Baghdad was once an intellectual centre and a hub of world trade – Ismailimail
During ancient times the lands now comprising Iraq were know as Mesopotamia (“Land Between the Rivers”), a region that gave rise to some of the world’s earliest civilizations. This wealthy region, constituting much of what is called the Fertile Crescent, later became part of larger imperial powers, including the Persian, Greek, and Roman dynasties, and, after the seventh century, it became an integral part of the Islamic world. Baghdad became the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate in the eighth century. Founded in 762, the city of Baghdad was originally built on the west bank of the Tigris River.
A 19th-Century Vision of the Year 2000
In this section of the site we bring you curated collections of images, books, audio and film, shining a light on curiosities and wonders from a wide range of online archives. With a leaning toward the surprising, the strange, and the beautiful, we hope to provide an ever-growing cabinet of curiosities for the digital age, a kind of hyperlinked Wunderkammer – an archive of materials which truly celebrates the breadth and variety of our shared cultural commons and the minds that have made it. Some of our most popular posts include visions of the future from late 19th century France, a dictionary of Victorian slang and a film showing the very talented “hand-farting” farmer of Michigan.
atlasobscura
Atlas Obscura catalogues the most unusual, surprising, and amazing places around the world, thanks to the discoveries shared by our intrepid community of travelers and explorers. There are now more than 11,000 incredible hidden wonders listed in the Atlas, and we’ve plotted each and every one of them on this interactive map. The possibilities are vast, from the Icelandic witchcraft museum to the tree goats of Morocco, to Galileo’s middle finger, to the Skeleton Lake of India and thousands of other architectural oddities, natural wonders, catacombs and crypts, and unique collections across the world’s continents and oceans. Start exploring, and see what rabbit holes you may stumble down. And if you know of an incredible place that we missed, you can add it to the Atlas here!
CITY BUSINESS Magazine (2016 Spring)
After a century of marginalisation, Central Asia transit routes are once again taking centre stage. City Business Magazine editor Eric Collins investigates the nature of the historical Silk Road, and asks why China is unveiling a new version for the 21st century. A romanticised early 20th century vision of the Silk Road – The Bazaar in Samarkand, by Alexei Vladimirovich Issupoff, showing a Kazakh couple arriving by camelPhoto Courtesy of Sphinx Fine Art, London Sinuously the Silk Road flows from ancient times down to the present. From China through the Taklamakan Desert to Samarkand at its centre, through the grassland steppe of Central Asia to the shores of the Mediterranean, it helped pioneer globalisation.
Abraham Lincoln's letter to his son's teacher
He will have to learn, I know, that all men are not just,all men are not true.But teach him also that for every scoundrel there is a hero;that for every selfish Politician, there is a dedicated leader...Teach him for every enemy there is a friend, Steer him away from envy,if you can,teach him the secret ofquiet laughter. Let him learn early that the bullies are the easiest to lick...
More Accurate World Map Wins Prestigious Design Award
The most accurate map you'll ever see. You probably won't like it. Authagraph You probably don’t realize it, but virtually every world map you’ve ever seen is wrong.
The fight to save the ancient texts of Timbuktu
Located at the gateway to the Sahara desert in what is now Mali, within the confines of the fertile zone of the Sudan, Timbuktu is one of the cities of Africa whose name is the most heavily charged with history. Founded in the 5th century, it became an intellectual and spiritual capital, reaching its golden age in the 15th and 16th centuries. Around seven hundred years ago, it was a bustling hub where travellers from Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, Egypt, and Morocco met to trade in salt, gold, ivory and unfortunately, slaves. But it wasn’t only ‘goods’ that were exchanged. Timbuktu was a place where ideas, philosophies, intellectual thought, and religious beliefs came together in a dynamic mix, and one of the primary ways in which such ideas were exchanged was through the sale of books. According to a description of Timbuktu in 1526 by the diplomat Leo Africanus, “more profit is to be made there from the sale of books than from any other branch of trade.”
The History of Europe: 5,000 Years Animated in a Timelapse Map
If you’re an Open Culture old timer, you know the work of EmperorTigerstar–a Youtuber who specializes (to quote myself) “in documenting the unfolding of world historical events by stitching together hundreds of maps into timelapse films”. We’ve previously featured his “map animations” of the U.S. Civil War (1861-1865), World War I (1914-1918), and World War II (1939-1945) and also the History of Rome. This week, the map animator released The History of Europe: Every Year. In ten minutes, he takes us from The Minoan civilization that arose on the Greek island of Crete (3650 to 1400 BC), down to our modern times. About 5,000 years of history gets covered before you can boil a pot of pasta.
