The very poor in the Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia

*WS 172 - The very poor in the Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia*

The Lower Omo Valley, about 165 sq km in size and inhabited by 16 main tribes totalling some 200,000 indigenous people, is the poorest region in Ethiopia. In this concluding part of several stories on this region we want to show you the tough living conditions in photos.  

1st, 2nd photos – the typical rural huts and a better urban “house”.  

3rd, 4th – there is practically no motorised traffic except tourists’ 4-wheel drives and government vehicles. Buses only on the major roads. Our 4-wheel drives had to carry additional diesel needed in extra containers put on top of the vehicles. Donkey carts are already a luxury. Those baskets on the trees are honey-bee traps. 

5th to 8th – the road users: goats, buffaloes, donkeys and rarely, camels.  

9th and 10th – boys will do stunts, and girls selling papayas, all hoping to make some money from the tourists.

11th and 12th – the weekly market at a town called Gato. People walked for tens of km to trade, mostly on grains, and may be some gossips. 

13th, 14th – it is a tough life out there for both man and beast.

The ruins and caravanserais in Kermanshah, Iran

*WS 171 - The ruins and caravanserais in Kermanshah, Iran*

Kermanshah is a province in west Iran, bordering Iraq. We were here in 2018 looking at 2 ruins and some caravanserais.  

The main attraction is the Bisotun Inscription, a rock relief on a cliff dating to around 500 BC. A UNESCO World Heritage Site. The relief is about 15 m high by 25 m wide, and located about 100 m up the limestone cliff. The author is Darius the Great, glorifying his conquests and battle victories. The inscription is illustrated by a life-sized bas-relief of the king, accompanied by his servants and attended to by the conquered peoples, portrayed in dwarf-size.  

The inscription was under some kind of restoration at the time of our visit and we could not go nearer. The 1st photo shows the archaeological park where many Iranians came for picnic. The 2nd shows a close-up of the cliff with the inscription in the middle of the photo, shielded by the scaffolding in front. The 3rd photo shows what the inscription and bas-relief would look like, this one shot from a poster. 

The place here was located along the old Silk Road, the 4th photo shows an abandoned 17th century caravanserai. The next 2 photos show the 5-star Laleh Bistotun Hotel with a beautiful reception area converted from the old Shah Abbasi Caravanserai. It is next to the Bisotun site and we stayed here for 2 nights.  

Another ruin visited was the Taq-e Bostan, meaning "Arch made by stone". It is a site with a series of large rock reliefs carved mostly around 4th century AD. They illustrate the investiture ceremonies of several kings.  

The 6nd photo shows the relief of kings Sapur II and Sapur III. The 7th photo shows a winged deity "Victoria" at the outside façade while the 8th shows King Mithradates II being crowned. This one is dated to 100 BC.

The massive Melk Abbey in the small town of Melk, Austria

*WS 170  – The massive Melk Abbey in the small town of Melk, Austria*

Melk is a small town about 85 km west of Vienna, with some 5,200 residents. We took the train from Vienna for a day-visit in 2013. The 1st 3 photos show the picturesque setting of the farms near the town, the panoramic view of the town with the local parish church in the centre, and the setting of a side lane in town.  

The town is famous for a massive baroque Benedictine monastery named Melk Abbey. The Abbey was founded in 1089. The existing buildings were built between 1702 and 1706. It was last renovated in 1987 after a fire damaged part of it in 1974. The Abbey has managed to escape major destruction during the many regional wars since its establishment. It has an impressive collection of old manuscripts, including medical writings. It now houses about 800 students. 

The 6th photo shows one of the 16 wooden panels kept in the Abbey Museum dated to 1502 showcasing Christ from the Passion scene. The 7th shows the high altar dedicated to the martyrdom of the apostles St Peter and St Paul. The 8th shows part of the ceiling fresco painted by J M Rottmayr in the early 1700s.

The old medina of Fes, Morocco

*WS 169 - The old medina of Fes, Morocco*

Fes, founded in 879, is the joint 2nd largest city in Morocco. It was the capital of the Marinid Sultanate (1244-1465) when numerous madrasas, mosques, city gates, etc, were constructed and many survived until today. These buildings are the hallmarks of Moorish and Moroccan architectural styles. The old medina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an outstanding example of a medieval town created during the first centuries of Islamic rule. We visited the city in 2014.  

It is one of the world's largest car-free urban areas. Shown a scene of the typical narrow alley of the souk, with a shop selling all kind of olives, 1st 2 photos. A famous sight in Fes is the tanneries where raw leather is processed, in several stages. Tough work in the sun with pungent smell of ammonia. 

Now some structures of Marinid architecture. First the main gate: Bab Bou Jeloud. A famous building visited is the Madrasa Bou Inania, a religious school built in the 1350s. Shown here is the prayer hall, with details of intricate carved timber decoration, 6th and 7th photos. The 8th is an unknown building near to the madrasa. The last 2 photos show decorations in our 3-star hotel, Hotel Dar Fes Medina, a decorated window and a wall recess with a simple ornamental stalactites vaulting. This 3-star hotel was converted from a mansion.

The mid-highland city of Arequipa, Peru

*WS 168 - The mid-highland city of Arequipa, Peru*

Arequipa is a city located in the mid-highlands of the Peruvian coast with very comfortable weather and a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its well-kept medieval buildings. Population 845,000. We were here in 2009. 

Many of the medieval buildings were built in the Mudejar style imported from Spain, characterised by decorations with stylized calligraphy and intricate geometric and floral forms as used by the Muslim Moors. No icons as Islam prohibits the portray of icons. Other features include the horseshoe and multi-lobed arch, muqarna vaults, moulding around the arches and doors, etc. 

Many older buildings were built with sillar, a soft white volcanic rock. Carving is easy and thus there are many decorative carved elements on the buildings. Over decorated may be. Shown such decoration on the facade of the Church of La Compania of Jesus, and the facade of a bank building, 1st 2 photos.

The main attraction is the Santa Catalina Monastery for nuns, established in 1579, and well designed in the Mudejar style, with vividly painted walls. The monastery is still functioning, but most part of the big complex is open to the fee-paying public as a living museum of Mudejar architecture. The 6th photo shows the simple muquana vaulting and the 8th the decorated doors.