the scenic beauty of the “Hohe Tauern National Park”  and the countryside areas of Salzburg further enhance the grace of this city.

Salzburg_Austria

Salzburg is truly considered the most significant cultural and spiritual Centrum of Austria. Salzburg has enjoyed its separate entity and it has been governed by a prince-archbishop. It is the only one of the various religious territories of the Holy Roman Empire which is still existing as an independent state. The capital city of the State of Salzburg (Land Salzburg), is comprising of three universities. The main population of the capital consists of the students who are studying in these universities. Salzburg is located on the banks of the Salzach River. The city looks so marvelous being existed on the awesome location of Alps. Although the volume of Salzburg is not too big , yet it keeps in itself the abundance of character and is filled with panoramic features.

salzach_river_salzburg. Photo © JERRY DAY

Salzburg is holding the world famous Salzburg Festival yearly for almost one century. In this festival the operas, musical concerts, and theater are organized in different parts of the city. This festival was initiated by Hugo von Hoffmansthal, Max Reinhardt and Richard Strauss in 1920. It starts every year in the month of July and lasts till the end of August.

Salzburg-festival

Alstadt_Salzburg © photogalerie.at