NB! · The East · Observations · Society · Humour
The end of 1891. The Governor-General of Turkestan, Vrevsky, is interested only in women and asparagus, while Annenkov makes the starving hack at the ice on the Volga by hand. Russia and her rulers do not change, even a hundred years on
Archaeology · Faith · The East · Heritage
Pictured: the house traditionally regarded as the home of Joseph and the Virgin Mary. Well, the monument does indeed date from the 1st century AD: one wall of the house survives in full, along with part of the floor and a doorway. The walls of the dwelling were hewn out
The East · Cinema · Observations
One must never begin with the bad, so let us note at once that the small details cannot fail to impress. Considered and exact, they create not merely a setting but at times a true picture of the age: what of the clockwork toy in the shape of a walking
Archaeology · The East
In Luxor, a burial site containing 30 beautifully preserved 3,000-year-old sarcophagi of children and of male and female priests from the 22nd Dynasty has been discovered. It is the largest find since the nineteenth century. More here: https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-30-ancient-egyptian-sarcophagi-opened-
Archaeology · The East · Observations · Humour
Remember the episode of Family Guy in which Peter Griffin recalled his grandfather's sister, whose legs went all the way up to her ears? I have recently found the archaeological prototype of this character. At first glance, these terracotta statuettes look like figures of Apollo: the lyre of
Archaeology · The East · Heritage · Society
Turkish authorities have confirmed that in October they will flood one of humanity's oldest permanent settlements, the city of Hasankeyf on the banks of the Tigris. The city, where Mesopotamian civilisation, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Turks and the Ottomans have all left their mark, still preserves Neolithic
The East · Geography · Art · Observations · Nature
The Aral Sea, a boat, 1969. This picture hangs in my home in one of the most prominent places, beside several similarly unassuming subjects, all of them from the Aral. It is a fairly simple specimen of the genre study in the Impressionist manner, by an author who is not
Archive · The East · Art · People
A miniature of 1635, sold twice at Sotheby's: twenty years ago and again last year. All this time the man in the portrait remained unknown: he was thought to be from Abyssinia or North Africa. Imagine the astonishment of the owners of this trifle when it emerged that
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Today Akihito, the 125th Emperor of Japan, formally abdicated the Chrysanthemum Throne; tomorrow his eldest son, 59-year-old Naruhito, will be enthroned. By way of comparison, Akihito's father, Emperor Showa, lived to almost 88 and reigned for 62 years. Since abdication was not provided for by the