Diocletian’s Palace was built in Croatia, in the 4th Century AD. The Roman Emperor Diocletian built this structure as his retirement home. However, while half the ‘palace’ was used for the Emperor’s personal use, the other half was used as a military garrison. The palace was constructed of limestone, marble and brick. Decorative items like […]
Once, there was a famous monk. A number of disciples practised meditation under him. One day, one of the monk’s students went to him and said, “I am not able to meditate properly. I feel distracted. Sometimes, my legs start aching, or I fall asleep. I cannot concentrate. What should I do?” The monk smiled
Once, a man from a village heard that a Bodhisattva lived in a small house atop the mountain. The man decided to make the long and difficult journey to visit him. At the house, a servant greeted him at the door. The man told the servant, “I have heard a Bodhisattva lives here. I want
Once, there was a Bodhisattva. He was quite old, but the most enlightened man. He had many students who studied under him. One day, an infamous monk arrived in the village and challenged the Bodhisattva to discuss on a topic. The Bodhisattva gladly accepted the monk’s challenge. As the two prepared for the discussion, the
The Monastery of St. Anthony was built in Egypt in 356 AD. The Monastery of St. Anthony sits in an oasis in Egypt’s Eastern Dessert. The monastery was a self-contained structure comprising of a mill, bakery, gardens and five churches. The walls are decorated with paintings of knights in vibrant colours and hermits in lighter
The Monastery of St. Paul (the Anchorite) was built in Egypt, in the 5th century AD. The Monastery was built on the site where St. Paul lived for 80 years. The monastery was populated with monks who may have been Melkites, followed by Syrian and Egyptian monks. However, the monastery was raided and destroyed numerous
The Lighthouse of Alexandria, known as the Pharos of Alexandria, was built in Alexandria, Egypt, between 280-247 BC. The Lighthouse of Alexandria was between 120 and 137 metres in height and considered to be the tallest man-made structure for many centuries. After having been badly damaged by three earthquakes, the site of the lighthouse was
After ten years of apprenticeship with the famous master Nan-in, Tenno achieved the rank of Zen teacher. One day, it was raining when Tenno left to visit his master. When he walked into his master’s room, Nan-in asked him, “Did you leave your shoes and umbrella on the porch?” “Sure,” Tenno replied. “Tell me,” the
The Qubbet el-Hawa often referred to as the Tomb of the Nobles was built in Aswan between the 3rd millennium BC and the 11th century BC. The Qubbet el-Hawa consists of rock-cut tombs that were built along the western bank of the Nile. The tombs were built over centuries. While the elite tombs date back
One day, the Bodhisattva announced to his disciples, “One of our young monks has reached an advanced state of enlightenment.” The news caused a stir and some excitement among the disciples. So, they decided to meet the enlightened monk and find out what he thought. “The master told us that you are enlightened. Is that
Once, there lived a very learned university professor. He had heard a lot about a Zen master and decided to pay him a visit. The professor met the Zen master and said, “I want to learn about Zen philosophy.” The Zen master invited the professor to sit down and have a cup of tea. He
Once, a king wanted to know the answers to the three questions, ‘What are the most important time, important people and important thing to do?’ The king visited a monk to seek the answers. The monk was busy digging the ground and ignored his questions. The king took the spade from the monk and started
The Citadel of Qaitbay is an ancient fortress built in Alexandria, in 1477 AD. The Citadel of Qaitbay was built on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and was considered one of the most important strongholds in Egypt and along the coast. The citadel was constructed on the exact site where the famous Lighthouse of
A wise monk had many students. They all lived in the monk’s house and spent their time learning together. One day, the monk was going into the forest for his meditation. Just then, he overheard two students who were arguing about a flag flapping in the wind. “It is the wind that is really moving,”
The Temple of Hathor was built in the Dendera Temple Complex, Egypt, between 323 BC and 330 BC. The Hathor temple was the main temple in the Dendera Temple Complex, and was originally known as the Temple of Tentyra. Dedicated to Hathor, it is one of the most well-preserved temples in Egypt. The temple comprises