Theme Week Pakistan – Karachi

27 June 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  21 minutes

Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) Head Office © Aliraza Khatri/cc-by-sa-4.0

Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) Head Office © Aliraza Khatri/cc-by-sa-4.0

Karachi is the capital of the Pakistani province of Sindh. It is the largest city in Pakistan, and seventh largest city proper in the world. Ranked as a beta-global city, with an estimated GDP of $114 billion (PPP) as of 2014. Karachi is Pakistan’s most cosmopolitan city, its most linguistically, ethnically, and religiously diverse city, as well as one of Pakistan’s most secular and socially liberal cities. With its location on the Arabian Sea, Karachi serves as a transport hub, and is home to Pakistan’s two largest seaports, the Port of Karachi and Port Bin Qasim, as well as Pakistan’s busiest airport, Jinnah International Airport.   read more…

Theme Week Pakistan

22 June 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Theme Weeks, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  25 minutes

Prime Minister's Secretariat Building in Islamabad © Maqsoodgujjer/cc-by-sa-4.0

Prime Minister’s Secretariat Building in Islamabad © Maqsoodgujjer/cc-by-sa-4.0

Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the world’s fifth-most populous country with a population exceeding 212.2 million. By area, it is the 33rd-largest country, spanning 881,913 square kilometres (340,509 square miles). Pakistan has a 1,046-kilometre (650-mile) coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest, and China to the northeast. It is separated narrowly from Tajikistan by Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor in the northwest, and also shares a maritime border with Oman. Pakistan has made a name for itself in recent years, particularly through attacks by fundamentalist Islamists against the religious minorities and the conversion from secular rule of law to Sharia (Blasphemy Law). This also includes court judgments for contrived or alleged blasphemy (Prophet Muhammad) against members of the Christian minority. Lynching by Islamist mobs against religious minorities is now the order of the day. Antisemitism is “good manners”. Pakistan is a beautiful country with a lot to see. Unfortunately, it allows itself to be deformed.   read more…

Theme Week India

22 April 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Theme Weeks, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  23 minutes

Jal Mahal of Jaipur © Labhanshi Mittal/cc-by-sa-4.0

Jal Mahal of Jaipur © Labhanshi Mittal/cc-by-sa-4.0

India (Bhārat), also known as the Republic of India (Bhārat Gaṇarājya), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh largest country by area and with more than 1.3 billion people, it is the second most populous country and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, while its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.   read more…

Theme Week Oman – Masirah Island

25 June 2016 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Kite surfing © flickr.com - StellarD/cc-by-2.0

Kite surfing © flickr.com – StellarD/cc-by-2.0

Masirah or Mazeira Island is an island off the East coast of Oman, 95 km long north-south, between 12 and 14 km wide, with an area of about 649 km², and a population estimated at 12,000 in 12 villages mainly in the north of the island. Administratively, it forms one of the eleven provinces of the Ash Sharqiyah Region. The principal village is Ras-Hilf in the northern part of the island. It contains a Royal Air Force of Oman air base and a fish factory, as well as a few small towns.   read more…

Theme Week Oman – Nizwa

24 June 2016 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Nizwa Souq © flickr.com - Francisco Anzola/cc-by-2.0

Nizwa Souq © flickr.com – Francisco Anzola/cc-by-2.0

Nizwa is the largest city in the Ad Dakhiliyah Region in Oman and was the capital of Oman proper. Nizwa is about 140 km (1.5 hours) from Muscat. The population is estimated at around 700,000 people including the two areas of Burkat Al Mooz and Al Jabel Al Akhdar. The city is home to the University of Nizwa. Nizwa is one of the oldest cities in Oman and it was once a center of trade, religion, education and art. Its Jama (grand mosque) was formerly a center for Islamic learning. The city, famous for its handicrafts and agricultural products, has an expansive souq with an array of products. It is one of the most important in the country besides Muttrah. The souq bustles with vendors selling everything from meat, fish, fruits and vegetables to spices, dates, gold and silverware. Nizwa is renowned for its silver jewelry which is considered to be the best in the country. Its people are masters in Khanjar making (curved dagger), recognised for its distinctive style and patterns. They also make copper ware, coffee pots, swords, leather goods and pottery.   read more…

Theme Week Oman – Sohar

23 June 2016 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Sohar Gate © flickr.com - StellarD/cc-by-sa-2.0

Sohar Gate © flickr.com – StellarD/cc-by-sa-2.0

Sohar is the capital and largest city of the Al Batinah North Governorate in Oman. An ancient capital of the country that once served as an important Islamic port town, Sohar has also been credited as the mythical birthplace of Sinbad the Sailor.   read more…

Theme Week Oman – Khasab

22 June 2016 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Khasab Castle © StellarD/cc-by-sa-3.0

Khasab Castle © StellarD/cc-by-sa-3.0

Khasab is a city in an exclave of Oman bordering the United Arab Emirates. It is the local capital of the Musandam peninsula and has frequently been dubbed the “Norway of Arabia” because of its extensive fjord-like craggy inlets and desolate mountainscapes. Boats from Khasab take tourists on trips to view the dolphins common in the waters around the Musandam, as well as to visit Telegraph Island, for a short time (between 1865 and 1868) the site of a manned telegraph repeater station on the cable section between Bahrain and Bombay.   read more…

Theme Week Oman – Salalah

21 June 2016 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

Downtown Salalah © StellarD/cc-by-sa-3.0

Downtown Salalah © StellarD/cc-by-sa-3.0

Salalah, is the capital and seat of the wali (governor) of the southern Omani province of Dhofar. Its population is at around 200,000.   read more…

Theme Week Oman

20 June 2016 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  13 minutes

The traditionell Dhow, an enduring symbol of Oman © Pranav21391

The traditionell Dhow, an enduring symbol of Oman © Pranav21391

Oman, is an Arab country in the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Holding a strategically important position at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the nation is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest, and shares marine borders with Iran and Pakistan. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the southeast and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast. The Madha and Musandam exclaves are surrounded by the UAE on their land borders, with the Strait of Hormuz (which it shares with Iran) and Gulf of Oman forming Musandam’s coastal boundaries.   read more…

Return to TopReturn to Top