Germany: Schwetzingen Garden

durchgang_verboten, originally uploaded by mjutabor.

Xinjiang: Fine Fabrics

Fine Fabrics, originally uploaded by shepandpaula.

Yemen: Minaret in Jibla

Yemen n001, originally uploaded by babasteve.

Afghanistan: Elderly Elegance

Afghanistan, originally uploaded by babasteve.

Egypt: The Sun at Midnight

Egypt Cairo Mohamed Ali Mosque, originally uploaded by davidcharding.

' See, I tried everything, went everywhere,
But never found a friend as dear as you;
I drank from all the fountains, tried the grapes,
But never tasted wine as sweet as you.'

I studied hundred learned manuscripts:
In every letter I saw only you.
I washed away the letters with my tears:
A mirror was the shining page for you.

I heard your voice in every rustling breeze;
The snow, the grass were lovely veils for you;
I dived into the ocean without shore:
The lustrous pearls reflected only you.

Then came the storm.
The garden of my heart
was shiv'ring in the cold, all leaves were shed.
There was the desert.
And the barren cloud.
And silence. And
the sun at midnight - you.

Annemarie Schimmel

Philippines: Muscle Memory

muscle memory, originally uploaded by Farl.

"The Philippines claims to produce the handsomest mat in Asia. Perhaps the most renowned are those from the Samal weavers of the island of Laminusa, Tawi-Tawi."

"BANIG or mats are a must in the days before cheap mattresses. Used as traditional bed cover, the banig is porous, cool and smooth and is made from leaves of the screwpine palm (local terms are pandan or rombon). The Badjao and Samal mat is the most intricate and fine-grained in the country. Preparation takes one week, with at least 2 cycles of boiling, stick-beating, drawing into strips, sun-bleaching and finally dying. Weaving consumes another two to five weeks." more information...

Oman: Colors of Oman

Colors of Oman, originally uploaded by since1968.

Two women from Oman discussing women's traditional dress at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Washington, DC.

Cyprus: The Littlest Mosque

Cyprus - Mosque, originally uploaded by Celeste33.