Palmyra, a 2,000-year old city with Roman ruins in the middle of the Syrian desert, is in the hands of ISIS. The city was noted in the annals of the Assyrian kings, and may have been mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Palmyra was incorporated by the Seleucid Empire and then the Roman Empire, which brought prosperity. The major attraction of the area is the stunning ruins – the most famous and well-preserved of which are the Temple of Bel, the Theatre, the colonnade, the funerary towers, the hypogeum of 3 brothers, and the Arab castle, all in this very particular desert context.
credit: varunshiv
Sevastopol is an important and historical port on the Black Sea. Founded in 1783 as the base of the Black Sea Navy of Russia, it was beseiged by the British in the Crimean War. In the 20th century it was the home port of the Soviet Navy’s Black Sea Fleet, and the city retains a significant Russian naval presence. The population is still largely ethnically Russian and the population’s sympathies still lie largely with Moscow rather than Kiev. Nowadays Sevastopol is the base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and Ukrainian Navy Forces as well as one of the most interesting tourist destinations in Ukraine.
Sevastopol. Chersonesus. Saint Vladimir Cathedral
Sevastopol. Chersonesus. Saint Vladimir Cathedral
Sevastopol. Chersonesus. Basilica of 1935
Sevastopol. Building of museum panorama
Sevastopol. Chersonesus. Monument of Saint Andrew
Sevastopol. Chersonesus. Bell
Sevastopol. Chersonesus. Theatre
Sevastopol. Chersonesus. Mint
Sevastopol. Monument to flooded ships
Sevastopol. Monument to Pavel Nakhimov
Sevastopol. Museum and memorial complex “35th Coast Battery”
Sevastopol. Floating dock
Sevastopol. Frigate “Hetman Sahaydachniy”
Sevastopol. Mikhaylovskaya battery
Sevastopol. Palace of Children and Youth Creativity
Sevastopol. Mikhaylovskaya battery
Sevastopol. Mikhaylovskaya battery
Sevastopol. Mikhaylovskaya battery
Sevastopol. Mikhaylovskaya battery
Sevastopol. Missile Tarantul class corvette
Sevastopol. Monument to Vladimir Lenin.
Sevastopol. Monument to Alexander Kazarsky
Sevastopol. Victory Day Parade
credit: Alexxx1979
The facilities for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi were nearly ready. Organizers focused on fine-tuning and logistical issues, in particular, transportation. members and 27,000 volunteers who will run the event. At $50 billion and counting, the 2014 Winter Olympics, in Sochi, are the most expensive Olympic Games ever.
Sochi International Airport
Sochi International Airport
Sochi International Airport
Sochi International Airport
Sochi Olympics
Sochi Olympics
Sochi Olympics
Sochi Olympics
Sochi Olympics
Sochi Olympics Mountains
Sochi Olympics Mountains
Sochi Olympics Mountains
Sochi Olympics Hotels
Sochi Olympics Hotels
Sochi Olympics Hotels
Sochi Olympics Hotels
Sochi Olympics Hotels
Sochi Olympics Hotels
credit: rapidtravelchai