Sunday 23 March 2014

Faisal Masjid Pakistan



The Faisal Masjid is the largest Masjid in Pakistan, situated in the national capital city of Islamabad. Faisal Mosque was completed in 1986 and this master piece was designed by Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay to be designed like a desert Bedouin's tent. It is located at the north end of Faisal Avenue, putting it at the northernmost end of the city and at the foot of Margalla Hills, the westernmost foothills of the Himalayas. The Faisal Mosque is named after the late King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia, who actually supported and financed this project. Faisal Mosque is a popular Masjid in the Islamic world, and is famous for both its immense size and its architecture.
It is located on an elevated area of land against a picturesque backdrop of the Margalla Hills. This enviable location represents the Masjid's great importance and allows it to be seen from miles around day and night. It has a covered area of 54,000 sq ft and has a capacity to accommodate almost 300,000 worshippers about 100,000 in its main prayer hall, courtyard and porticoes and another 200,000 in its adjoining grounds. Each of the Mosque's four minarets are 260 ft high the tallest minarets in South Asia and measure 10 x 10 m in circumference.
The minarets borrow their design from Turkish tradition and are thin and pencil like. The interior of Faisal Masjid prayer hall holds a very large chandelier and its walls are beautifully decorated with mosaics and calligraphy by the famous Pakistani artist Sadequain. Moreover; the mosaic pattern decorates the west wall, and has the Kalmah written in early Kufic script, repeated in mirror image pattern.





















Friday 21 March 2014

Sun Valley United States



Sun Valley is the perfect alternative to Colorado’s ritzy resort areas, especially in summer when costs and tourist numbers are lesser. The spectacular location is as remarkable as the snow, and nearby Ketchum retains its authenticity and rustic beauty despite the seasonal deluges. Mountain biking, Fly Fishing, Camping, Hiking, Cultural events, and great food abound. In the cooler seasons of winter, world-class skiing can be had at the first purpose-built ski resort in the United States and you can ride the lifts with swanky Hollywoodsters in a refined and pretty place, sans fast-food joints and condo sprawl. Ernest Hemingway, who is buried here, had a deep affection for Sun Valley, and allegedly completed For Whom the Bell Tolls in the Sun Valley Lodge’s room 206 in between fishing and hunting excursions with buds Gary Cooper and Clark Gable. In one of Idaho's most spectacular natural locations sits a piece of ski history.
Moreover; Sun Valley was the first purpose-built ski resort in the United States, hand-picked by Union Pacific Railroad scion William Averell Harriman in the 1930s and publicized by numerous members of the then glitterati such as Ernest Hemingway, Clark Gable and Gary Cooper. When Sun Valley opened in 1936 it sported the world's first chairlift and a showcase “Parkitecture” lodge that still acts as its premier resort. Sun Valley has kept its swanky Hollywood clientele and extended its facilities to include the legendary Bald Mountain, yet it remains a refined and pretty place.
Highly rated nationwide, the resort is revered for its reliable high-quality snow, big elevation drop and nearly windless weather. Backing it up is next to village Ketchum, one mile away, which predates Sun Valley and has held onto its authenticity and rustic beauty in spite of the skiing deluge. Ketchum is major territory for fishing and hunting in summer a fact borne out by its prominent former resident, Ernest Hemingway. The world's first chairlifts were installed on the resort's Proctor and Dollar Mountains in the fall of 1936. Visitors relish its skiing, hiking, ice skating, trail riding, tennis, and cycling, as some of its residents stay year-round, and most come from major cities like Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and more distantly Chicago and New York.















Ruby Falls United States



Ruby Falls is located within the heart of Lookout Mountain close To Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is about 1120 feet below ground actually lies tallest and deepest waterfall of United States.  The founder of this falls, named it Ruby Falls for his great affections with his wife, and it is easily accessible at the end of main passage of Ruby Falls Cave. Ruby Falls a large vertical shaft that was eroded out of limestone rock by salt water millions of years ago, believed 30 million years old. Ruby Falls Cave, distinct Lookout Mountain Cave, had no natural openings and could not be cross the threshold until the 20th Century. Ruby-Falls stream is actually fed by rainwater and natural spring’s thundering waterfalls 145 feet and bring together into a pool in the cave floor and then lasts through the mountain until finally joining the Tennessee River at the base of Lookout Mountain.
In the 19th century (1920’s), the natural entrance to Lookout Mountain Cave had to be shut down during the construction of a railway tunnel. But after that, a local chemist and cave enthusiast “Leo Lambert” who knew the attractions of Lookout Mountain Cave, decided to reopen for it to tourist and made a company to do so. Amazingly after drilling happening in the fall of 1928, the team eventually discovered a passageway 260 foot underground and still 160 feet above the Lookout Mountain Cave. The chemist Lambert and his crew entered this mountain and explore the new found cave, and found a variety of uncommon and striking rock formations, flowing passages and numerous stream beds. Pushing his passion to discover something new, makes his way deeper and deeper into the cave, and finally they reached its wonderful jewel, the hidden waterfall. Mr. Lambert and his exploration crew were mesmerized by it splendor and prettiness, and hurriedly returned to the surface to share the waterfall news. On his next exploration into the cave, Lambert took several people including his wife Ruby to see the many wonders they had discovered. It was then Lambert decided to call the waterfall “Ruby Falls.”
So Ruby Falls proved to be the most prominent tourist place with its several unusual formations and indeed waterfall itself. But public interest was diminishing which lead to the closure of the lookout Mountain cave in 1935. Ruby Falls Cave is the upper of the two and contains a diversity of geological formations and interests which Lookout Mountain Cave does not have. But with the passage of time development of the Ruby Falls Cave continued Electric lights were installed in the cave, making it one of the first caves in the world to be electrified. Later elevators were added to offer hundreds of thousands of visitor’s easy access to the caves every year. Ruby Falls remains a chief of Chattanooga tourism, functioning daily, and owned by the Steiner family of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Ruby Falls has been thrilling tourist attractions for over 80 years. As entertaining tourist cavern by elevator and lead you along a paved, level pathway. Thrill to the exclusive formations and the sheer splendor of the glittering waterfall on this fun-filled and educational visit. You can relax on the mountainside deck with a snack and adore the panoramic view of Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley below. There’s lot of fun for children will love the forest play area, but it is a place where something for everyone at Ruby Falls!