yemen - sana’a (by Retlaw Snellac)
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Detail from the Moorish palaces of the Alhambra in Granada, Andalusia Spain, built in the mid 14th century for the last Muslim Emirs in Spain.
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Stele of Ushumgal
Sumerian, 2900-2700
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
” Among the earliest written documents from Mesopotamia are records of land sales or grants, often carved in stone with associated images, perhaps for public display. The Sumerian inscription on this stele records a transaction involving three fields, three houses, and some livestock. Ushumgal, a priest of the god Shara, and his daughter are the central figures of the transaction, but because of the archaic script, it is not clear whether Ushumgal is buying, selling, or granting these properties. The smaller figures along the sides very likely represent witnesses to the transaction. In addition to their importance to understanding the development of writing, these early land documents provide evidence that land could be privately owned in early Mesopotamia, although a significant proportion was still owned by the gods and managed by their temples. While this development is not surprising from a modern point of view, in antiquity it represented a momentous conceptual and cultural shift.”
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Romanesque architectural frieze from Cluny, Burgundy, France, c. 1125-1150. Image taken from ARTstor.
Ajanta Caves, India
These caves date back as early as 200 BC, and are known for their beautiful stonework, paintings, and architecture. It is said that they were abandoned in the 7th century AD when Buddhism began declining all over India. The caves are some of the oldest known Buddhist temples and shrines and are still considered sacred. All interior spaces and architectural design, as well as statues and stonework on the walls were created by chiseling away at and removing rock from the mountainside. Engineers today have no explanation as to how it was cut from the 70 foot high granite cliff over 2000 years ago.
More info on the Wiki site….amazing.
(8:14am)
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Lalibela Church, Ethiopia
The town of Lalibela in northern Ethiopia is renowned for 12 Christian churches that were hewed out of solid stone some 800 years ago. The most stunning is Bieta Giyorgis, shown here, a massive monolith 40 feet (12 meters) tall, intricately carved and shaped like a cross.
