Category: Countries

Went to the Petronas Twin Towers.
Maybe you have seen these lot on TV and the movie “The Entrapment” with Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones, but the impression and feeling are much bigger once you stand at their feet and take a look upstairs!

Check more photos I took by clicking here

You can not imagine the quantity of UNMIK and KFOR cars you see when you visit Kosovo.
I took the above UNMIK car picture on a traffic light on my way to the airport and the KFOR jeep (Italian Carabinieri) when I arrived to the airport.

You cannot get to Nicosia in Cyprus without visiting the wall that divides the island, after the turkish invasion of the northern part of the island in 1974.

Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean, it is currently divided into four main portions: the southern Republic of Cyprus (the island nation-state), the unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (illegally occupied by the Turkish army since 1974), the United Nations-controlled Green Line separating the two, and two British Base Areas. The Republic of Cyprus has been a member state of the European Union since 1 May 2004.

Turkey invaded Cyprus in two waves on the 20 July and 14 August of 1974 and continues to remain there as a forceful presence (Turkish Cypriots regard them as a protection force) in violation of the UN Charter and repeated UN Security Council Resolutions. The result of this invasion was the creation of an internationally unrecognized Turkish breakaway state in the North and the ethnic cleansing of 160,000 Greek-Cypriots who were forcibly displaced to the south of Cyprus.

The sign hanging on the building on the turkish side quotes:
“To those who are watching from the wall of shame, this is the bridge of peace”.

– Lebanon has 18 religious communities

– It has 40 daily newspapers

– It has 42 universities

– It has over 100 banks (that is banks and not branches of a bank)

– 70% of the students are in private schools

– 40% of the Lebanese people are Christians (this is the highest percent all the Arab countries)

– There’s 1 doctor per 10 people in Lebanon (In Europe & America, there’s 1 doctor per 100 people)

– The name LEBANON appears 75 times in the Old Testament

– The name CEDAR (Lebanon’s tree) appears 75 times too in the Old Testament!!

– Beirut was destroyed and rebuilt 7 times (this is why it’s compared to The Phoenix).

– There are 3.5 Million Lebanese in Lebanon

– There are around 10 Million Lebanese outside Lebanon!!!

– Lebanon, the country, was occupied by over 15 countries in its history: Egyptians, Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Alexander the greats Army, the Roman Empire, Byzantine, the Arabian Peninsula, The Crusaders, the Ottoman Empire, Britain, France, Israel, Syria

– Byblos (city in Lebanon) is the oldest, continuously living city in the world.

– Lebanon’s name has been around for 4,000 years non- stop (it’s the oldest country/nation’s name in the world!)

– Lebanon is the only Asian/African country that doesn’t have a desert.

– There are 15 rivers in Lebanon (all of them coming from its own mountains)

– Lebanon is one of the most populated countries in its archeological sites, in the world!!!

– The first alphabet was created in Byblos (city in Lebanon)

– The only remaining temple of Jupiter (the main Roman god) is in Baalbeck, Lebanon (The City of the Sun)

– The name of BYBLOS comes from the BIBLE!!!

– Lebanon is the country that has the most books written about it.

– Lebanon is the only non-dictatorial country in the Arab world (Yes, we do have a President!)

– Jesus Christ made his 1st miracle in Lebanon, in Sidon (The miracle of turning water into wine).

– The Phoenicians (Original People of Lebanon) built the 1st boat, and they were the first to sail ever!

– Phoenicians also reached America long before Christopher Columbus did.

– The 1st law school in the world was built in Lebanon, in Downtown Beirut.

– People say that the cedars were planted by God’s own hands (This is why they’re called “The Cedars of God”.

In 301 A.D., Armenians became Christians, abjuring the paganism and neglecting all its idols. It was during the reign of king Dertad III (286-330 A.D.) that the Armenian people adopted the christian faith and made it their official religion. The conversion to this new religion occurred with the help of a person called Krikor, whom later the people honored as the “Illuminator” of the nation. The ceremonial took place during a garden meeting on the shores of the Arazani river, in Ardashad. King Dertad with all his family, wife and sister, and all the kins, received their baptism, soaked into the waters of the river.

Since the Armenian Church arose from underground to become the first state to officially adopt Christianity in 301 A.D., Armenia and her faith have been inseparable.

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is the spiritual and administrative headquarters of the worldwide Armenian Church.The Mother Cathedral, founded by the Descent of Christ, built by St. Gregory the Illuminator and King Trdat III, has stood as a symbol against time of the Armenian faith, nation and people. No other silhouette is so instantly recognized by Armenians the world over.

During my presence in Armenia, I have visited The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and came back with this wonderful picture.

The first time I visited Yerevan in Armenia, my ancestors homeland was in 1996, I was so glad to discover this historical city, with its wide streets, outdoor open spaces, 3 to 4 floor buildings, wherever you stop and look above you, all you can see is the big blue sky, but unfortunately after 10 years, I have discovered that this wonderful capital is being ruined by sky-high buildings, pouring tons of cements in order to maximize the returns on the real-estate spaces, I really felt a pity for seeing this.

Please stop ruining this wonderful city, take your projects outside the capital, go to the suburbs and keep the spaces and the blue sky, so Armenians can feel they can fly freely.