Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Juniper Forest in Ziarat (Pakistan)




Ziarat is also very famous for its juniper trees. Junipers are found in Ziarat districts and Zarghoon mount and some other mounted areas of Balochistan known as the second largest Juniper forest in the world, which covers an area of about 247,000 acres. United Nations (UN) included this forest in the world heritage list. There are many important species found in this ecosystem including animal and birds, the Chakor partridge, bushes and ground flora which local people use these plants as indigenous treatments for a variety of diseases.The junipers are considered to be the real treasure of Ziarat. There are trees in the valley which are more than 5000 to 7000 years old. In Ziarat a herb called Ephedra sinica is found in abundance from which a chemical called ephedrine is extracted, an important constituent of various medicines, especially cough syrups. When the snow falls in Ziarat's winter the juniper valley is at its most beautiful.Chiltan Adventurers Association Balochistan is raising voice on National & International level as Juniper Defenders for the conservation of this world heritage since 1984.

Quid-E-Azam Residency Ziarat (Pakistan)












Stanley Wolpert Qouting about QuideAzam:
"Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the mapof the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state.Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all three".

Quid-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah The Founder Of Pakistan was a great leader and the first Governal General Of The newly freely state the then 'Pakistan'.
His great struggle brought Muslims out of the chains of slavery and awoke them from their sleepiness and tought them the lesson of their Freedom.
After a long struggle this great leader felt ill and spend his last breaths in the Quid-E-Azam Residency and died there.After then he was brought to Karachi and is buried there.
These days this Quaid Residency Is serving as a National Monument for the people Of Pakistan and for tourists.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Exploring America






Grafton, Varmont:Grafton is one of the prettiest villages in Vermont. Many of its beautiful old buildings have been lovingly restored by its residents and the Windham Foundation, so what you see today looks much like it did years ago. Grafton’s uniqueness, however, comes from being a real town - not a museum-like town - with its citizens being its most valuable resource. It is a vibrant community, still holding the traditional Town Meeting for government, with participation from a wonderfully diverse population of 600 people. Come walk our village streets. Picnic by a covered bridge. Visit our shops, galleries and museums. Linger a few days and you will see the beauty that surrounds us in these hills and feel the peace and quiet charm.








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Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming:Jenny Lake, formed by melting glaciers about 60,000 years ago, is a beautiful blue mountain lake set in the heart of Grand Teton National Park, at the base of Teewinot Mountain. On the west side, the lake touches the Teton Mountain Range. The lake is about 260 feet deep at the deepest point.
Jenny Lake is the starting point for numerous hiking trails in the area, including Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls. There is a 6.6-mile long trail that winds around the entire lake.
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Exploring America

!BEAUTIES OF AMERICA!
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Red Rock Country (Sedona, Arizona):Massive red-rock monoliths bearing the descriptive names of Bell Rock, Courthouse, Church House and Steamboat stand as sentinels guarding the town snuggled under the dominating and awesome Mogollon Rim, the southwestern boundary of the Colorado Plateau. This rugged, geological uplift, dotted with stalwart volcanic cones reaching nearly 13,000 feet in height, speaks of eons of cataclysmic activity. Fossilized sea shells and dinosaur tracks, embedded when the sandstone was merely mud, leads one to imagine how the area appeared during a much wetter period and to conjecture on the forces that shaped this magnificent and stunning locale.
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The upper Mississippi River:The Mississippi River is the second-longest river in the United States,with a length of 2,320 miles (3,730 km) from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Mississippi River is part of the Missouri-Mississippi river system, which is the largest river system in North America and among the largest in the world: by length (3,900 miles (6,300 km)), it is the fourth longest, and by its average discharge of 572,000 cu ft/s (16,200 m³/s), it is the tenth largest.
The name Mississippi is derived from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi ("Great River") or gichi-ziibi ("Big River").
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Hawaii’s Na Pali Coast:On the North Shore of Kauai, the incredible Napali Coast overlooks panoramic views of the vast Pacific Ocean. Along this spectacular coastline, you can walk amongst velvet green cliffs towering into the sky and cascading waterfalls plummeting into deep, narrow valleys.
The only land access to this enchanted place is via the Kalalau Trail, an 11-mile trail that crosses five different valleys and ends at secluded Kalalau Beach. The hike into Kalalau is often challenging, and sometimes even dangerous, with narrow sections and heavy rainfall that can make the topsoil muddy.
Many hikers choose to break the trail up into two days, setting up camp at the beach of Hanakapiai, then heading to Kalalau the next morning. Camping permits are required from the State Parks office in Lihue. A trail guide is recommended and hiking during the winter months is discouraged.
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Sunday, July 26, 2009

Exploring South America














Lake Titicaca:This Lake evokes a spiritual tranquility in everyone who visits the place. This is the most beautiful lakes of the world with dark blue waters, which you have never seen before in any lake.
This is the biggest freshwater lake of South America that lies in the border of Peru and Bolivia. This fresh water lake has some famous islands in it namely, The Floating Islands and The Island Of Sun.
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Iguazu falls:This is definitely the most visited place of the South America. Most famous natural attraction of Argentina, these are taller than Niagara Falls and twice as the width with a horse shape of the falls.
These falls are considered as the jewel of the continent, you can explore different species of flora and fauna at the surroundings of the Iguazu falls.
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There are many other places in South America which are to be visited; Galapagos Islands, Panama Viejo, Caraz in Peru, Buenos Aires Cabildo etc.
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Exploring South America













PATAGONIA:This is famous place of Chile; it offers the spectacular landscapes scenery, dazzling exposure of the islands, icebergs, mountains and glaciers. This place is also referred as the ending point of the world. This is undoubtedly one of the most mesmerizing places of the world.
The most famous attraction of the place is the whale watching; the season of whale watching is from May to December. These cetaceans are seen in the shore of Patagonia for mating and giving birth to babies.
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Salar de Uyuni: If you have not heard of the place, then you do not know one of the most beautiful places of the world. This is the largest salt flats of the world, located in Bolivia.
This is a dried hill with huge cactus all around the place; within this place there are several islands which form as a smooth uniform fish island. This place offers the tourists with different types of boarding facilities, such as you can stay in a salt hotel and can witness the geyser bathing.



















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The Lost City Of Incas:This is commonly known as Manchu Picchu. If you want to experience the mystical and sacred place of South America, then you should visit Manchu Picchu. The ruins you see at the Manchu Picchu are the most beautiful and ancient ruins of the world.
The archeologists who have surveyed Manchu Picchu have decided that this construction was for the priestesses and the nobility of the Incans dynasty. This is referred as the pearl of Peru Mountain.
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Mt Washington Of Pittsburgh(America)







Mount Washington is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's south city area. It has a zip code of 15211 and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by both the council members for District 3 (Central South Neighborhoods) and District 2 (West Neighborhoods). The Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire houses 27 Engine in Mt. Washington. 27 Engine is a new 75 foot Pierce quint.
It is known for its steep hill overlooking the Pittsburgh skyline, which was rated the second most beautiful vista in America by USA Weekend [1] (and the best urban vista); its funiculars, the Duquesne and Monongahela Inclines, which are the oldest continuous inclines in the world; and for the row of upscale restaurants paralleling the crest of Mount Washington, the hill the community sits upon.

Azad Kashmir













Post Independence and Partition of British India:After the Partition of India in 1947, the princely states were given the option of joining either India or Pakistan. However, Hari Singh, the maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, wanted Jammu and Kashmir to remain independent. In order to buy some time, he signed a stand-still agreement, which side-stepped the agreement that each princely state would join either India or Pakistan.The raiders from North-West Frontier Province and the Tribal Areas feared that Hari Singh may join Indian Union. In October 1947 supported by Pakistani Army they attacked Kashmir and tried to take over control of Kashmir. Initially Hari Singh tried to resist their progress but failed. Hari Singh then requested Indian Union to help. India responded that it could not help unless Kashmir joins India. So on 26 October 1947 Kashmir accession papers were signed and Indian troops were airlifted to Srinagar. Fighting ensued between Indian Army & Pakistani Army with control stabilizing more or less around what is now the "Line of Control".
Later, India approached UN to solve dispute & resolutions were passed to hold a plebiscite with regard to Kashmir's future. However, this plebiscite has not been held on either side since the legal requirement for the holding of a plebiscite was the withdrawal of the Indian and Pakistani armies from the parts of Kashmir that were under their respective control—a withdrawal that never did take place. In 1949, a cease-fire line separating the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir was formally put into effect.
Following the 1949 cease-fire agreement, the government of Pakistan divided the northern and western parts of Kashmir which it held into the following two separately-controlled political entities:
Languages:Urdu is the official language of Azad Kashmir but is spoken by only a minority of people. The dominant language spoken in the state is Pahari, which is very similar to Pothwari and Hindko.

The Lost City Of Harappa(Pakistan)
















Harappa was a city in the Indus civilization that flourished around 2600 to 1700 BCE in the western part of South Asia.

HISTORY:One of the most fascinating yet mysterious cultures of the ancient world is the Harappan civilization. This culture existed along the Indus River in present day Pakistan and India. It was named after the city of Harappa as it was the first of that civilization's cities discovered. Harappa and the city of Mohenjo-Daro were the greatest achievements of the Indus valley civilization.These cities are well known for their impressive, organized and regular layout, road and street networks, drainage and step-wells for water. Over one hundred other towns and villages also existed in this region. The writing system of the Indus Valley Civilization, evinced in numerous seals, pottery graffiti and a probable sign at Dholavira, remains undeciphered.

DECLINE AND FALL OF HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION:There has been much speculation on the decline and fall of this civilization. The decline of the Harappans was gradual at first and may have come to a very abrupt termination later on[6]. In the period of climate history coinciding with the decline of the Harappans, a significant change in the global climate took place by the expansion of arctic air. This may have been responsible for such things as drought in northern Iowa, affecting the Mill Creek Indians, and in Greece, affecting the Mycenaeans[7]. It may have contributed to the fall of the Harappans as well.[8]
Another possibility is an invasion from the Aryans, who inhabited the region of present day Northwest India.





The Lost Of City Of Moen Jo Daro(Pakistan)






















Mohenjo-daro was built around 2600 BC and abandoned around 1900 BC. It was rediscovered in 1922 by Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay.
Mohenjo-daro in ancient times was most likely one of the administrative centers of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization. [6] It was the most developed and advanced city in South Asia, and perhaps the world, during its peak.
The Mohenjo-daro ruins were one of the major centres of this ancient society. At its peak, some archaeologists opine that the Indus Civilization may have had a population of well over five million.
To date, over a thousand cities and settlements have been found, mainly in the Indus River valley in Pakistan and northwestern India.
The language of the Indus Civilization has yet to be determined, and the real name of the city as of other excavated cities in Sindh, Punjab and Gujarat, is unknown. In Sindhi "Moan" or "Moen" means "dead(plural)" "jo" means "of" and "daro" means "mound.
Some remains founded by archealogist are dancing girl statue,King priest statue,a doll,head of a bull,statue of the Buddha etc which were crafted immensely beautifully.

Machu Pichu

















The ruins of Machu Picchu, rediscovered in 1911 by Yale archaeologist Hiram Bingham, are one of the most beautiful and enigmatic ancient sites in the world. While the Inca people certainly used the Andean mountain top (9060 feet elevation), erecting many hundreds of stone structures from the early 1400's, legends and myths indicate that Machu Picchu (meaning 'Old Peak' in the Quechua language) was revered as a sacred place from a far earlier time. Whatever its origins, the Inca turned the site into a small (5 square miles) but extraordinary city. Invisible from below and completely self-contained, surrounded by agricultural terraces sufficient to feed the population, and watered by natural springs, Machu Picchu seems to have been utilized by the Inca as a secret ceremonial city. Two thousand feet above the rumbling Urubamba river, the cloud shrouded ruins have palaces, baths, temples, storage rooms and some 150 houses, all in a remarkable state of preservation. These structures, carved from the gray granite of the mountain top are wonders of both architectural and aesthetic genius. Many of the building blocks weigh 50 tons or more yet are so precisely sculpted and fitted together with such exactitude that the mortarless joints will not permit the insertion of even a thin knife blade. Little is known of the social or religious use of the site during Inca times. The skeletal remains of ten females to one male had led to the casual assumption that the site may have been a sanctuary for the training of priestesses and /or brides for the Inca nobility. However, subsequent osteological examination of the bones revealed an equal number of male bones, thereby indicating that Machu Picchu was not exclusively a temple or dwelling place of women.