Berbers of North Africa : retaining their cultural identity

When the Phoenicians first found their way to the new settlement in Carthage, they encountered local tribesmen who had been around in North Africa centuries ago.  After Carthaginians, there came other colonists, including Romans, Arabs, Turks and French, to the Maghreb area.  The original tribesmen, Berbers, were marginalized to the mountains and deserts.  Nowadays, Berbers are scattered in the southern parts of Tunisia, Algeria, Libya and Morocco.



(Berber man standing in his village in the mountain oasis)

(Berber woman at work)

The Berber people have their own languages.  Many still maintain their nomadic or pastoral life in the Mountain Atlas ranges and the Sahara deserts.  They survive in these challenging environments and try to retain their own culture.



(Berber tent in the semi-desert area)

(Berber cave dwellings in Matmata)

During our trip to South Tunisia, we came across few Berber villages and some of their art works.  Even though their homes are now far away from the sea, they still have fish as their symbol of fortune. 

(Fish motif in the entrance of a Berber house)

(Fish and triangle symbols are used in Berber decorative items) 

Berbers also like to use triangles and camels as their decorative motifs.  Berbers make carpets for the use in their tents and dwellings.  We have brought home two Berber carpets from this trip.

(Decorative items for Berber women)

(Carpet with Berber decorative motif)

Berber people are minority in the North Africa countries.  Younger generations are more likely to learn other languages, such as Arab and French, and move to cities for better livings.  Berber identities are in danger of dilution.  In recent years, there are new social movements among the Berbers.  They are trying to have their children learning the Berber languages and cultural heritages.  If you are interested to know more about the Berbers, you can read the book from Brett, Michael and Elizabeth Fentress, The Berbers. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers, 1996.

Tunisia artifacts : East and West cultural mosaics

The long history of Tunisia and its interactions with different cultures create many beautiful and interesting artifacts.  You can see the cultural influence on these artifacts across different cultures at different time periods.  In this page, we share some of the artifacts that we saw during our trip to Tunisia.

From the Punic city, Kerkouane, in the Cape Bon, we saw many historical artifacts of 4th to 3rd century BC.  These artifacts show high skill levels of their creators and influence of the Hellenistic art.

(Terracotta lion of 4th century BC)

(Earthenware mask)

(Pottery jar with Greek motif)

Tunisia enjoyed economic growth and wealth from the Mediterranean trades during the Carthage and the Roman times.  Beautiful floor mosaics were created in both public buildings and homes of wealthy people.  Many of them are displayed in local and overseas museums.  In case you travel to Tunisia, you should reserve at least half a day for the Bardo Museum.  There is a rich collection of Tunisia floor mosaics.  If you are interested to know more about mosaics art, you can read Dunbabin, Katherine. Mosaics of the Greek and Roman world. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1999.

(Floor mosaic with multiple pictures)

(Mosaic of Greek myth Ulysses)

(One of the best mosaics in Bardo Museum - Virgil and two muses)

With the coming of Arabs to North Africa, Islamic religion and arts were introduced to Tunisia.  Beautiful arts are displayed in local mosques and household decorations.  Ceramics tiles and pottery show the influence of Andalusia and other parts of the Islamic world.

(Colourful earthenware and pottery for sale)

(Ceiling decoration with Andalusia wood work)



(Beautiful wall ties in a mosque)

(Columns from Carthage and Roman buildings are reused in a mosque)

Tunisia : a beautiful country

Last December, my wife and I have an enjoyable visit to Tunisia.  It is a beautiful country with rich cultural mosaics and friendly people.

Tunisia is in the South Mediterranean with neighbouring countries, such as Italy and France in the North and in between Algeria and Libya.  With Mediterranean Sea in its North and East and Sahara Desert in its South, you can experience both maritime and desert climates in one trip.  December is a good time travelling there as the weather is warm and present.

(Beautiful sunset in the village of Sidi Bou Said)

(Lovely blue sky overlooking the Port El Kantaoui) 

(The Sahara Desert)

(The mountain oases and old Berber village in Chebika)

Many people heard of Tunisia because of its Jasmin Revolution two years ago.  This event led to many social uprisings in the Islamic world.  In fact, this is the second successful and peaceful people movement for Tunisia since its independence in 1956.

Tunisia has long history with many great cultures.  Phoenicians came to Tunisia in the early 1st millennium BC and found the great Carthage maritime empire.  After the famous Punic Wars between Carthaginians and Romans in the 3rd and 2nd century BC, the Romans became the new master of the Mediterranean and ruled over Tunisia for its important agriculture and trade.

With the Arab Muslim invasion in the 7th century AC, Tunisia gradually became part of the Islamic world.  Until the 19th century, the French exerted its influence and put Tunisia under its protectorate status until its independence.

(Ruins of Carthage town near the Cape Bon)

(Well preserved Roman amphitheater in El Djem)

(The majestic temples of Jupiter (Zeus), Juno (Hera) and Minerva (Athena) in Sufetula)

(The Great Mosque in Kairouan)

During our trip, we saw many beautiful arts and architectures.  In the next two posts, we shall share more about Tunisia's arts and handcrafts.  Also, we shall talk more about its original people, the Berbers.

Ontario foliage : golden time before cold winter

When you live in Canada, you can easily feel the seasonal changes by observing the colours of the nature - from colourful spring to green summer, golden autumn and white winter.  It has been one of my favourite journeys in seeing the Ontario foliage along its country roads.  This year, my wife and I tried the same journey in the second week of October. 

(Wilket Park, Ontario near the Edward Gardens)

(Brown, golden and yellow on the green background)

This time, we travelled to the Algonguin National Park, the Haliburton and the Muskoka areas.  We drove through the scenic roads of Highways 35, 60, 118 and 169 in three days.  Ontario foliage came slightly late this year as the weather was still warm in October.  It was the peak time around the second week of October for foliage in the Central Ontario areas.  You can look up the colour report from the Park Canada to find out the ideal time and places.

(Clear blue sky and the red Maple)

With clear blue sky and evergreen trees as background, the red Maples, the brown Oaks and the yellow Alpines formed beautiful pictures of the mother nature.  We climbed up the viewing tower in Dorset to have the grand view in the surrounding.  We also revisited the Spectacular Lake for its peace and calm in the golden autumn. 

(Scene from the Dorset viewing tower)

(Motor boats with colourful foliage in the background)



(Fallen leaves formed the carpet in the backyard)

We prefer to drive through the country roads and to enjoy the scenic spots along the roads.  Alternatively, you can join the boat tours in the Georgian Bay or the Muskoka Lake.  You can enjoy the Ontario foliage in leisure. 

(Stream boat in the Muskoka Lake)



Inner Mongolia, China : steppe and desert

The common images of Mongolia are herders overlooking their animals or horsemen riding in the endless steppe.  These are the usual pictures for the tourists.  After more than thirty years, I made another trip to this interesting place.  This time, I came across not only steppe but also desert.

(Herder riding his horse after a herd of goats)

(Mongolian man in traditional dress)

Mongolia covers a large area that is comparable to Europe.  Its southern part is now called Inner Mongolia within China.  Mongolia Republic stands in the north between Russian Siberia and China.  The steppes have accommodated many nomadic peoples for thousands of years.  Mongols, Turks, Tartars and many other tribes have found their living in this massive land-locked territories.

Archery, horse racing and wrestling are associated with the nomadic civilization in Mongolia.  Each year in mid July, the Mongolian people will held their annual competition, called Naadan. 

(Mongolian wrestlers)

(Horse riding performance)

(Three men on two horses)

The weather in Mongolia is quite extreme.  The temperate in Summer can reach 40 degree Celsius while Winter can be minus 40 degree Celsius.  You need to be strong in order to survive here.  The top soil of the steppe is quite thin.  It is not suitable for large scale farming.  However, we can still find many lovely wild flowers in the steppe.

(Wild flower in the steppe - can you find the caterpillar?)

The Mongolian plane is covered by steppes, deserts and mountains.  In the pre-historical time, Mongolia was a home land for dinosaurs. 

(Dinosaur unearthed in Mongolia)

(The approaching desert sand dunes)

(Camel ride for tourists in the desert)

Behind the tourists scene, Mongolia is undergoing many economic and social changes.  For those who are interested to know more, can read Bruun, Ole. Precious steppe: Mongolian nomadic pastoralists in pursuit of the market. Lanham, UK: Lexington Books, 2006.

Bavaria, Germany : tour of Ludwig II's palaces

Bavaria is the largest state in Germany.  It is in the Southern part of Germany with Austria, Switzerland and Czech Republic as its neighours.  The beautiful Alps region lies between them. 

This spring, we went to Munich, Bavaria's state capital.  Munich is one of the beautiful cities that we have visited.  It is also the headquarters of many world famous Germany companies, such as BMW, Siemens and Adidas.  Besides Munich, Bavaria also has many beautiful towns as well as countryside resorts in the Alpine region. 

During this trip, we also made a tour of the beautiful palaces of King Ludwig II.  Ludwig became the King of Bavaria in 1864.  He saw the expansion of the German Empire under the powerful Prussian King, William I, and his Ministry President, Bismarck.  Bavaria became part of the Germany Federation.  Ludwig retreated himself to the splendour and solitude of his palaces.  Ludwig spent a lot of money in building his dream palaces and castles.  He ended up in a tragic and mysterious death.  His partial completed palaces now become the most popular tourist attractions in Bavaria and Germany.

Ludwig II spent his happy childhood in his father's Hobenschwangen Castle.  It was reconstructed from the medieval Castle Schwanstein.  Here, Ludwig built up his dream of Swan Knight. 

(Hobenschwangan Castle)

(Picturesque surrounding of Hobenschwangan Castle)

Later, Ludwig built his new castle opposite to the Hobenschwangan Castle.  The new castle is bigger and more magnificent than the former one.  It is now opened to the public as Neuschwanstein with millions of visitors each year.

(Neuschwanstein - the New Swan Castle)

(Entrance to Newschwanstein)

Ludwig completed the Royal Villa at Linderhof during his life.  He spent more time here than in his other palaces.  Linderhof is a good example of Rococo style.  Its house is full of grand facades and decorations.  Its beautiful garden and landscaping mix well with the natural environment.

(Linderhof from hilltop)

(Water fountain in the garden)

Ludwig was a distant relative of the King Louis XIV of France, who built the famous Versailles.  Ludwig was his great admirer and he wanted to build a similiar French royal palace in the Herrenworth island on Lake Chiemsee.  The project was not completed before Ludwig's death.  The royal palace at Herrenchiemsee was later completed and opened to the public in 1926.

(The royal palace at Herrenchiemsee)

 

(One of the many beautiful fountains in front of the palace)