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The Indian general election of 1951–52 elected the first Lok Sabha since India became independent in August 1947. Until this point, the Indian Constituent Assembly had served as an interim legislature.<br/><br/> The Indian National Congress (INC) won a landslide victory, winning 364 of the 489 seats and 45% of the total votes polled. This was over four times as many votes as the second-largest party. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first democratically elected Prime Minister of the country.
In earlier times, Karghilik (Yecheng), a small oasis town was a starting point for trade caravans leaving the main Silk Road and heading south to Ladakh and Kashmir by way of the difficult 5,575m Karakoram Pass. Today this route is decisively closed, as the Karakoram Pass lies in an area disputed by China and India, as well as close to the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield where India confronts Pakistan.<br/><br/> Highway 219 follows part of the old trade route as it heads south from Karghilik, through Akmeqit, Mazar and Shahidullah, across the disputed Aksai Chin to Ali (Senge Khabab) in western Tibet. Although still officially closed to visitors, Chinese security has become increasingly relaxed in recent years, and this is becoming a popular (albeit difficult) way for travellers to reach Tibet from Xinjiang.<br/><br/> Karghilik is a quiet little place with an attractive 15th century Friday Mosque, a bustling bazaar, and several reasonable hotels, making it a possible stopover on the journey between Khotan and Kashgar.
In earlier times, Karghilik (Yecheng), a small oasis town was a starting point for trade caravans leaving the main Silk Road and heading south to Ladakh and Kashmir by way of the difficult 5,575m Karakoram Pass. Today this route is decisively closed, as the Karakoram Pass lies in an area disputed by China and India, as well as close to the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield where India confronts Pakistan.<br/><br/> Highway 219 follows part of the old trade route as it heads south from Karghilik, through Akmeqit, Mazar and Shahidullah, across the disputed Aksai Chin to Ali (Senge Khabab) in western Tibet. Although still officially closed to visitors, Chinese security has become increasingly relaxed in recent years, and this is becoming a popular (albeit difficult) way for travellers to reach Tibet from Xinjiang.<br/><br/> Karghilik is a quiet little place with an attractive 15th century Friday Mosque, a bustling bazaar, and several reasonable hotels, making it a possible stopover on the journey between Khotan and Kashgar.
The Indian general election of 1951–52 elected the first Lok Sabha since India became independent in August 1947. Until this point, the Indian Constituent Assembly had served as an interim legislature.<br/><br/> The Indian National Congress (INC) won a landslide victory, winning 364 of the 489 seats and 45% of the total votes polled. This was over four times as many votes as the second-largest party. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first democratically elected Prime Minister of the country.
The Indian general election of 1951–52 elected the first Lok Sabha since India became independent in August 1947. Until this point, the Indian Constituent Assembly had served as an interim legislature.<br/><br/> The Indian National Congress (INC) won a landslide victory, winning 364 of the 489 seats and 45% of the total votes polled. This was over four times as many votes as the second-largest party. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first democratically elected Prime Minister of the country.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
Khotan traces its history back at least as far as the 3rd century BCE, when the eldest son of the Indian emperor Asoka is said to have settled here. It was of great importance on the Silk Road, and is claimed to have been the first place outside China to have cultivated silk.<br/><br/>It sits astride the Karakash or ‘Black Jade’ and Yurungkash or ‘White Jade’ Rivers, which here conjoin to form the Khotan Darya, and has been famous for its jade for well over two millennia.<br/><br/>In times past trade routes crossed the desert to the north all the way to Kuqa, and as recently as 2007 this link has been re-established for the first time in centuries with the opening of a second Desert Highway leading to Aksu, distant some 424km to the north.<br/><br/>In 1006 Khotan was conquered by Uighur Muslims from Kashgar, and since that time the city remains a very Uighur place.
In earlier times, Karghilik (Yecheng), a small oasis town was a starting point for trade caravans leaving the main Silk Road and heading south to Ladakh and Kashmir by way of the difficult 5,575m Karakoram Pass. Today this route is decisively closed, as the Karakoram Pass lies in an area disputed by China and India, as well as close to the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield where India confronts Pakistan.<br/><br/> Highway 219 follows part of the old trade route as it heads south from Karghilik, through Akmeqit, Mazar and Shahidullah, across the disputed Aksai Chin to Ali (Senge Khabab) in western Tibet. Although still officially closed to visitors, Chinese security has become increasingly relaxed in recent years, and this is becoming a popular (albeit difficult) way for travellers to reach Tibet from Xinjiang.<br/><br/> Karghilik is a quiet little place with an attractive 15th century Friday Mosque, a bustling bazaar, and several reasonable hotels, making it a possible stopover on the journey between Khotan and Kashgar.
In earlier times, Karghilik (Yecheng), a small oasis town was a starting point for trade caravans leaving the main Silk Road and heading south to Ladakh and Kashmir by way of the difficult 5,575m Karakoram Pass. Today this route is decisively closed, as the Karakoram Pass lies in an area disputed by China and India, as well as close to the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield where India confronts Pakistan.<br/><br/> Highway 219 follows part of the old trade route as it heads south from Karghilik, through Akmeqit, Mazar and Shahidullah, across the disputed Aksai Chin to Ali (Senge Khabab) in western Tibet. Although still officially closed to visitors, Chinese security has become increasingly relaxed in recent years, and this is becoming a popular (albeit difficult) way for travellers to reach Tibet from Xinjiang.<br/><br/> Karghilik is a quiet little place with an attractive 15th century Friday Mosque, a bustling bazaar, and several reasonable hotels, making it a possible stopover on the journey between Khotan and Kashgar.
In earlier times, Karghilik (Yecheng), a small oasis town was a starting point for trade caravans leaving the main Silk Road and heading south to Ladakh and Kashmir by way of the difficult 5,575m Karakoram Pass. Today this route is decisively closed, as the Karakoram Pass lies in an area disputed by China and India, as well as close to the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield where India confronts Pakistan.<br/><br/> Highway 219 follows part of the old trade route as it heads south from Karghilik, through Akmeqit, Mazar and Shahidullah, across the disputed Aksai Chin to Ali (Senge Khabab) in western Tibet. Although still officially closed to visitors, Chinese security has become increasingly relaxed in recent years, and this is becoming a popular (albeit difficult) way for travellers to reach Tibet from Xinjiang.<br/><br/> Karghilik is a quiet little place with an attractive 15th century Friday Mosque, a bustling bazaar, and several reasonable hotels, making it a possible stopover on the journey between Khotan and Kashgar.
In earlier times, Karghilik (Yecheng), a small oasis town was a starting point for trade caravans leaving the main Silk Road and heading south to Ladakh and Kashmir by way of the difficult 5,575m Karakoram Pass. Today this route is decisively closed, as the Karakoram Pass lies in an area disputed by China and India, as well as close to the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield where India confronts Pakistan.<br/><br/> Highway 219 follows part of the old trade route as it heads south from Karghilik, through Akmeqit, Mazar and Shahidullah, across the disputed Aksai Chin to Ali (Senge Khabab) in western Tibet. Although still officially closed to visitors, Chinese security has become increasingly relaxed in recent years, and this is becoming a popular (albeit difficult) way for travellers to reach Tibet from Xinjiang.<br/><br/> Karghilik is a quiet little place with an attractive 15th century Friday Mosque, a bustling bazaar, and several reasonable hotels, making it a possible stopover on the journey between Khotan and Kashgar.
The Ark was initially built and occupied around the 5th century CE. In addition to being a military structure, the Ark encompassed what was essentially a town that, during much of the fortress' history, was inhabited by the various royal courts that held sway over the region surrounding Bukhara. The Ark was used as a fortress until it fell to Russia in 1920.<br/><br/> Bukhara was founded in 500 BCE in the area now called the Ark. However, the Bukhara oasis had been inhabitated long before.<br/><br/> The city has been one of the main centres of Persian civilization from its early days in 6th century BCE. From the 6th century CE, Turkic speakers gradually moved in.<br/><br/> Bukhara's architecture and archaeological sites form one of the pillars of Central Asian history and art. The region of Bukhara was for a long period a part of the Persian Empire. The origin of its inhabitants goes back to the period of Aryan immigration into the region.
The Ark was initially built and occupied around the 5th century CE. In addition to being a military structure, the Ark encompassed what was essentially a town that, during much of the fortress' history, was inhabited by the various royal courts that held sway over the region surrounding Bukhara. The Ark was used as a fortress until it fell to Russia in 1920.<br/><br/> Bukhara was founded in 500 BCE in the area now called the Ark. However, the Bukhara oasis had been inhabitated long before.<br/><br/> The city has been one of the main centres of Persian civilization from its early days in 6th century BCE. From the 6th century CE, Turkic speakers gradually moved in.<br/><br/> Bukhara's architecture and archaeological sites form one of the pillars of Central Asian history and art. The region of Bukhara was for a long period a part of the Persian Empire. The origin of its inhabitants goes back to the period of Aryan immigration into the region.
The Ark was initially built and occupied around the 5th century CE. In addition to being a military structure, the Ark encompassed what was essentially a town that, during much of the fortress' history, was inhabited by the various royal courts that held sway over the region surrounding Bukhara. The Ark was used as a fortress until it fell to Russia in 1920.<br/><br/> Bukhara was founded in 500 BCE in the area now called the Ark. However, the Bukhara oasis had been inhabitated long before.<br/><br/> The city has been one of the main centres of Persian civilization from its early days in 6th century BCE. From the 6th century CE, Turkic speakers gradually moved in.<br/><br/> Bukhara's architecture and archaeological sites form one of the pillars of Central Asian history and art. The region of Bukhara was for a long period a part of the Persian Empire. The origin of its inhabitants goes back to the period of Aryan immigration into the region.
The Ark was initially built and occupied around the 5th century CE. In addition to being a military structure, the Ark encompassed what was essentially a town that, during much of the fortress' history, was inhabited by the various royal courts that held sway over the region surrounding Bukhara. The Ark was used as a fortress until it fell to Russia in 1920.<br/><br/> Bukhara was founded in 500 BCE in the area now called the Ark. However, the Bukhara oasis had been inhabitated long before.<br/><br/> The city has been one of the main centres of Persian civilization from its early days in 6th century BCE. From the 6th century CE, Turkic speakers gradually moved in.<br/><br/> Bukhara's architecture and archaeological sites form one of the pillars of Central Asian history and art. The region of Bukhara was for a long period a part of the Persian Empire. The origin of its inhabitants goes back to the period of Aryan immigration into the region.
The Ark was initially built and occupied around the 5th century CE. In addition to being a military structure, the Ark encompassed what was essentially a town that, during much of the fortress' history, was inhabited by the various royal courts that held sway over the region surrounding Bukhara. The Ark was used as a fortress until it fell to Russia in 1920.<br/><br/> Bukhara was founded in 500 BCE in the area now called the Ark. However, the Bukhara oasis had been inhabitated long before.<br/><br/> The city has been one of the main centres of Persian civilization from its early days in 6th century BCE. From the 6th century CE, Turkic speakers gradually moved in.<br/><br/> Bukhara's architecture and archaeological sites form one of the pillars of Central Asian history and art. The region of Bukhara was for a long period a part of the Persian Empire. The origin of its inhabitants goes back to the period of Aryan immigration into the region.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
Delhi’s great Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque is the largest in the country, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. It was built in 1644, the last in a series of magnificent architectural achievements by Shah Jahan, the Moghul emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.<br/><br/> The elaborately decorated mosque has three great gateways, four towers and two 40m (131ft) high minarets constructed of alternating bands of red sandstone and white marble. Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque but preferably not during prayer times; revealing clothing is not permitted within the precincts.
The Hukuru Miskiiy (Friday Mosque) is the most important mosque in the Maldives. Originially constructed c.1153 at the time of the conversion to Islam on the orders of Sultan Muhammad al-Adil, it was restored in 1338, and subsequently renewed and enlarged in 1656-7 by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar I (1648-87).<br/><br/> The building is of finely-carved hiri-ga coral, and bears some mouldings of distinctly Buddhist artistic inspiration on the basement. The portico was erected by Ibrahim Iskandar I on his return from the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1668. The distinctive, lighthouse-shaped munnaru (minaret) was erected by the same sultan in 1674-5.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
The Hukuru Miskiiy (Friday Mosque) is the most important mosque in the Maldives. Originially constructed c.1153 at the time of the conversion to Islam on the orders of Sultan Muhammad al-Adil, it was restored in 1338, and subsequently renewed and enlarged in 1656-7 by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar I (1648-87).<br/><br/> The building is of finely-carved hiri-ga coral, and bears some mouldings of distinctly Buddhist artistic inspiration on the basement. The portico was erected by Ibrahim Iskandar I on his return from the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1668. The distinctive, lighthouse-shaped munnaru (minaret) was erected by the same sultan in 1674-5.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
The Hukuru Miskiiy (Friday Mosque) is the most important mosque in the Maldives. Originially constructed c.1153 at the time of the conversion to Islam on the orders of Sultan Muhammad al-Adil, it was restored in 1338, and subsequently renewed and enlarged in 1656-7 by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar I (1648-87).<br/><br/> The building is of finely-carved hiri-ga coral, and bears some mouldings of distinctly Buddhist artistic inspiration on the basement. The portico was erected by Ibrahim Iskandar I on his return from the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1668. The distinctive, lighthouse-shaped munnaru (minaret) was erected by the same sultan in 1674-5.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
In the Maldives, being a Muslim country, people are buried. Tombstones with a single point on the top are those of men, while those with a rounded top are those of women.<br/><br/> The Hukuru Miskiiy (Friday Mosque) is the most important mosque in the Maldives. Originially constructed c.1153 at the time of the conversion to Islam on the orders of Sultan Muhammad al-Adil, it was restored in 1338, and subsequently renewed and enlarged in 1656-7 by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar I (1648-87).<br/><br/> The building is of finely-carved hiri-ga coral, and bears some mouldings of distinctly Buddhist artistic inspiration on the basement. The portico was erected by Ibrahim Iskandar I on his return from the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1668. The distinctive, lighthouse-shaped munnaru (minaret) was erected by the same sultan in 1674-5.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
In the Maldives, being a Muslim country, people are buried. Tombstones with a single point on the top are those of men, while those with a rounded top are those of women.<br/><br/> The Hukuru Miskiiy (Friday Mosque) is the most important mosque in the Maldives. Originially constructed c.1153 at the time of the conversion to Islam on the orders of Sultan Muhammad al-Adil, it was restored in 1338, and subsequently renewed and enlarged in 1656-7 by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar I (1648-87).<br/><br/> The building is of finely-carved hiri-ga coral, and bears some mouldings of distinctly Buddhist artistic inspiration on the basement. The portico was erected by Ibrahim Iskandar I on his return from the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1668. The distinctive, lighthouse-shaped munnaru (minaret) was erected by the same sultan in 1674-5.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
In the Maldives, being a Muslim country, people are buried. Tombstones with a single point on the top are those of men, while those with a rounded top are those of women.<br/><br/> The Hukuru Miskiiy (Friday Mosque) is the most important mosque in the Maldives. Originially constructed c.1153 at the time of the conversion to Islam on the orders of Sultan Muhammad al-Adil, it was restored in 1338, and subsequently renewed and enlarged in 1656-7 by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar I (1648-87).<br/><br/> The building is of finely-carved hiri-ga coral, and bears some mouldings of distinctly Buddhist artistic inspiration on the basement. The portico was erected by Ibrahim Iskandar I on his return from the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1668. The distinctive, lighthouse-shaped munnaru (minaret) was erected by the same sultan in 1674-5.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
In the Maldives, being a Muslim country, people are buried. Tombstones with a single point on the top are those of men, while those with a rounded top are those of women.<br/><br/> The Hukuru Miskiiy (Friday Mosque) is the most important mosque in the Maldives. Originially constructed c.1153 at the time of the conversion to Islam on the orders of Sultan Muhammad al-Adil, it was restored in 1338, and subsequently renewed and enlarged in 1656-7 by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar I (1648-87).<br/><br/> The building is of finely-carved hiri-ga coral, and bears some mouldings of distinctly Buddhist artistic inspiration on the basement. The portico was erected by Ibrahim Iskandar I on his return from the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1668. The distinctive, lighthouse-shaped munnaru (minaret) was erected by the same sultan in 1674-5.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
The Hukuru Miskiiy (Friday Mosque) is the most important mosque in the Maldives. Originially constructed c.1153 at the time of the conversion to Islam on the orders of Sultan Muhammad al-Adil, it was restored in 1338, and subsequently renewed and enlarged in 1656-7 by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar I (1648-87).<br/><br/> The building is of finely-carved hiri-ga coral, and bears some mouldings of distinctly Buddhist artistic inspiration on the basement. The portico was erected by Ibrahim Iskandar I on his return from the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1668. The distinctive, lighthouse-shaped munnaru (minaret) was erected by the same sultan in 1674-5.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
The Hukuru Miskiiy (Friday Mosque) is the most important mosque in the Maldives. Originially constructed c.1153 at the time of the conversion to Islam on the orders of Sultan Muhammad al-Adil, it was restored in 1338, and subsequently renewed and enlarged in 1656-7 by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar I (1648-87).<br/><br/> The building is of finely-carved hiri-ga coral, and bears some mouldings of distinctly Buddhist artistic inspiration on the basement. The portico was erected by Ibrahim Iskandar I on his return from the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1668. The distinctive, lighthouse-shaped munnaru (minaret) was erected by the same sultan in 1674-5.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.
The Hukuru Miskiiy (Friday Mosque) is the most important mosque in the Maldives. Originially constructed c.1153 at the time of the conversion to Islam on the orders of Sultan Muhammad al-Adil, it was restored in 1338, and subsequently renewed and enlarged in 1656-7 by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar I (1648-87).<br/><br/> The building is of finely-carved hiri-ga coral, and bears some mouldings of distinctly Buddhist artistic inspiration on the basement. The portico was erected by Ibrahim Iskandar I on his return from the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1668. The distinctive, lighthouse-shaped munnaru (minaret) was erected by the same sultan in 1674-5.<br/><br/> Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.<br/><br/> The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.