开罗

1. The Romans dominated the land of the pharaohs for over 600 years. But by the 7th century AD a new empire was the rising in the east. In 642 the Arabs conquered Egypt bringing many new influences from the Middle East and beyond. The religion of Islam was just a 20 years old at the time yet it would defines a developing culture of this city.

2. For 700 years from the time of Saladin to the mid 19th century the seat of Government was the citadel of Cairo, for the second half of this. Egypt was the occupied by the Ottoman’s and then the French as it would be later by the British. In 1953 Cairo finally became the capital of the independent republic of Egypt. But of all the cultures that ruled this region the one that continues to feed the imagination and inspire the modern people of Egypt is the civilization of the ancient Egyptians. And that’s largely due to the architectural jewel in Cairo’s crown. The Great Pyramid.

3. What really strikes me about the city of Cairo is the way it contains this immense span for human history. When the Romans came here they were confronted by the monuments of the ancient Egyptians that were already older to them than the Romans are to us today. I’ve discovered how the city at the head of the Nile Delta evolved from Memphis to Babylon to Cairo. And how successive empires built colossal structures to mark and control this region the most important place in the whole Egypt for 5000 years. All of which makes Cairo such a magical city. In Arabian Nights, a father says to a son he who has not seen Carol has not seen the world because Cairo is the world.

伊斯坦布尔

1. People come to mosques obviously to pray but it’s also about getting away from the hustle and bustle of the world and something I also absolutely love about this kind of place; it brings together not just people going into pray but the whole community, kids are running around playing with their families; friends are catching up to have a walk and a talk. This is a place to get a little respite and energy for the soul.

雅典

1. In 490 BC Athens was a Greek city states surrounded by rivals, places like Aegina, Corinth and the militaristic Sparta. The greatest threats of all however lay to the east where the Persian empire was growing in power and ambition.

2. The most prestigious of which were parthenon, started in 447 BC the Propylaea, temple of Nike and of coarse the Erechtheion, all completed in one remarkable 40 year burst of creativity and confidence in the second half of the 5th century BC.