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Thailand: An ox cart decorates a flower float, Chiang Mai Flower Festival Parade, Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. Chiang Mai is known as 'the Rose of the North', but it really blooms into flower in February, towards the end of the cool season. Every year on the first weekend of February, the Chiang Mai Flower Festival is opened. The flower beds in public spaces all around the town are especially beautiful at this time of year. Everywhere there can be found gorgeous displays of yellow and white chrysanthemums, and the Damask Rose, a variety found only in Chiang Mai.
The Royal Ploughing Ceremony is an ancient Brahman ritual held each year in Bangkok at Sanam Luang in front of the Grand Palace. The event is performed to gain an auspicious start to the rice growing season. Sacred white oxen plough the Sanam Luang field, which is then sown with seeds blessed by the king. Farmers then collect the seeds to replant in their own fields. This ceremony is also performed in Cambodia and Sri Lanka.
The Royal Ploughing Ceremony is an ancient Brahman ritual held each year in Bangkok at Sanam Luang in front of the Grand Palace. The event is performed to gain an auspicious start to the rice growing season. Sacred white oxen plough the Sanam Luang field, which is then sown with seeds blessed by the king. Farmers then collect the seeds to replant in their own fields. This ceremony is also performed in Cambodia and Sri Lanka.
The Royal Ploughing Ceremony is an ancient Brahman ritual held each year in Bangkok at Sanam Luang in front of the Grand Palace. The event is performed to gain an auspicious start to the rice growing season. Sacred white oxen plough the Sanam Luang field, which is then sown with seeds blessed by the king. Farmers then collect the seeds to replant in their own fields. This ceremony is also performed in Cambodia and Sri Lanka.
The Royal Ploughing Ceremony is an ancient Brahman ritual held each year in Bangkok at Sanam Luang in front of the Grand Palace. The event is performed to gain an auspicious start to the rice growing season. Sacred white oxen plough the Sanam Luang field, which is then sown with seeds blessed by the king. Farmers then collect the seeds to replant in their own fields. This ceremony is also performed in Cambodia and Sri Lanka.
The Royal Ploughing Ceremony is an ancient Brahman ritual held each year in Bangkok at Sanam Luang in front of the Grand Palace. The event is performed to gain an auspicious start to the rice growing season. Sacred white oxen plough the Sanam Luang field, which is then sown with seeds blessed by the king. Farmers then collect the seeds to replant in their own fields. This ceremony is also performed in Cambodia and Sri Lanka.
The Royal Ploughing Ceremony is an ancient Brahman ritual held each year in Bangkok at Sanam Luang in front of the Grand Palace. The event is performed to gain an auspicious start to the rice growing season. Sacred white oxen plough the Sanam Luang field, which is then sown with seeds blessed by the king. Farmers then collect the seeds to replant in their own fields. This ceremony is also performed in Cambodia and Sri Lanka.
The Royal Ploughing Ceremony is an ancient Brahman ritual held each year in Bangkok at Sanam Luang in front of the Grand Palace. The event is performed to gain an auspicious start to the rice growing season. Sacred white oxen plough the Sanam Luang field, which is then sown with seeds blessed by the king. Farmers then collect the seeds to replant in their own fields. This ceremony is also performed in Cambodia and Sri Lanka.
The Royal Ploughing Ceremony is an ancient Brahman ritual held each year in Bangkok at Sanam Luang in front of the Grand Palace. The event is performed to gain an auspicious start to the rice growing season. Sacred white oxen plough the Sanam Luang field, which is then sown with seeds blessed by the king. Farmers then collect the seeds to replant in their own fields. This ceremony is also performed in Cambodia and Sri Lanka.
The Royal Ploughing Ceremony is an ancient Brahman ritual held each year in Bangkok at Sanam Luang in front of the Grand Palace. The event is performed to gain an auspicious start to the rice growing season. Sacred white oxen plough the Sanam Luang field, which is then sown with seeds blessed by the king. Farmers then collect the seeds to replant in their own fields. This ceremony is also performed in Cambodia and Sri Lanka.
The Royal Ploughing Ceremony is an ancient Brahman ritual held each year in Bangkok at Sanam Luang in front of the Grand Palace. The event is performed to gain an auspicious start to the rice growing season. Sacred white oxen plough the Sanam Luang field, which is then sown with seeds blessed by the king. Farmers then collect the seeds to replant in their own fields. This ceremony is also performed in Cambodia and Sri Lanka.
The Royal Ploughing Ceremony is an ancient Brahman ritual held each year in Bangkok at Sanam Luang in front of the Grand Palace. The event is performed to gain an auspicious start to the rice growing season. Sacred white oxen plough the Sanam Luang field, which is then sown with seeds blessed by the king. Farmers then collect the seeds to replant in their own fields. This ceremony is also performed in Cambodia and Sri Lanka.
The Royal Ploughing Ceremony is an ancient Brahman ritual held each year in Bangkok at Sanam Luang in front of the Grand Palace. The event is performed to gain an auspicious start to the rice growing season. Sacred white oxen plough the Sanam Luang field, which is then sown with seeds blessed by the king. Farmers then collect the seeds to replant in their own fields. This ceremony is also performed in Cambodia and Sri Lanka.
The <i>Anwar-i Suhayli</i> or 'The Lights of Canopus', commonly known as the <i>Fables of Bidpai</i> in the West, is a Persian version of the ancient Indian collection of animal fables, the <i>Panchatantra</i>. It tells a tale of a Persian physician, Burzuyah, and his mission to India, where he stumbles upon a book of stories collected from the animals who reside there.<br/><br/> In a similar vein to the <i>Arabian Nights</i>, the fables in the manuscript are inter-woven as the characters of one story recount the next, leading up to three or four degrees of narrative embedding. Many usually have morals or offer philosophical glimpses into human behaviour, emphasising loyalty and teamwork.
The <i>Anwar-i Suhayli</i> or 'The Lights of Canopus', commonly known as the <i>Fables of Bidpai</i> in the West, is a Persian version of the ancient Indian collection of animal fables, the <i>Panchatantra</i>. It tells a tale of a Persian physician, Burzuyah, and his mission to India, where he stumbles upon a book of stories collected from the animals who reside there.<br/><br/> In a similar vein to the <i>Arabian Nights</i>, the fables in the manuscript are inter-woven as the characters of one story recount the next, leading up to three or four degrees of narrative embedding. Many usually have morals or offer philosophical glimpses into human behaviour, emphasising loyalty and teamwork.
The <i>Anwar-i Suhayli</i> or 'The Lights of Canopus', commonly known as the <i>Fables of Bidpai</i> in the West, is a Persian version of the ancient Indian collection of animal fables, the <i>Panchatantra</i>. It tells a tale of a Persian physician, Burzuyah, and his mission to India, where he stumbles upon a book of stories collected from the animals who reside there.<br/><br/> In a similar vein to the <i>Arabian Nights</i>, the fables in the manuscript are inter-woven as the characters of one story recount the next, leading up to three or four degrees of narrative embedding. Many usually have morals or offer philosophical glimpses into human behaviour, emphasising loyalty and teamwork.
The <i>Anwar-i Suhayli</i> or 'The Lights of Canopus', commonly known as the <i>Fables of Bidpai</i> in the West, is a Persian version of the ancient Indian collection of animal fables, the <i>Panchatantra</i>. It tells a tale of a Persian physician, Burzuyah, and his mission to India, where he stumbles upon a book of stories collected from the animals who reside there.<br/><br/> In a similar vein to the <i>Arabian Nights</i>, the fables in the manuscript are inter-woven as the characters of one story recount the next, leading up to three or four degrees of narrative embedding. Many usually have morals or offer philosophical glimpses into human behaviour, emphasising loyalty and teamwork.
Shinbyu is the Burmese term for a novitiation ceremony (pabbajja) in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism, referring to the celebrations marking the samanera ordination of a boy under the age of 20. Allowing a son to spend some time however short it may be, in a Buddhist monastery is regarded by most Buddhists as the best religious gift that his parents can give him and it is believed to have a lasting effect on his life.<br/><br/> At the same time as the boy's Shinbyu ceremony, young girls will be attending their own ceremony, Na Htwin or the ear-piercing rite.
Shinbyu is the Burmese term for a novitiation ceremony (pabbajja) in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism, referring to the celebrations marking the samanera ordination of a boy under the age of 20. Allowing a son to spend some time however short it may be, in a Buddhist monastery is regarded by most Buddhists as the best religious gift that his parents can give him and it is believed to have a lasting effect on his life.<br/><br/> At the same time as the boy's Shinbyu ceremony, young girls will be attending their own ceremony, Na Htwin or the ear-piercing rite.
Shinbyu is the Burmese term for a novitiation ceremony (pabbajja) in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism, referring to the celebrations marking the samanera ordination of a boy under the age of 20. Allowing a son to spend some time however short it may be, in a Buddhist monastery is regarded by most Buddhists as the best religious gift that his parents can give him and it is believed to have a lasting effect on his life.<br/><br/> At the same time as the boy's Shinbyu ceremony, young girls will be attending their own ceremony, Na Htwin or the ear-piercing rite.
Shinbyu is the Burmese term for a novitiation ceremony (pabbajja) in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism, referring to the celebrations marking the samanera ordination of a boy under the age of 20. Allowing a son to spend some time however short it may be, in a Buddhist monastery is regarded by most Buddhists as the best religious gift that his parents can give him and it is believed to have a lasting effect on his life.<br/><br/> At the same time as the boy's Shinbyu ceremony, young girls will be attending their own ceremony, Na Htwin or the ear-piercing rite.
Shinbyu is the Burmese term for a novitiation ceremony (pabbajja) in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism, referring to the celebrations marking the samanera ordination of a boy under the age of 20. Allowing a son to spend some time however short it may be, in a Buddhist monastery is regarded by most Buddhists as the best religious gift that his parents can give him and it is believed to have a lasting effect on his life.<br/><br/> At the same time as the boy's Shinbyu ceremony, young girls will be attending their own ceremony, Na Htwin or the ear-piercing rite.
Shinbyu is the Burmese term for a novitiation ceremony (pabbajja) in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism, referring to the celebrations marking the samanera ordination of a boy under the age of 20. Allowing a son to spend some time however short it may be, in a Buddhist monastery is regarded by most Buddhists as the best religious gift that his parents can give him and it is believed to have a lasting effect on his life.<br/><br/> At the same time as the boy's Shinbyu ceremony, young girls will be attending their own ceremony, Na Htwin or the ear-piercing rite.
Shinbyu is the Burmese term for a novitiation ceremony (pabbajja) in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism, referring to the celebrations marking the samanera ordination of a boy under the age of 20. Allowing a son to spend some time however short it may be, in a Buddhist monastery is regarded by most Buddhists as the best religious gift that his parents can give him and it is believed to have a lasting effect on his life.<br/><br/> At the same time as the boy's Shinbyu ceremony, young girls will be attending their own ceremony, Na Htwin or the ear-piercing rite.
Shinbyu is the Burmese term for a novitiation ceremony (pabbajja) in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism, referring to the celebrations marking the samanera ordination of a boy under the age of 20. Allowing a son to spend some time however short it may be, in a Buddhist monastery is regarded by most Buddhists as the best religious gift that his parents can give him and it is believed to have a lasting effect on his life.<br/><br/> At the same time as the boy's Shinbyu ceremony, young girls will be attending their own ceremony, Na Htwin or the ear-piercing rite.
Shinbyu is the Burmese term for a novitiation ceremony (pabbajja) in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism, referring to the celebrations marking the samanera ordination of a boy under the age of 20. Allowing a son to spend some time however short it may be, in a Buddhist monastery is regarded by most Buddhists as the best religious gift that his parents can give him and it is believed to have a lasting effect on his life.<br/><br/> Mandalay, a sprawling city of more than 1 million people, was founded in 1857 by King Mindon to coincide with an ancient Buddhist prophecy. It was believed that Gautama Buddha visited the sacred mount of Mandalay Hill with his disciple Ananda, and proclaimed that on the 2,400th anniversary of his death, a metropolis of Buddhist teaching would be founded at the foot of the hill.
Shinbyu is the Burmese term for a novitiation ceremony (pabbajja) in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism, referring to the celebrations marking the samanera ordination of a boy under the age of 20. Allowing a son to spend some time however short it may be, in a Buddhist monastery is regarded by most Buddhists as the best religious gift that his parents can give him and it is believed to have a lasting effect on his life.<br/><br/> Mandalay, a sprawling city of more than 1 million people, was founded in 1857 by King Mindon to coincide with an ancient Buddhist prophecy. It was believed that Gautama Buddha visited the sacred mount of Mandalay Hill with his disciple Ananda, and proclaimed that on the 2,400th anniversary of his death, a metropolis of Buddhist teaching would be founded at the foot of the hill.
Once one of Thailand’s remotest provinces, Mae Hong Son is now readily accessible by air from Chiang Mai, as well as by a wonderful loop drive through Mae Sariang and back via Pai and Soppong– or vice versa. Singularly isolated, Mae Hong Son is not yet very developed. The townsfolk may be citizens of Thailand, but most are Shan, Karen, Yunnanese Chinese or Hill Tribes. The temples are Burmese in style, and the pace of life amazingly tranquil.
Palestine (Arabic: فلسطين‎ Filasṭīn, Falasṭīn, Filisṭīn; Greek: Παλαιστίνη, Palaistinē; Latin: Palaestina; Hebrew: פלשתינה Palestina) is a name given to the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. The region is also known as the Land of Israel (Hebrew: ארץ־ישראל Eretz-Yisra'el), the Holy Land and the Southern Levant.<br/><br/> In 1832 Palestine was conquered by Muhammad Ali's Egypt, but in 1840 Britain intervened and returned control of the Levant to the Ottomans in return for further capitulations. The end of the 19th century saw the beginning of Zionist immigration and the Revival of the Hebrew language. The movement was publicly supported by Great Britain during World War I with the Balfour Declaration of 1917. The British captured Jerusalem a month later, and were formally awarded a mandate in 1922.<br/><br/> In 1947, following World War II and the Holocaust, the British Government announced their desire to terminate the Mandate, and the United Nations General Assembly voted to partition the territory into a Jewish state and an Arab state. The Jewish leadership accepted the proposal but the Arab Higher Committee rejected it; a civil war began immediately, and the State of Israel was declared in 1948.<br/><br/> The 1948 Palestinian exodus, known in Arabic as the Nakba (Arabic: النكبة‎, an-Nakbah, 'The Catastrophe') occurred when approximately 711,000 to 725,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War during which Israel captured and incorporated a further 26% of Palestinian territory.<br/><br/> In the course of the Six Day War in June 1967, Israel captured the remainder of historic Palestine and began a continuing policy of Israeli settlement and annexation.
Once one of Thailand’s remotest provinces, Mae Hong Son is now readily accessible by air from Chiang Mai, as well as by a wonderful loop drive through Mae Sariang and back via Pai and Soppong– or vice versa. Singularly isolated, Mae Hong Son is not yet very developed. The townsfolk may be citizens of Thailand, but most are Shan, Karen, Yunnanese Chinese or Hill Tribes. The temples are Burmese in style, and the pace of life amazingly tranquil.
The Yulin Caves (Chinese: 榆林窟; pinyin: Yulin kū) are a Buddhist cave temple complex in Guazhou County, Gansu Province, China. The site is located some 100 km east of the oasis town of Dunhuang and the Mogao Caves. It takes its name from the eponymous elm trees lining the Yulin River, which flows through the site and separates the two cliffs from which the caves have been excavated.<br/><br/> The forty-two caves house some 250 polychrome statues and 4,200 square metres of wall paintings, dating from the Tang Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty (7th to 14th centuries). The site was among the first in China to be designated for protection in 1961 as a Major National Historical and Cultural Site. In 2008 the Yulin Grottoes were submitted for future inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Chinese Section of the Silk Road.
The British conquest of Burma began in 1824 in response to a Burmese attempt to invade India. By 1886, and after two further wars, Britain had incorporated the entire country into the British Raj. To stimulate trade and facilitate changes, the British brought in Indians and Chinese, who quickly displaced the Burmese in urban areas. To this day Rangoon and Mandalay have large ethnic Indian populations. Railways and schools were built, as well as a large number of prisons, including the infamous Insein Prison, then as now used for political prisoners.<br/><br/> Burmese resentment was strong and was vented in violent riots that paralysed Rangoon on occasion all the way until the 1930s. Burma was administered as a province of British India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony. Burma finally gained independence from Britain on January 4, 1948.
Located in the northeast of the country, Shan State covers one-quarter of Burma’s land mass. It was traditionally separated into principalities and is mostly comprised of ethnic Shan, Burman Pa-O, Intha, Taungyo, Danu, Palaung and Kachin peoples.<br/><br/> The ethnic Tai-Shan people are believed to have migrated from Yunnan in China. The Shan are descendants of the oldest branch of the Tai-Shan, known as ‘Tai Long’ (Great Tai) or ‘Thai Yai’ (Big Thai). The Tai-Shan who migrated to the south and now inhabit modern-day Laos and Thailand are known as ‘Tai Noi’ (Little Tai) or ‘Tai Nyai’.<br/><br/> The Shan have inhabited the Shan Plateau and other parts of modern-day Myanmar as far back as the 10th century CE. The Shan kingdom of Mong Mao (Muang Mao) existed as early as the 10th century CE, but became a Burmese vassal state during the reign of King Anawrahta of Pagan (1044-1077).
Seoul is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of more than 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the developed world. The Seoul Capital Area, which includes the surrounding Incheon metropolis and Gyeonggi province, is the world's second largest metropolitan area with over 25.6 million people, home to over half of South Koreans along with 632,000 international residents.<br/><br/>During the Korean War, Seoul changed hands between the Chinese-backed North Korean forces and the UN-backed South Korean forces several times, leaving the city heavily damaged after the war. One estimate of the extensive damage states that after the war, at least 191,000 buildings, 55,000 houses, and 1,000 factories lay in ruins. In addition, a flood of refugees had entered Seoul during the war, swelling the population of Seoul and its metropolitan area to an estimated 2.5 million, more than half of them homeless.
Pack oxen were the prime mode of transport at the time and facilitated trade around Laos, southern China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Burma. Each of the baskets on the packsaddles could carry 20 kg of paddy.
Seoul is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of more than 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the developed world. The Seoul Capital Area, which includes the surrounding Incheon metropolis and Gyeonggi province, is the world's second largest metropolitan area with over 25.6 million people, home to over half of South Koreans along with 632,000 international residents.<br/><br/>During the Korean War, Seoul changed hands between the Chinese-backed North Korean forces and the UN-backed South Korean forces several times, leaving the city heavily damaged after the war. One estimate of the extensive damage states that after the war, at least 191,000 buildings, 55,000 houses, and 1,000 factories lay in ruins. In addition, a flood of refugees had entered Seoul during the war, swelling the population of Seoul and its metropolitan area to an estimated 2.5 million, more than half of them homeless.
Known to the central Siamese as the Lao States at the turn of the 20th century, the northern region of what is now Thailand was an independent region known as the Lanna kingdom. The main city, Chiang Mai, was built in 1296 by King Mengrai. The city was abandoned in 1776—91 due to Burmese invasions, but became an acknowledged part of Siam around the same time. The north was linked to Bangkok only by river, a journey which could take some six months, until in 1922, a railway was completed which connected Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
The Shan, or 'Tai Yai' (Great Thai) are a prominent ethnic group in northern Burma and northwestern Thailand. Linguistically very similar to the Siamese, who were known as the 'Tai Noi' (Small Tai), the Shan migrated to the region through Laos from Yunnan in China over at least the past 1,000 years. The Shan have inhabited the mountainous Shan Plateau of Myanmar since as far back as the 10th century CE.
Phitsanulok is an ancient city in the lower plains of northern Thailand. It was capital of the Ayutthaya kingdom for 25 years from 1463 after a series of Burmese invasions. Although Phitsanulok is not located far to the north, the people of the region were known to the central Siamese as Lao at the turn of the 20th century.