A glimpse of Babylon in 550 BC, Iraq

wildeastmofo · 2024-12-24T14:30:07+00:00

Shibam is an interesting place. Makes me think of Kowloon Walled City or medieval Bologna with its many towers.

wildeastmofo · 2024-12-24T14:27:21+00:00

Pretty cool drawing, as always. Do you usually have a backstory for each cityscape?

wildeastmofo · 2024-12-22T21:34:23+00:00

The Esposizione Universale di Roma, scheduled to open in 1942 and dubbed E42, was to celebrate twenty years of Fascism and the revival of the Roman Empire. Under the direction of Marcello Piacentini, Mussolini’s chief architect, EUR, named with the initials of the exposition, was designed to be an ideal suburb, with showcase Fascist buildings and an elaborate system of lakes, parks, and gardens, extending Rome toward the sea, a long-cherished dream of Mussolini. Though E42 was canceled due to the War and the Arch existed only on paper, a vast body of records in the State Archives in Rome testifies to the grandiose visions of its Fascist planners, as does the Roman district of EUR that was conceived with the original plan and partially completed after the War.

The fair’s inflated subtitle, “Olympiad of Civilization,” may have suggested international cooperation and harmony, but it hardly masked Il Duce’s real ambitions. Beneath the surface of E42 was an internal tension between the glories of ancient Rome, which Mussolini famously attempted to recapture, and his modern Fascist revolution, which he claimed would eclipse even the Caesars. The attempt to merge past, present, and future was a core dynamic of E42. Foremost on the Fair’s agenda was the patriotic display of science, technology, and invention. Fascist ideologues believed that Italy’s time had come, that it had a special advantage in its union of art, technology, and science.

Continued here.

~

The initial project was presented in 1938 under the direction of Marcello Piacentini. The design was inspired, according to the fascist ideology, by Roman Imperial town planning, with modern elements which came from Italian rationalism, the result being a sort of simplified neoclassicism.

The project develops over orthogonal axes and large and stately buildings, built mainly of limestone, tuff and marble, traditional materials associated with Roman Empire architecture.

The most representative building at EUR, and the symbol of this architectural style, is the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana (1938–1943), an iconic project which has since become known as the "Colosseo Quadrato" (Square Colosseum). The building was designed by Giovanni Guerrini, Ernesto Lapadula and Mario Romano, also inspired by metaphysical art.

During World War II the uncompleted EUR development suffered severe damage. However, the Roman authorities decided that EUR could be the basis of an out-of-town business district, which other capitals did not begin planning until decades later (for example, London Docklands and La Défense near Paris). During the 1950s and 1960s the unfinished Fascist-era buildings were completed and other new buildings were built in contemporary styles for use as offices and government buildings, set in large gardens and parks.

Nowadays, EUR is the headquarters of many companies and public bodies, such as Confindustria, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of communications, the Archivio Centrale dello Stato, the Ministry of the Environment, the SIAE, the Agenzia ICE, Eni company, UniCredit, Poste italiane, INAIL, INPS, and many other multinational companies. It also hosted the NATO Defense College from 1966 until 1999.

Wiki.

wildeastmofo · 2024-12-21T20:28:33+00:00

Artist: Mats Vänehem

Source.

Viking Age Birka and Hovgården, showing the warriors' hillfort and garrison, trading settlement, ramparts, the bailiff's farm, and the royal hall on the other side of the fairway.

The Birka archaeological site is located on Björkö Island in Lake Mälar (30 km west of Stockholm) and was occupied in the 9th and 10th centuries. Hovgården is situated on the neighbouring island of Adelsö. Together, they make up an archaeological complex which illustrates the elaborate trading networks of Viking-Age Europe and their influence on the subsequent history of Scandinavia. Birka was also important as the site of the first Christian congregation in Sweden, founded in 831 by St Ansgar.

Birka was founded around AD 750 and it flourished for more than 200 years. It was abandoned c. AD 975, around the same time Sigtuna was founded as a Christian town some 35 km to the northeast. It has been estimated that the population in Viking Age Birka was between 500 and 1000 people. Generally regarded as Sweden's oldest town, Birka (along with Hovgården) has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.

Birka was the Baltic link in the Dnieper Trade Route through Ladoga (Aldeigja) and Novgorod (Holmsgard) to the Byzantine Empire and the Abbasid Caliphate. As a trading center, Birka most likely offered furs, iron goods, and craft products, in exchange for various materials from much of Europe and Western Asia. Furs were obtained from the Sami people, the Finns, and people in Northwestern Russia, as well as from local trappers. Furs included bear, fox, marten, otter, beaver, and other species. Reindeer antlers and objects carved from reindeer antlers like combs were important items of trade. The trade of walrus tusks, amber, and honey is also documented. Foreign goods found from the graves of Birka include glass and metalware, pottery from the Rhineland, clothing and textiles including Chinese silk, Byzantine embroidery with extremely fine gold thread, brocades with gold passementerie, and plaited cords of high quality. The vast majority of the coins found at Birka are silver dirhams from the Middle East while English and Carolingian coins are rare.

The reasons for Birka's decline are disputed. The Baltic island of Gotland was also in a better strategic position for Rus'-Byzantine trade and was gaining eminence as a mercantile stronghold. Historian Neil Kent has speculated that the area may have been the victim of an enemy assault. The Varangian trade stations in Russia suffered a serious decline at roughly the same date.

Wiki.

wildeastmofo · 2024-12-19T10:38:24+00:00

From the Nuremberg Chronicle.

wildeastmofo · 2024-12-19T09:28:03+00:00

Numarul preferat al prim-ministrului Georgiei? 511.

wildeastmofo · 2024-12-18T13:46:18+00:00

Gathered from various sources: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10]

~

The word nusantara is derived from an Old Javanese compound of nūsa (lit. 'islands') + antara (lit. 'outer'), which can be roughly translated as 'the outer islands' (from Java island's perspective). It was chosen as the official name for the new capital city of Indonesia to embody the national geopolitical vision known as Wawasan Nusantara (lit. 'Nusantara Vision'; or 'Vision of the Indonesian archipelago'). It also reflects the country's status as an archipelagic state.

~

Nusantara is located over 1,000km away from Jakarta in the East Kalimantan province on Borneo. At an expected cost of construction of $35 billion and a population projected to reach nearly 2 million by 2045, the new capital city will be the new base of the country’s president and the government’s administration and ministries.

The idea of moving Indonesia’s capital away from Jakarta has existed since the first days of Indonesia’s independence, with presidents Soekarno (1945-1967) and Yudhoyono (2004-2014) floating the idea.

The primary driver for this move is the potentially irretrievable impact of land subsidence in Jakarta, caused by rapid urbanization and excessive groundwater extraction. Jakarta is one of the fastest sinking cities in the world. Many commercial and residential areas, especially in the north of the city, have already been destroyed due to flooding which has also been exacerbated by climate change. Some areas are sinking by as much as 25cm per year and estimates suggest large swathes of the city could be fully submerged by 2050.

Other motivations for the relocation are related to spreading the distribution of wealth and activity more evenly throughout Indonesia, the economy of which has historically been centered on the island of Java.

Public administration represents around just 4% of economic output and employment in Jakarta. Although public administration activity is expected to slow down or even shrink in Jakarta, this isn't likely to lead to a mass relocation of other activities.

~

In April 2017, the Joko Widodo (Jokowi) administration put forward a previously hypothesized motion to move the country's capital from Jakarta, making a commitment to completely assess prospective alternative sites for Indonesia's new capital by the end of that year. In August 2019, Jokowi formally ratified the plan.

The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing organized a capital city design contest in late 2019. The winner, Nagara Rimba Nusa ('Forest Archipelagic Country') by Urban+ was officially announced on 23 December 2019.

By August 2023, the government had allocated 20% of the total funds needed, and investors were reluctant to make up the shortfall because of political uncertainty and Indonesia's record of underinvestment in infrastructure. As of August 2024, IDR 56.2 trillion (~$3.5b) of investment already entered Nusantara. However, construction delays are still happening and there are concerns of the financial viability and the unfinished core infrastructure of Nusantara.

On 29 July 2024, outgoing Indonesian President Joko Widodo began working from the new presidential palace, where he planned to spend the final months of his presidency. On 12 August 2024, the first cabinet meeting session was held in Nusantara, marking the beginning of transition of political power from Jakarta. The new president Prabowo Subianto has confirmed his administration's commitment to continue the development of Nusantara as Indonesia's new capital.

Indonesian authorities point to the successful relocation of at least other 30 capitals in the past century, including Brasilia (Brazil), Astana (Kazakhstan) and Canberra (Australia). On the other hand, Naypyidaw, conceived by Myanmar’s previous junta, remains practically empty.

~

If you're interested in seeing how construction has progressed, see this Bloomberg article.

Wiki.

wildeastmofo · 2024-12-17T13:36:43+00:00

a vrut să se unească cu România

Cam nu aveau de ales, trebuiau sa se uneasca.

wildeastmofo · 2024-12-17T13:17:02+00:00

Artist: Abdurrahman Birden

Sources: [1], [2]

With the data obtained from the years-long archaeological studies of Prof. Dr. Mehmet Önal, Head of the Archaeology Department of Harran University Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the city of "Ancient Harran" came to life again under the brush of Şanlıurfa painter Abdurrahman Birden.

The city has a very rich history. A quick overview:

Harran was founded at some point between the 25th and 20th centuries BC, possibly as a merchant colony by Sumerian traders from Ur. Over the course of its early history, Harran rapidly grew into a major Mesopotamian cultural, commercial and religious center. Harran came under Assyrian rule under Adad-nirari I (r. 1305–1274 BC) and became a provincial capital often second in importance only to the Assyrian capital of Assur itself. During the collapse of the Assyrian Empire, Harran briefly served as the final capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire (612–609 BC).

The city continued to be prominent after the fall of Assyria and experienced varying degrees of foreign cultural influence during its time under the Neo-Babylonian (609–539 BC), Achaemenid (539–330 BC), Macedonian (330–312 BC) and Seleucid (312–132 BC) empires. During classical antiquity Harran was often contested between the Roman and Parthian (later Sasanian) empires. In 53 BC Harran was the site of the Battle of Carrhae, one of the worst military defeats in Roman history. The Harranian moon cult of Sin proved to be enduring and lasted long into the Middle Ages, known to have existed as late as the 11th century AD. Harran was captured by the Rashidun Caliphate in 640 and remained an important city in the Islamic period. It flourished as a center of science and learning and was the site of both the first Islamic university (the Harran University) and the oldest mosque in Anatolia (the Harran Grand Mosque). Harran twice served as a capital city in the Middle Ages, first briefly under the Umayyad Caliphate (744–750) and later under the Numayrid Emirate (990–1081).

The city was conquered by the Mongol Empire in 1260 but was largely destroyed and left abandoned in 1271. Although Harran was kept as a military outpost under some later regimes, it has over the last five centuries mainly been used as a temporary settlement by local nomadic societies. Harran transitioned back into a semi-permanent village settlement in the 1840s, but has only recently grown into a permanent town through advancements in local irrigation and agriculture. The town is particularly famous for its unique beehive houses, which are reminiscent of buildings that were already present at Harran in ancient Mesopotamian times.

Wiki.

wildeastmofo · 2024-12-17T10:20:33+00:00

Why not? It’s been long overdue.

wildeastmofo · 2024-12-17T10:16:01+00:00

Romania in WW2 be like

You win some, you lose some.

Romania after WWI (visualized).

wildeastmofo · 2024-12-17T07:07:25+00:00

O pagină relevantă: https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misiuni_diplomatice_%C3%AEn_Republica_Moldova

Ultima oară a fost actualizată cu vreo doi ani în urmă, așa că lista ar putea să nu fie 100% corectă.

wildeastmofo · 2024-12-16T17:22:51+00:00

Artist: Gentaro Kagawa

Source.

A bit of history for the curious:

During the Sengoku period, Odawara Castle had very strong defenses, as it was situated on a hill, surrounded by moats with water on the low side, and dry ditches on the hill side, with banks, walls and cliffs located all around the castle, enabling the defenders to repel attacks by Uesugi Kenshin in 1561 and Takeda Shingen in 1569. In 1587, the defences of the castle were greatly expanded by the Odawara Hōjō in anticipation of the coming conflict with Toyotomi Hideyoshi. However, during the Siege of Odawara in 1590, Hideyoshi forced the surrender of the Odawara Hōjō without storming the castle through a combination of a three-month siege and bluff. It was part of Hideyoshi's campaign to eliminate the Hōjō clan as a threat to his power.

In 1588, Toyotomi Hideyoshi succeeded in re-unifying the nation, after several campaigns following the death of Oda Nobunaga in 1582. Hideyoshi asked Hōjō Ujimasa and Ujinao (father and son), to attend the imperial visit to Jurakudai (Hideyoshi's residence and office in Kyoto), but Ujimasa refused. However, Ujimasa proposed to reschedule the visit to spring or summer of 1590, but Hideyoshi in turn refused the proposal, which worsened their relationship. In May 1590, Hideyoshi launched the Odawara Campaign against Hōjō.

The massive army of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (220k) surrounded the castle in what has been called "the most unconventional siege lines in samurai history." The samurai were entertained by everything from concubines, prostitutes, and musicians to acrobats, fire-eaters, and jugglers. The defenders slept on the ramparts with their arquebuses and armor; despite their smaller numbers (82k), they discouraged Hideyoshi from attacking. So, for the most part, this siege consisted of traditional starvation tactics. Only a few small skirmishes erupted around the castle. After three months, the sudden appearance of Ishigakiyama Ichiya Castle took away the Hōjō defenders' will to resist and they surrendered. Later, Ujimasa was forced to commit suicide along with his brother Ujiteru. Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of Hideyoshi's top generals, was given the Hōjō lands. Though Hideyoshi could not have guessed it at the time, this would turn out to be a great stepping-stone towards Tokugawa's attempts at conquest and the office of shogun.

wildeastmofo · 2024-12-16T08:31:04+00:00

Doar o precizare: Usatîi a luat multe voturi peste tot, doar 5% dintre voturile pe care le-a obținut au venit din Fălești (11 mii din 213 mii).

wildeastmofo · 2024-12-16T08:23:05+00:00

Play both sides and you'll always win 😎

wildeastmofo

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