Safranbolu - Turkey

Another unesco card, this time from Turkey, sent by Leslie "ctrekoza".

"Safranbolu is a district and a town of Karabük Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, about two 200 kilometers north of Ankara and about a 100 kilometers south of the Black Sea coast.

The Old Town preserves many old buildings, with 1008 registered historical artifacts. The Old Town is situated in a deep ravine in a fairly dry area in the rain shadow of the mountains. The New Town can be found on the plateau about two kilometers west of the Old Town. The name of the town derives from saffron, since Safranbolu was a trading place and a center for growing saffron.Today saffron is still alive at the village of Davutobası which is 22 km.east of Safranbolu and probably one of the best quality saffron at the world.
Safranbolu was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1994 due to its well-preserved Ottoman era houses and architecture." - in: wikipédia.

Segovia Aqueduct - Spain

Only 1 card today but a nice one, showing an Unesco Heritage Site in Spain. It was sent by Olga "nott".

"The Aqueduct of Segovia (or more precisely, the aqueduct bridge) is one of the most significant and best-preserved monuments left by the Romans on the Iberian Peninsula. It is among the most important symbols of Segovia, as is evidenced by its presence on the city's coat of arms.

As it lacks a legible inscription (one was apparently located in aqueduct's attic, or top portion), the date of construction cannot be definitively determined. Researchers have placed it between the second half of the 1st Century AD and the early years of the 2nd Century.
The first section of the aqueduct contains 36 pointed arches, rebuilt in the 15th Century to restore a portion destroyed by Moors in 1072. The line of arches is organized in two levels, decorated simply, in which predominantly simple moulds hold the frame and provide support to the structure.

The aqueduct is the city's most important architectural landmark. It had been kept functioning throughout the centuries and preserved in excellent condition. It provided water to Segovia, mainly to the Segovia Alcázar, until recently. During the 20th Century, the aqueduct suffered wear and tear due to pollution from heaters and automobiles. The latter used to pass below the arches. Natural erosion from the granite itself has also affected the structure through the years. Contrary to popular belief, vibrations caused by traffic do not affect the aqueduct due to its great mass." - in: wikipedia.

Monaco

"Built in 1875 using white stone from La Turbie, the present-day Cathedral stands on the site of a 13th century church dedicated to Saint Nicolas and houses the tombs of the former Princes of Monaco. It is also the final resting placeof Monaco's much loved Princess Grace. Of particular interest are the retable (circa 1500) to the right of the transept painted by the Louis Bréa from neighboring Nice, the Great Altar and the Episcopal throne in white Carrara marble." - in: www.visitmonaco.com

"The Oceanographic Museum & Aquarium was inaugurated in 1910 by its founder, Prince Albert I, this exceptional museum of marine sciences is a monumental architectural masterpiece with a grandiose façade rising majestically above the sea to a height of 279 feet. It took 11 years to build, using 100,000 tons of stone from La Turbie.
The impressive rooms of the Museum, open to the public on two floors, contain remarkable collections of marine fauna gathered by Prince Albert, numerous specimens of sea creatures (stuffed or in skeleton form, including the skeleton of a 66 foot whale), models of Prince Albert’s laboratory ships, and craftware made from the sea’s natural products. Part of the first floor is dedicated to the oceanographic works of Prince Albert 1,“Career of a Navigator”." - in: www.visitmonaco.com

I bought this cards when i was in Monaco on January 2nd, 2007.

Viñales Valley - Cuba

"Viñales Valley is a karstic depression in Cuba. Tobacco and other crops are cultivated on the bottom of the valley, mostly by traditional agriculture techniques. Many caves dot the surrounding hillfaces.
Viñales is a major tourist destination offering mainly hiking and rock climbing. The local climbing scene has started to take off in the last few years with many new routes being discovered resulting in an increase in local tourism.
In 1999, the Viñales Valley was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a cultural landscape, both for its natural beauty and for the Vernacular architecture and traditions." - in: wikipedia.

Su Nuraxi di Barumini - Italy

My only card today, an Unesco whs from Italy sent by Elisabetta "isabetta".

"During the late 2nd millennium B.C. in the Bronze Age, a special type of defensive structure known as nuraghi (for which no parallel exists anywhere else in the world) developed on the island of Sardinia. The complex consists of circular defensive towers in the form of truncated cones built of dressed stone, with corbel-vaulted internal chambers. The complex at Barumini, which was extended and reinforced in the first half of the 1st millennium under Carthaginian pressure, is the finest and most complete example of this remarkable form of prehistoric architecture. " - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/833

Finally some cards

After a few days without any cards, today i've finally received 3 beautiful cards, 2 of them from 2 new countries.

"The Strait of Gibraltar is the strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain from Morocco. There are 13 km (8 miles) of ocean separating Europe from Africa at the strait's narrowest point.On the northern side of the Strait is Spain and Gibraltar, while on the southern side is Morocco and Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa." - in: wikipedia. This is a lottery card sent by Anna "bogdanovskaya".

"The Burj Al Arab is a luxury hotel located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 321 metres (1,053 ft), it is the tallest building used exclusively as a hotel. The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 metres (919 ft) out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an iconic structure, designed to symbolize Dubai's urban transformation and to mimic the sail of a boat." - in: wikipedia.

Card sent by Trupti.

The Hawkesworth Bridge spans the Macal River linking the twin towns of Santa Helena and San Ignacio in western Belize. Card also sent by Trupti.

Gozo - Malta

2 cards of Gozo sent by Jackie.

"Gozo is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, the island is part of the Southern European country Malta and is the second largest after the island of Malta itself within the archipelago. Compared to its neighbour island, Gozo is more rural and known for its scenic hills." in: wikipedia.

A colourful sunset in Xlendi Bay.

Ramla Bay; Inland Sea - Dwejra; Fungus Rock.

Mgarr ix-Xini.

Mgarr Harbour; Azure Window; Xlendi.