RO-66141

This is an official from Romania but the card shows the Gotta Abu Ramada Reef in Egypt.

This is my 1st official card, as far as i can remember, sent from a Postcrossing Meeting, in this particular case, a meeting in Bucarest. 

© Marco Care / Greenpeace

RO-66141, sent by Ana Maria.

Abu Gota Ramada is also known as the Aquarium. It is a small reef, about 100 by 100 metres with a large submerged mount. 

The maximum depth in 20 metres before it drops down to 50 metres.  The reef lies in the middle of the strait and brings in significant amount of zoo plankton allowing the reef to flourish. The area is covered in picturesque soft coral and an abundance of fish.

The reef, due to its shallow depth, is well covered in sun light, allowing for some fantastic photography, especially in the smaller little crevasses found around the various pinnacles. The trick with this reef is to take your time, choose a spot and just wait, the amount of fishes you are able to spot is absolute fantastic. - in:  http://www.scuba-diving-adviser.co.uk/DiveSites/EgyptDiveSites/HurghadaandSafaga/GotaAbuRamada.aspx

All over the reef, but especially at the west end, there are yellowfish, bannerfish, bluecheck butterflies, masked butterflies, yellow snapper, goatfish and sweetlips. Big morays, jacks, turtles, crocodilefish and more infrequently, eagle rays and leopard sharks visit the reef. Titan triggerfish are guarding their nests in September. 

Egyptian cards

More egyptian cards but these were sent by Luis from Spain. The cards show the Isis Temple at the Philae island and Komombo and Abydos temples.

The Egyptian island of Philae was the center for worship of the goddess Isis and attracted pilgrims from all over the ancient world.
The earliest building on the island of Philae was a small temple to Isis built in about 370 BC by Napktnebef Kheperkare (Nectanebo I). This was later expanded into a great Temple of Isis by a number of rulers, most notably Ptolemy II Philadelphius (285-246 BC) and Diocletian (284-305 AD).
With the building of the Aswan Dam, the island was submerged for most of the year and Philae began to lose its charm. When the High Dam project threatened to engulf Philae completely, the temples were saved by a great international rescue operation sponsored by UNESCO, which took place between 1972 and 1980. The island of Philae was surrounded by a coffer dam and drained, while a new site was prepared on the neighboring island of Agilka. The temples were broken up into sections and carefully numbered, then re-erected in the same relative positions on Agilka. - in: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/egypt/philae

The Temple of Sobek and Haroeris in Kom Ombo (also known simply as Kom Ombo Temple) dates from about 180 BC during the Ptolemaic era, with additions made into Roman times. It stands right on the bank of the Nile between Edfu and Aswan, making it a convenient stop for river cruises.

The Kom Ombo Temple is unusual in that it is a double temple, with one side dedicated to the god Haroesis and the other side to Sobek. The design is almost perfectly symmetrical, with two side-by-side sanctuaries and two parallel passageways leading through the outer parts of the temple. - in: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/egypt/kom-ombo.htm

For the Ancient Egyptians, Abydos was one of the holiest sites in the world. As the cult center of the god Osiris and gateway to the underworld (believed to lie under the nearby hills), it was a popular place of pilgrimage and burial.
Today, Abydos is a large archaeological site in northern Upper Egypt, often visited in conjunction with nearby Dendera. Today the pilgrims are New Age devotees following in the footsteps of Dorothy Eady (d. 1981), who believed herself to be the reincarnation of an Abydos temple priestess.
The main monument at Abydos is the Temple of Seti I, built around 1300 BC by Seti and his son Ramses II. It is especially notable for its fine reliefs, considered among the best of the New Kingdom. - in: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/egypt/abydos

Great Sphinx of Giza

Claus also sent me this Sphinx card, one in my favorites. I already had some temples and the pyramids but i was still missing a Sphinx card and this one is great.

The Great Sphinx is a colossal stone statue located next to the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Carved out of limestone, the Sphinx has the facial features of a man and the body of a recumbent lion; it is approximately 240 feet (73 m) long and 66 feet (20 m) high.

The Sphinx was built in about 2530 BC by the pharaoh Khafre (4th king of Fourth dynasty, c. 2575–c. 2465 BC), the builder and occupant of the second Giza pyramid. The sphinx's face is a portrait of the king and the sphinx continued to be a royal portrait type through most of Egyptian history.
The Sphinx is thought to be primarily a guardian figure, protecting the tomb of the Khafre by warding off evil spirits. Arabs know the Sphinx of Giza by the name of Abu al-Hawl, or "Father of Terror."
The Sphinx's face was mainly damaged during French occupation around 1800, when Mameluke troops used it for target practice for their field cannons, but its body has been weathered by the elements for thousands of years (more on this below).
A number of mysteries surround the Great Sphinx, perhaps even more than the pyramids. First, it is not known why the builders chose such heavy blocks to chip off the Sphinx for the temple or how they moved them to build the temple.
Second, the Sphinx was widely believed to have been an oracle. Between its paws is a 15th-century BC stone tablet recounting a vision given to a prince who slept in the shadow of the Sphinx (and perhaps sought its divine aid) and later became a pharaoh through its intercession. - in: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/egypt/giza-sphinx

Unesco cards RR - Group 82 (Christa)

The last cards of this group were sent by Christa. She sent Unesco sites from Denmark and new sites from Uzbekistan and Egipt.

The Bolo-hauz Mosque is one of the severak mosques in the historic center of Bukhara.
Bukhara, which is situated on the Silk Route, is more than 2,000 years old. It is the most complete example of a medieval city in Central Asia, with an urban fabric that has remained largely intact. Monuments of particular interest include the famous tomb of Ismail Samani, a masterpiece of 10th-century Muslim architecture, and a large number of 17th-century madrasas. - in: www.whc.unesco.org/en/list/602

St. Catherine's Monastery is an Orthodox monastery on the Sinai peninsula at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt. One of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world, St. Catherine's incorporates the burning bush seen by Moses and contains many valuable icons. Above the monastery is Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. Because God spoke to Moses in these places, this area is sacred to three world religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
In 2002, the area centering on St. Catherine's Monastery was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of Mt. Sinai's importance in three major world religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), the natural environment of the area and St. Catherine's historic architecture and art. - in: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/egypt/sinai-monastery

Luxor Temple - Egypt

This postcard was on my favorite album. Farah "feefs" tagged me in one of the "favorites" tags and her card arrived this week. So, the card shows the colossal head of Ramesses II in the Luxor Temple.

"Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the River Nile in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was founded in 1400 B.C.E.

The earliest parts of the temple still standing are the barque chapels, just behind the first pylon. They were built by Hatshepsut, and appropriated by Tuthmosis III. The main part of the temple - the colonnade and the sun court were built by Amenhotep III, and a later addition by Rameses II, who built the entrance pylon, and the two obelisks (one of which was taken to France, and is now at the centre of the Place de la Concorde) linked the Hatshepsut buildings with the main temple.

"Ramesses II was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as Egypt's greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh. His successors and later Egyptians called him the "Great Ancestor".

He was born around 1303 BC and at age fourteen, Ramesses was appointed Prince Regent by his father SEti I. He is believed to have taken the throne in his early 20s and to have ruled Egypt from 1279 BC to 1213 BC for a total of 66 years and 2 months, according to Manetho. On his death, he was buried in a tomb in the Valley of the Kings; his body was later moved to a royal cache where it was discovered in 1881, and is now on display in the Cairo Museum." - in: wikipedia

Unesco whs from Egypt

I've already received a lot of card this week and i still have updates from last week, fortunately, these are the last cards. Both are from Egypt, both new unesco whs and both sent by Claus, like the previous ones.

"The pyramids of Giza are perhaps the only true rival to the Great Sphinx when one thinks of ancient Egypt and its architecture. The Valley of Giza-- with its wonderful monuments-- is truly a marvel of architectural prowess. The three largest pyramids located in the valley consist of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Kafhre and the Pyramid of Menkaura. Each Pyramid is a tomb dedicated to a different king of Egypt.

All three pyramids were built during the Third and Fourth Dynasty; these structures resulted from a monumental effort by the king (and his sons). The Pyramid of Khufu has a base which covers roughly a nine acre area (approximately 392,040 square feet). The Pyramid of Menkaura, unlike the other pyramids, has granite covering one tier of its base. The Pyramid of Khafre had a two-tiered base encased in granite.

Unfortunately, like many of the great kings of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, the Pyramids of Menkaura, Khufu, and Kafhre were not finished by the end of each respective king's reign. As an example: in the case of Menkaura, the king died before its construction was completed. The monuments of Giza and the entire Giza Valley stand as a marvelous reminder of the skill executed in the creation of the pyramids, and are truly fabulous to see." - in: http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/egypt/architecture/gizapyramids.html

"The Karnak Temple Complex — usually called simply Karnak — comprises a vast conglomeration of ruined temples, chapels, pylons and other buildings, notably the Great Temple of Amen and a massive structure begun by Pharaoh Amenhotep III (ca. 1391-1351 BC). It is located near Luxor, some 500 km south of Cairo, in Egypt. The area around Karnak was the ancient Egyptian Ipet-isut ("The Most Selected of Places") and the main place of worship of the Theban Triad with the god Amun as its head. It is part of the monumental city of Thebes. The Karnak complex takes its name from the nearby (and partly surrounded) modern village of el-Karnak, some 2.5 km north of Luxor". - in: wikipedia

Unesco gift

A few days ago i've received an envelope from Germany with these cards. I couldn't believe when i realized that all of these cards were new unesco cards and from places not so easy to get. This was a great Christmas present. The generous postcrosser was Claus, "elbe" a trully Santa Claus :D Vielen Danke.

" Uxmal is a large pre-Columbian ruined city of the Maya civilization in the state of Yucatán, Mexico.

While much work has been done at the popular tourist destination of Uxmal to consolidate and restore buildings, little in the way of serious archeological excavation and research has been done; therefore, the city's dates of occupation are unknown and the estimated population (about 25,000 people) is at present only a very rough guess subject to change upon better data. Most of the architecture visible today was built between about 700 and 1100.

Maya chronicles say that Uxmal was founded about 500 A.D. by Hun Uitzil Chac Tutul Xiu. For generations Uxmal was ruled over by the Xiu family, was the most powerful site in western Yucatan, and for a while in alliance with Chichen Itza dominated all of the northern Maya area. Sometime after about 1200 no new major construction seems to have been made at Uxmal, possibly related to the fall of Uxmal's ally Chichen Itza and the shift of power in Yucatan to Mayapan. The Xiu moved their capital to Maní, and the population of Uxmal declined. After the Spanish conquest of Yucatán (in which the Xiu allied themselves with the Spanish), early colonial documents suggest that Uxmal was still an inhabited place of some importance into the 1550s, but no Spanish town was built here and Uxmal was soon after largely abandoned." - in: wikipedia

" Tucked away amid the modern urban area of Cairo lies one of the world's oldest Islamic cities, with its famous mosques, madrasas, hammams and fountains. Founded in the 10th century, it became the new centre of the Islamic world, reaching its golden age in the 14th century." - in: http://www.unesco.org/ 

Cheomseongdae Observatory in South Korea is one of the oldest structures in Korea. 'Ch'eomseongdae' means 'Star Gazing Tower'. Designated as National Treasure 31, it was built during the reign of Queen Seonduk of the Old Silla kingdom in 634. Cheomseongdae Observatory is the oldest existing observatory in the Far East and one of the oldest scientific installations on earth.
Cheomseongdae is part of the Gyeongju Historic Areas, an Unesco whs since 2000.

The Nile - Egypt

This surprise mapcard of the Nile was sent by Alice. Apparently she went on a cruise to Egypt, didn't know that, and send some cards to some friends. I would love to visit Egypt.

"The Nile is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world.
The Nile has two major tributaries, the White Nile and Blue Nile, the latter being the source of most of the Nile's water and fertile soil, but the former being the longer of the two. The White Nile rises in the Great Lakes region of central Africa, with the most distant source in southern Rwanda and flows north from there through Tanzania, Lake Victoria, Uganda and southern Sudan, while the Blue Nile starts at Lake Tana in Ethiopia, flowing into Sudan from the southeast. The two rivers meet near the Sudanese capital Khartoum.
The northern section of the river flows almost entirely through desert, from Sudan into Egypt, a country whose civilization has depended on the river since ancient times. Most of the population of Egypt and all of its cities, with the exception of those near the coast, lie along those parts of the Nile valley north of Aswan; and nearly all the cultural and historical sites of Ancient Egypt are found along the banks of the river. The Nile ends in a large delta that empties into the Mediterranean Sea." - in: wikipedia

3 countries, 1 envelope

Today was a nice day. I've got 6 cards, 3 in 1 envelope sent from Israel with 1 cards from Israel, 1 from Egypt and 1 from Jordan, a new country in my collection. All this cards were sent by Yohai "euclid".

"Acre is a historic walled port-city with continuous settlement from the Phoenician period. The present city is characteristic of a fortified town dating from the Ottoman 18th and 19th centuries, with typical urban components such as the citadel, mosques, khans and baths. The remains of the Crusader town, dating from 1104 to 1291, lie almost intact, both above and below today's street level, providing an exceptional picture of the layout and structures of the capital of the medieval Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem." - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1042

"The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangle-shaped peninsula in Egypt. It lies between the Mediterranean Sea (to the north) and Red Sea (to the south), forming a land bridge to Southwest Asia." - in: wikipedia.

"Petra is an archaeological site in southwestern Jordan, lying on the slope of Mount Hor in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is renowned for its rock-cut architecture. The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was discovered by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. It was famously described as "a rose-red city half as old as time" in a Newdigate prize-winning sonnet by John William Burgon. UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage."In 1985, Petra was designated a World Heritage Site. It is one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World"." . in: wikipedia.

Egypt

On 7th grade my favorite subject on school was the egyptian history. Since then, Egypt is one of the place i really want to visit. I bought this card here in Portugal in a craftsmanship fair. Here we can see the Deir el-Bahari Temple, Abu Simbel Temple which Ramses II are 20m high, the Lucsor Temple and the Pyramides built between 2686-2181 B.C.