The story cuts across class and race lines, says writer In a red cape, dark hair blowing in the wind, he crosses the dunes under a blazing sun: Antara, the famed 6th century Arab poet born a slave, is now a superhero. A pre-Islamic poet, Antara is celebrated in the …
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Ancient Mayans produced salt: study
Evidence shows that the civilisation also stored and traded the commodity Salt may have been a valuable commodity for the Mayans, say scientists who found that the ancient civilisation produced, stored and traded the mineral over 1,000 years ago. Stone tools found at a site called the Paynes Creek Salt …
Read More »Foreigners snap up Istanbul’s iconic waterfront mansions
novels and more recently through modern Turkey’s hugely successful TV soap operas They are among Istanbul’s most iconic sights — magnificent waterside mansions strung out along the Bosphorus as the waters of the strait dividing Europe and Asia lap almost at their front doors. Once the preserve of the Ottoman …
Read More »‘Jewel of Roman Empire’ faces danger
UNESCO declared Sabratha to be at risk in 2016, mainly due to damage caused by armed groups Perched on the edge of Libya’s Mediterranean coast, the ancient city of Sabratha remains an awe-inspiring spectacle, the pink columns of its amphitheatre towering above turquoise waters. But the world heritage site is …
Read More »Archaeologists discover ancient sphinx in Egypt
Archaeologists have discovered a statue of a lion’s body and a human head in the southern city of Aswan, Egypt. Antiquities Ministry said the sphinx made of sandstone was found in the Temple of Kom Ombo. It dates back to the Ptolemaic Dynasty, which ruled Egypt for some 300 years …
Read More »In repaint job, Virgin Mary gets turquoise hair
The work on the statues looks more like a vengeance than a restoration, says a Spanish Minister St. Anne, the patron saint of the village of Rañadorio in northwestern Spain, has fuchsia lips, black eyeliner and a bright dress. The Virgin Mary has turquoise hair. Baby Jesus resembles a Playmobil …
Read More »In memory of a 200-year-old massacre
On August 16, 1819, tens of thousands of people gathered at St. Peter’s Field in the northern English city of Manchester to demand parliamentary reform, and the extension of the vote to working men. “Despite the seriousness of the cause, there was a party atmosphere as groups of men, women …
Read More »Indonesia earthquake toll rises to 98
More than 2,000 tourists evacuated from islands near Lombok, which bore the brunt of the quake Indonesia on Monday sent rescuers fanning out across the holiday island of Lombok and evacuated more than 2,000 tourists after a powerful earthquake killed at least 98 people and damaged thousands of buildings. The …
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