Mont Saint-Michel - France

One of my next trips to France, has to be to this amazing place, Mont Saint Michel. These cards are sent to me in the last years by Ara, Hanna, Raquel, Valérie and also Van from China.

Éditions D'Art * Photo: H. Marcou

Mont-Saint-Michel is a rocky islet topped by a famous Gothic abbey, 1.6 km (1 mi) off the coast of Normandy in northwest France in the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel in the English Channel. The island, located 5 km (3 mi) from the shore during the Middle Ages, is now surrounded by water only two times a month. Its one cobblestone street climbs in three spirals from a great granite base to the towering Benedictine abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, an architectural masterpiece built in the 13th century, replacing the original abbey, which was founded in 708 by Saint Aubert, bishop of Avranches, but destroyed by King Philip II of France in 1203.

Its fortifications enabled the islet to withstand repeated English assaults during the Hundred Years' War. The abbey served as a prison during Napoleon I's reign. Restored after 1863, and connected to the mainland by a causeway (completed 1875), the abbey is preserved as a national historical monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of France's great tourist attractions. - in: http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Provinces/Normandy/Mont-St-Michel.shtml

 Mont St Michel lies in the heart of an outstanding setting. Mont St Michel Bay has the highest tides in Europe, up to 15 metres difference between low and hight water, which transform the surrounding landscapes twice a day.  During top of the spring tides, the sea goes out 15 kilometres from the coast and comes in again very quickly.

 Artaud Frères - Editeurs 

  The tides are caused by the action of the heavenly bodies, principally the sun and the moon. When they are in line with the earth (in syzygy) the attraction is multiplied, announcing spring tides, this corresponds with the period of highest tides ; on the contrary, if the sun and the moon form a right angle (in quadrature), the attraction is reduced and we are in neap tides, the period of lowest tidal movement.

 

CN-4354349, sent by Van.

 This phenomena are accentuated in Mont Saint-Michel bay, because with the rock being in the back of the bay, the sea doesn't reach the Mount during neap tides. On the other hand during spring tides, the sea reaches the Mount but only after 4 hours and 30 minutes after the start of the rising tide, about every fortnight. - in: http://www.ot-montsaintmichel.com/en/horaire-marees/mont-saint-michel.htm

Kairouan - Tunisia

Kairouan is a city in northern Tunisia, 50 km (31 mi) from the east coast and 184 km (114 mi) from Tunis. 

The city was founded by the Umayyads around 670. In the period of Caliph Mu'awiya (reigned 661–680), it became an important centre for Sunni Islamic scholarship and Quranic learning, and thus attracting a large number of Muslims from various parts of the world, next only to Mecca and Medina. - in: wikipedia

It is classified as UNESCO WHS since 1988.

The 1st of these cards was sent by Emerich and the 2nd and 3rd were both bought by me, in Expo 98 in Lisbon and at the collectors fair in my city a few days ago.

Carte d'Or

Kairouan is an important religious pilgrimage site and, for history lovers, one of Tunisia's star tourist attractions. This bustling city is jam-packed with some of the country's best examples of Islamic architecture, from grand mosques and tombs with ornate decoration to the Medina back alleys lined with candy-coloured houses.

Kairouan is also a major shopping destination and is famous for the quality of its carpets. When all the craning your neck at mosque minarets and admiring gorgeous tile work gets too much, it's time to hit the souks for a bit of bargaining with the town's many craftsmen. - in: http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/kairouan-tun-kr-k.htm

The Mausoleum of Sidi Sahab, generally known as the Mosque of the Barber, is actually a zaouia located inside the city walls. It was built by the Muradid Hammuda Pasha Bey (mausoleum, dome and court) and Murad II Bey (minaret and madrasa). In its present state, the monument dates from the 17th century.

The mosque is a veneration place for Abu Zama' al-Balaui, a companion of the prophet Muhammad, who, according to a legend, had saved for himself three hairs of Muhammad's beard, hence the edifice's name. The sepulchre place is accessed from a cloister-like court with richly decorated ceramics and stuccoes. - in: http://www.travellino.net/places/866

 

The Great Mosque of Kairouan, also known as the Mosque of Uqba, is one of the most important mosques in Tunisia, situated in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Kairouan. Every city in Tunisia has a Great Mosque, but the Great Mosque in Kairouan is the most important of all.
It is the oldest Muslim place of worship in Africa and is commonly regarded as the fourth holiest site in Islam (after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem). Established by the Arab general Uqba ibn Nafi in 670 AD (the year 50 according to the Islamic calendar) at the founding of the city of Kairouan, the mosque is spread over a surface area of 9,000 square metres and it is a model for all later mosques in the Maghreb.
For centuries, the Great Mosque of Kairouan has served as a pilgrimage destination for North Africans not able to make the long trip to Mecca. According to popular belief, seven trips to Kairouan was worth one hajj to Mecca. - in: https://www.alluringworld.com