LocalGuideWorld – Best Places to Visit, Eat & Stay Around the World

Latest Reviews

7 July Memorial
2022 Aug 21
Located in the south east corner of Hyde Park, the memorial is just north of Achilles to the east of Lovers Walk. The memorial comprises 52 stainless steel pillars (stelae), collectively representing each of the 52 victims, grouped together in four inter-linking clusters reflecting the four locations of the incidents. Constructed from solid-cast, long-lasting stainless steel, each stela measures 3.5 metres high and is unique, with individual characteristic finishes brought about by the casting process.

Visitors can walk around and through the memorial, reading inscriptions marking the date, time and locations of the bombings placed on each of the stelae as they pass. A stainless steel plaque listing the names of the victims is sited on a grass bank at the far eastern end of the memorial.
UPON THE OTTOMAN CONQUEST OF Athens, the Sultan decided to allow the city to be multi-ethnic, issuing an edict to protect and repurpose most temples and monuments for public use. This edict was in effect during the duration of the regime’s occupation.

In 1759, the Ottoman governor of Athens, Mustapha Agha Tzistarakis, ordered the building of a mosque in Monastiraki Square. In violation of the Sultan’s edict, Tzistarakis destroyed one of the pillars of an ancient Greek temple (either the Temple of Olympian Zeus or Hadrian’s Library) to make lime for the building.

Local superstition at the time was that the destruction of temples brought epidemics in its wake. Therefore, once the locals discovered that the mosque was made from a destroyed temple piece, they became so infuriated that the Sultan banished Tzistarakis from Athens to appease them. That banishment apparently was not enough, as Tzistarakis was later assassinated.

The square two-story building was capped with a hemispherical dome sitting on an octagonal base, roofed with ceramic tile. The interior was originally floor to dome, but is now two levels. On the western side of the building, there is an open portico with three arches with three small domes. Above the door, the founder’s put an inscription, which is still visible.

The building served as a mosque until the start of the Greek War of Independence, when it was used as a meeting hall for elders. Upon independence from the Ottomans, the Greek government requisitioned the building and used it in a variety of ways over the years, including as a prison, barracks, warehouse, and venue for military concerts and events. Sometime between 1839 and 1843, the building’s minaret was destroyed.

In 1915, the building went through a renovation and opened in 1918 as first the Museum of Greek Handcrafts. A small addition of offices on the ground level was added in 1920 and in 1923 it was renamed the Museum of Decorative Arts. In 1966, the building was temporarily refurbished to provide a place of prayer for King Saud of Saudi Arabia during his visit to Athens. In 1975 it was converted to an annex of the Museum of Greek Folk Art and still operates as such. In 1981, the building was damaged by an earthquake and was re-opened to the public in 1991. During the earthquake restoration work, additional museum exhibition space was created.
Dhakri Ka Mahal
2020 Sep 11
The tomb locally known as Dhakri Ka Mahal, datable to A.D. 1555-1605 is located at Mauza Gopalpura on the Agra-Bharatpur road in the western suburb of Agra. She was probably one of the wives of Emperor Akbar. The tomb is square in plan and is built of fine quality red sandstone. The cenotaph is missing from the tomb. The roof of the ground floor has a beautiful kiosk built with pillars, while a miniature kiosk of similar design adorns each corner. A Persian Inscription on the monument reads "It is the sepulcher of Bibi Ishwardi".
You may like to see it if you are a monument hunter.
Tuwa Well
2020 Apr 20
It is a historical well.Prophet Mohammad (SAW) stayed here for a night before proceeding to Makkah Al Mukarramah at the time of victory of Makkah. The well has now been closed due to present quality of water.
Great Kyz Kala
2020 Aug 30
Great Kyz Kala, or “Maiden’s Castle,” is the largest in a group of buildings outside the west wall of Sultan Kala, which includes, the Lesser Kyz Kala, to the north-east, and two more köshks, or fortress-like buildings, to the north. The remains of a ruined structure of uncertain plan survive to the northeast of the main building, though these have been cut by a road.
The Greater Kyz Kala is the largest köshk in the Merv Oasis, only a little smaller than the Palace in Shahriyar Ark. Although internally in a ruinous condition, its general form and many details of the architecture are still visible. This two-story köshk, approximately aligned north-south, consists of a rectangular platform with sloping sides with corrugated walls above.
These buildings are elite rural residences, probably constructed in the eighth or ninth centuries. Must visit.