A khachkar is a freestanding upright stone slab, characteristic of medieval Christian Armenian art. The word comes from the Armenian khach (cross) and kar (stone).The stones stand between one to three meters tall. Each features a central carved cross.
-
-
Most people remember Joseph Stalin as a merciless dictator, responsible for the deaths of millions of people. But to the residents of Gori, the Georgian town where he was born, he is a man worth commemorating, whom they are proud to acknowledge. His childhood home is carefully preserved in the grounds of the museum that 'celebrates' his life.
-
The Georgian town of Signagi (also written Sighnaghi) sits on a hilltop in a position that reminded me of many Italian towns. It still has signifcant remnants of its 18th-century town wall and fortifications.
-
The Diri Baba Mausoleum is a Sufi pilgrimage site of historical and architectural significance. Built into a rocky hillside opposite a medieval cemetery in the 15th century, it houses the tomb of a unknown sheikh.
-
Perched on the top of the Colle di San Giusto near Trieste’s castle stands a tall monument in honour of the fallen soldiers of World War One. The monument, classical in style, features a group of five naked male figures in a dramatic war scene.
-
Every night of the year a horn is blown at the four corners of the obelisk in Ripon’s Market Place to set the ‘watch’. This ceremony has taken place for the last 1,100 years, without fail.
-
Whitstable is renowned for its sunsets, said to have inspired JMW Turner. Last night’s coincided with low tide, the wet shingle reflecting the colours in the sky.
-
While significant parts of Hull were bombed during WWII, and many lives tragically lost, its Old Town survived and has been well preserved. The historic buildings and cobbled streets make it an ideal stand-in for Victorian or Georgian London. These streets have been transformed many times by film and TV studios for productions including The Crown, Victoria and Blitz.
-
On Crosby beach north of Liverpool 100 cast-iron, life-size figures stand looking out to sea. The figures each weigh 650 kilos and are made from casts of the artist Anthony Gormley’s own body.
-
The four stone lions that guard the entrances to the Chain Bridge in Budapest are very like the bronze ones in London's Trafalgar Square. There are several legends attached to them. One legend tells that they are the guardians of Hungary and will come to life if ever the country is threatened.
