NB! · Archive · The East · Geography

View of Yerevan, from "Chardin's Travels in Persia", undertaken by the merchant Jean Chardin in 1666

NB! · Geography · Maps · Observations · Humour

Next time you hear tales of a successful career, remember this map of the Mediterranean, which very modestly calls itself "The Career of Julius Caesar"

Archaeology · The East · Geography · Maps

Asian Cities Founded by Alexander the Great and the Successive Greek Dynasties

Asian cities founded by Alexander the Great and the successive Greek dynasties. According to the principle they observed, these cities and their inhabitants became Greek citizens. Such cities are marked with yellow and green stars. As for Maracanda, or Samarkand, it is believed to have existed long before Alexander the

Faith · Geography · Maps · London · Observations · Society

Population and religious makeup of major European capitals in 1900 and today

The Religious Affiliation of Europe's Largest Cities as of 1900. Some interesting observations: London's population at that time was 6.4 million. An incredible figure for the period. Today London's population is 9.6 million, and no fewer than 15-20% of them are

NB! · Geography · London

A Satellite Image of London

Map of the Black Sea region with Russian Empire districts shaded in blue by share of Greek speakers, based on 1897 figures.

NB! · Geography · Maps · Observations · Ethnography

Map of the Greek-speaking population by district in the Russian Empire

An extremely interesting map of the presence of the Greek-speaking population by district in the Russian Empire. Naturally, the greatest numbers are concentrated in the Black Sea provinces

NB! · Archive · Geography · Maps

An Illustrated Map of the Soviet Union, Published in the USA in 1948

Engraving of a bearded man in a long robe resting his hand on a globe inscribed EVROPA and ASIA.

Geography · Books · Observations

Strabo and the Eleventh Book of His “Geography”

All men speak different languages because, through their obstinacy and ferocity, they live in scattered groups and have no intercourse with one another. Strabo. Geography. Book XI

Architecture · Geography · Cinema · Museums

Orava Castle in Slovakia, where “Nosferatu” was filmed, and its film media library

Orava Castle is a medieval fortress in Slovakia, perched on a 112-metre rock above the River Orava. It was here that the 1922 film "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror" was shot. True, in the plot the castle stands in Romania. In 2015, in the castle, where a

Architecture · Geography · Heritage

The Roman Lighthouse of A Coruña in Spain, the Oldest Surviving, and Its Likeness to the Pharos of Alexandria

The oldest surviving lighthouse in the world, A Coruña in Spain, was built by the Romans as early as the 1st century AD. Since then the lighthouse has undergone some changes, having been raised in height and strengthened, but its architectural core has remained unchanged. It is believed that the

Archaeology · Archive · The East · Geography · Heritage

Before the Temple of Nefertari at Abu Simbel in 1968, photograph by Kees Scherer

Today, before the rock-cut temple of Nefertari, the first wife of Ramesses II, there lies not the bank of the Nile but desert. How did this come about? Let us see. The temple was built in the mid-thirteenth century BC, after the victory over the Hittites, and was

Black-and-white photograph of a dry riverbed with rock ledges, heaps of broken stone and a fenced path on the left.

Archive · Geography · Nature

Riverbed without water and heaps of fragmented rock in a black-and-white photograph

In 1969 Niagara Falls Was Halted for Several Months, and What Had Lain Hidden Under Water for Thousands of Years Came to Light. Nothing supernatural, however: a riverbed and fragments of rock