Palmyra - Syria

 I've heard about Palmyra not only because it is a Syrian UNESCO site but mostly because it was all over the news when the extremist group ISIL took control of Palmyra and destroyed large parts of the ancient city, ten years ago. These two temples, as seen on the cards, don't exist anymore, they've both been partially destroyed. The city was recaptured by the Syrian Free Army, after the fall of the Assad government in December 2024 and hopefully something will be done to preserve what is left. 

I've also found the 1st of these cards in Brescia. It was written and stamped from Latakia, the principal port city of Syria, in 1989.

An oasis in the Syrian desert, north-east of Damascus, Palmyra contains the monumental ruins of a great city that was one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world. From the 1st to the 2nd century, the art and architecture of Palmyra, standing at the crossroads of several civilizations, married Graeco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences. - in: https://whc.unesco.org 

The structure of the Baalshamin temple dates to the Roman era. It was erected in the first century AD and further enlarged by Roman emperor Hadrian. The temple is one of the most important and best preserved buildings in Palmyra. 

The building was blown up in August 2015. Its cella, or inner area, was severely damaged, and followed by the collapse of the surrounding columns. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

The tetrapylon was a monument marking a major road intersection along the colonnaded street of Palmyra. It was a testimony to the grandeur of the era around 270 AD, during which Queen Zenobia had reached the height of her power. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

ISIL also destroyed the Tetrapylon. Only four pillars of the original 16 still standing, while the other 12 have been heavily damaged and are scattered around the base of the monument.

Baalbek - Lebanon

I've got my 1st card of Baalbek more than 10 years ago and a few days ago, I found another one in Brescia. Written, stamped with beautiful stamps and sent in 1973. When I saw it I immediately knew if was from a UNESCO site in Lebanon. Good find!

Baalbek is a town in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon situated east of the Litani River. It is famous for its exquisitely detailed yet monumentally scaled temple ruins of the Roman period, when Baalbek, then known as Heliopolis was one of the largest sanctuaries in the empire. It is Lebanon's greatest Roman treasure, and it can be counted among the wonders of the ancient world, containing some of the largest and best preserved Roman ruins.

Towering high above the Beqaa plain, their monumental proportions proclaimed the power and wealth of Imperial Rome. The gods worshiped there, the triad of Jupiter, Venus and Bacchus, were grafted onto the indigenous deities of Hadad, Atargatis and a young male god of fertility.

The Temple of Bacchus was one of the three main temples at a large complex in classical antiquity, at Baalbek. The temple was dedicated to Bacchus (also known as Dionysus), the Roman god of wine, but was traditionally referred to by Neoclassical visitors as the "Temple of the Sun". It is considered one of the best preserved Roman temples in the world. It is larger than the Parthenon in Greece, though much less famous.

Vitacolor

The temple was commissioned by Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius and designed by an unknown architect c. 150 AD, and built close to the courtyard in front of the larger temple of Jupiter-Baal. When the temple complex fell into disrepair, the Temple of Bacchus was protected by the rubble of the rest of the site's ruins. The temple is 66m long, 35m wide, and 31m high. Its walls are adorned by forty-two unfluted Corinthian columns, nineteen of which remain upright in position standing 19 m high. The columns support a richly carved entablature. Inside, the cella is decorated with Corinthian half-columns flanking two levels of niches on each side, containing scenes from the birth and life of Bacchus. The adyton (inner shrine) stands above a flight of steps. - in: wikipedia

Hebron - Palestine

 When I found this card in the box of the book fair in Brescia I liked it because it was from a place I didn't have cards from, the building was interresting but when I got home I had reasons to like it even more. I googled about Hebron and found out that the Old City of Hebron is classified as UNESCO WHS. So, I found 2 cards from 2 missing UNESCO sites from Palestine in the last book fairs I've been to. How nice is that?

This is a written and stamped card sent from Nazareth to Brescia in 1976.  

The use of a local limestone shaped the construction of the old town of Hebron/Al-Khalil during the Mamluk period between 1250 and 1517. The centre of interest of the town was the site of Al-Ibrahimi Mosque/The tomb of the Patriarchs whose buildings are in a compound built in the 1st century AD to protect the tombs of the patriarch Abraham/Ibrahim and his family. This place became a site of pilgrimage for the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The town was sited at the crossroads of trade routes for caravans travelling between southern Palestine, Sinai, Eastern Jordan and the north of the Arabian Peninsula. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

The Tombs of the Patriarchs (...) is the burial place of three biblical couples — Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah.
The second holiest site in Judaism (after the Western Wall in Jerusalem), it is also sacred to the other two Abrahamic faiths, Christianity and Islam.
It was the patriarch Abraham who bought the property when his wife Sarah died, around 2000 years before Christ was born. Genesis 23 tells how Abraham, then living nearby at Mamre, bought the land containing the Cave of Machpelah to use as a burial place. He paid Ephron the Hittite the full market price — 400 shekels of silver.
Today the site is the dominant feature of central Hebron, thanks to the fortress-like wall Herod the Great built around it in the same style of ashlar masonry that he used for the Temple Mount enclosure in Jerusalem. - in: https://www.seetheholyland.net

Heeswijk Castle - Netherlands

The Netherlands isn't just about windmills; there are also beautiful castles. During my travels, I've only visited one, but I hope to visit more in the future. This one is near Heeswijk, in the province of North Brabant.

Marina sent me the first postcard 10 years ago, and the other arrived this week.

 

© The online postcard shop

The castle was originally constructed during the 11th century and was later restored in 2005. A motte was first erected in 1080, but would be reduced over the next few centuries. A castle would eventually be built in its place.
Heeswijk Castle was an integral part of the history of the Netherlands. Prince Mauritis failed twice to take over Heeswijk in 1600. His half-brother Frederick Henry, however, did succeed in 1629. This allowed him to attack ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
In 1649, the castle was transformed into a baroque residence and lost its defensive features. In 1672, Louis XIV stayed at Heeswijk while campaigning against the Dutch Republic. King Charles II of England as well as the bishops of Munster and Cologne visited the castle to sign the Treaty of Heeswijk.

NL-6096795, sent by Bea.

General Pichegru, who was under Napolean’s command, used the castle as a headquarters in the late 18th century. In the early 1800s, the castle was purchased by Andre Baron van den Bogaerde van Terbrugge. However, by this time, the castle had already fallen into a state of disrepair. Reconstruction began and the castle was then expanded to include an armory. The “Iron Tower” was also constructed and served as a place to store his son’s collection of art and curiosa.
Surprisingly, the castle only suffered minimal damage during World War II. In 1944, the parachutists of the 101st Airborne Division actually landed around Heeswijk Castle. - in: http://www.netherlands-tourism.com

 

Dutch windmills

Everytime I get a card with a Dutch windmill, I just feel like taking the 1st plane and fly to the country to see more of these lovely structures. 

"The Netherlands is so closely associated with windmills, that it's often the first fact people recall about the country.

NL-541438, sent by Mariska.

 The Dutch built windmills for many centuries (and to some extent, the windmills built the country itself, since without them much of the land drainage could not have occured). In that time the mills were developed for corn milling, land drainage, saw milling, and in fact all manner of industrial purposes. Despite this widespread use, Dutch mills are in may ways quite primitive - using canvas sails, and turned to wind by hand (as distinct from the automated mechanisms that were developed for English windmills, including the fantail, and shuttered sails). 

 

NL-6093086, sent by Daphne.

There are a very pleasing number of remaining windmills in the Netherlands - the number is about 1150 and rising, in that the Dutch only count complete workable mills, and in the past 10 years especially many extensive rebuilds have occured to add to this number." - in: http://www.windmillworld.com/europe/netherlands.htm

Vienna's Karlskirche - Austria

 I've been to Vienna a few years ago and Karlskirche was the first church I saw in the city and Karlsplatz was the place of my very first Christmas market. These cards bring me good memories of that trip with my friend Karina.

The mighty green dome of the radiant Karlskirche (Church of St. Charles) towers over Karlsplatz. It is one of the most important sacred buildings in Central Europe and a symbol of Vienna.

 

 

 Verlag C. Bauer GmbH

AT-140257, sent by Claudia.

 The Karlskirche (Church of St. Charles) is the last great work of the eminent Baroque architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. Completed in 1739, it was built by virtue of a vow made by Emperor Charles VI during a plague. The church is dedicated to the Habsburg emperor's namesake, St. Karl Borromäus. His life and works are depicted on the two giant columns (47 meters tall) next to the entrance portal. The lavish dome frescoes by Johannes Michael Rottmayr cover 1,250 m² of magnificent color.

 

AT-827814, sent by Bettina.

(...) public open-air events are regularly held in front of the Karlskirche. The fountain, which is filled in summer and offers a breathtaking reflection of the church, is a popular social meeting point. - in: https://www.wien.info

Cerveteri and Tarquinia - Italy

The Etruscan necropolis of Cerveteri and Tarquinia in the north Lazio have been included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. 

 Back in 2011 Gisela sent me a card of Cerveteri and last week, I found a Tarquinia card in that book fair in Brescia. 

These two large Etruscan cemeteries reflect different types of burial practices from the 9th to the 1st century BC, and bear witness to the achievements of Etruscan culture. Which over nine centuries developed the earliest urban civilization in the northern Mediterranean.

The necropolis near Cerveteri, known as the Banditaccia, contains thousands of tombs organized in a city-like plan, with streets, small squares, and neighbourhoods. The 197.57 ha site dates from the 9th century BCE and contains very different types of tombs: trenches cut in rock; tumuli which often contain more than one tomb; and some, also carved in rock, in the shape of huts or houses with a wealth of structural details. The Banditaccia necropolis, among the largest in antiquity, reproduces the ‘city of the living’. Because there is little surviving written information on the Etruscans, this site provides exceptional testimony of Etruscan domestic architecture from archaic times to the Hellenic period.

 

The whole necropolis of Tarquinia, also known as Monterozzi, contains 6,000 graves cut into the rock. Covering 129.36 ha, it is one of the most extensive complexes known. Tarquinia is famous for its 200 painted tombs, the earliest of which date from the 7th century BCE. These paintings provide the only major testimony of classic artwork of pre-Roman times existing in the Mediterranean basin. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

Discovered in 1892, the Tomba dei Tori dates back to 530 BC, it stands on the east side of the Necropolis of Monterozzi.
The tomb is famous for its mid-late archaic frescoes, still deeply characterized by frontal drawings.