Hisham's Most Recent Favorites

Tahrir square 360

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 09:56:52 Z

by Hossam-ElAshkar

Safeco Field

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:45:47 Z

by Hisham

Muhammed ALi Pasha

Fri, 08 May 2009 13:34:57 Z

by Hisham

sunset Maui

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 15:42:50 Z

by Hisham

Al-Nasir Muhammad

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 23:09:08 Z

by Hisham "Al-Nasir Muhammad (Arabic :الناصر محمد) (Epithet: al-Malik al-Nasir Nasir al-Din Muhammad ben Qalawun)( Arabic: الملك الناصر ناصر الدين محمد بن قلاوون) ( Nickname: Abu al-Ma'ali (أبو المعالى)) b. Cairo 1285, d. Cairo 1341) Was the ninth Mamluk sultan of Egypt who was inaugurated three times, from December 1293 to December 1294 , from 1299 to 1309 and from 1309 till his death in 1341 . He was the youngest son of Sultan Qalawun and the brother of Sultan Al-Ashraf Khalil. He was born in Cairo at Qal'at al-Jabal ( Citadel of the Mountain ). His mother was of Mongol origin. His reign was in three stages, marked by temporary depositions."

The round mosque

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 00:06:31 Z

by Hisham

Abu Simble

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:34:21 Z

by Hisham "The complex consists of two temples. The larger one is dedicated to Ra-Harakhty, Ptah and Amun, Egypt's three state deities of the time, and features four large statues of Ramesses II in the facade. The smaller temple is dedicated to the goddess Hathor, personified by Nefertari, Ramesses's most beloved wife (in total, the pharaoh had some 200 wives and concubines). The greater temple Close-up of one of the colossal statues of Ramesses II, wearing the double crown of Lower and Upper Egypt.The greater Abu Simbel temple is generally considered the grandest and most beautiful of the temples commissioned during the reign of Ramesses II, and one of the most beautiful in Egypt. The facade is 33 meters high, and 38 meters broad, and guarded by four statues, each of which is 20 meters high. They were sculptured directly from the rock in which the temple was located before it was moved. All statues represent Ramesses II, seated on a throne and wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. The statue to the left of the entrance was damaged in an earthquake, leaving only the lower part of the statue still intact. Several smaller figures are situated at the feet of the four statues, depicting members of the pharaoh's family. They include his mother Tuya, Nefertari, and some of his sons and daughters. Above the entrance there is a statue of a falcon-headed Ra-Harakhte, with the pharaoh shown worshipping on both sides of him. Below the statue there is an ancient rebus, showing the prenomen or throne name of Ramesses: Waser-ma'at. The facade is topped by a row of 22 baboons, their arms raised in the air, supposedly worshipping the rising sun. Another notable feature of the facade is a stele which records the marriage of Ramesses with a daughter of king Hattusili III, which sealed the peace between Egypt and the Hittites. One of the eight pillars in the main hall of the temple, showing Ramesses II as Osiris.The inner part of the temple has the same triangular layout that most ancient Egyptian temples follow, with rooms decreasing in size from the entrance to the sanctuary. The first hall of the temple features eight statues of the deified Rameses II in the shape of Osiris, serving as pillars. The walls depict scenes of Egyptian victories in Libya, Syria and Nubia, including images from the Battle of Kadesh. The second hall depicts Ramesses and Nefertari with the sacred boats of Amun and Ra-Horakthy. The sanctuary contains four seated statues of Ra-Horakhty, Ptah, Amun and Ramesses. The temple was constructed in such a way that the sun shines directly on all four statues during two days of the year, February 20 and October 20. These dates are allegedly the king's birthday and coronation day respectively, but there is no evidence to support this. Due to the displacement of the temple, it is widely believed that this event now occurs one day later than it did originally. The Smaller Abu Simbel Temple The Smaller Abu Simbel Temple is located north of the Greater Temple. It was carved in the rock by Ramesses II and dedicated to Hathor, the goddess of love and beauty, and also to his favorite wife, Nefertari, for "whose sake the very sun doeth shine." The facade is adorned by six statues, four of Ramesses II and two of Nefertari. Most unusually, the six are the same height, which indicates the esteem in which Nefertari was held. The entrance leads to a hall containing six pillars bearing the head of the goddess Hathor. The eastern wall bears inscriptions depicting Ramesses II striking the enemy before Ra-Harakhte and Amun-Ra. Other wall scenes show Rameses II and Nefertari offering sacrifices to the gods. Beyond this hall, there "

Sultan Hassan

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:17:45 Z

by Hisham "The Sultan Hassan Mosque is considered stylistically the most compact and unified of all Cairo monuments. It is one of the masterpieces of Mamluk architecture. The building was commissioned by Sultan Hassan bin Al-Nasir Muhammad bin Qalawun in 1356 AD as a mosque and religious school for all four juristic branches of Sunni Islam. It was designed so that each of the four schools of thought - Shafi, Maliki, Hanafi and Hanbali - has its own area while sharing the mosque. Construction started in 1356 AD and ended 7 years later in 1363 AD. One of the minarets collapsed during construction killing 300 people. The state was able to fund the massive structure through the properties that were left behind by the victims of the Black Death. The Sultan was assassinated before the mosque was completed and his body was never recovered. The magnificent burial chamber that was intended for him holds his two sons instead."

Amir Qurqumas

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 22:04:22 Z

by Hisham "The complex of Qurqumas, a mamluk of Sultan Qaytbay and a grand amir under Sultan al-Ghuri, was built in 1506-7. The complex as it now stands is what remains of a large number of structures Qurqumas built in the cemetery, including annexes, kitchens, storehouses, lodgings, wells with saqiyas, stables, and ablutions courts. The present building includes a khanqah, a mosque-madrasa, a sabil-kuttab, and private residential quarters, in addition to the mausoleum. The main cruciform hall, similar to those in the Qaytbay and other religious complexes of the period, is neither a khanqah nor a madrasa. It served as a congregational mosque which accommodated Sufi hudur sessions and some teaching activities not specific to a certain rite. The rab' has duplexes, units built on two floors, with a latrine on both floors of each unit. Tenants did not necessarily belong to the foundation."

Horus Temple at Idfu

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:30:04 Z

by Hisham "The Temple of Edfu is an ancient Egyptian temple located on the west bank of the Nile in the city of Edfu which was known in Greco-Roman times as Apollonopolis Magna, after the chief god Horus-Apollo. It is the second largest temple in Egypt after Karnak and one of the best preserved. The temple, dedicated to the falcon god Horus, was built in the Ptolemaic period between 237 and 57 BCE. The inscriptions on its walls provide important information on language, myth and religion during the Greco-Roman period in ancient Egypt. In particular, the Temple's inscribed building texts "provide details [both] of its construction, and also preserve information about the mythical interpretation of this and all other temples as the Island of Creation." There are also "important scenes and inscriptions of the Sacred Drama which related the age-old conflict between Horus and Seth"