Travel and Leisure Information

By Suhaina Mazhar Sumazla

Agra is one of the important cities of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated on the banks of the River Yamuna. It houses the wonder of the world, Taj Mahal and hence this city is famous all over the world. The history of Agra starts with the period of Mahabharata and there was a mention about this city in that great epic.

The name Agra is said to be derived from the word Agrevana. Agrevana means the border of the forest. It should be bordering a great forest during those times. The city was founded by Raja Badal Singh in 1475 AD. He built a fort known as Badalgarh. Shahi King Jayapala ruled over from the Agra fort and he was attacked by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni and that incident was mentioned in the writing of the 11th century Persian poet, Masud Sad Salman.

Agra became the capital city during the rule of Sikandar Lodi in 1506. When he passed away in 1517, his son Ibrahim Lodi came to power. He ruled over the place for nine years until he was defeated by the Mughal King Babar in the Battle of Panipat in 1526. During the rule of Delhi Sultanate, Agra was a major tourist destination. It had many notable buildings built by the Mughal Kings, Akbar, Shah Jahan and Jahangir. All these three kings had a taste for establishing architectures and they built Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikhri which are UNESCO World Heritage sites at present.

The rich history of Agra is reflected through the number of historical monuments found in the city. Though the history started from the time of Mahirshi Angira, it reached its peak during the Mughal time. Samrat Hem Chander Vikramaditya was the Chief of the army of Adil Shah of Suri Dynasty of Afghan. He invaded Agra in 1556 and Tardi Beg Khan, the commander of Mughals of Delhi retreated without a fight as he was afraid of Hemu. Hemu conquered Delhi on 7th October 1556 and established the Vikramaditya Dynasty in North India.

Mughal period was called the golden period of the history of Agra. Akbar named it Akbarabad and it served as the capital of the Mughal Empire during the periods of the kings Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. Akbar founded the new religion Din-I-Ilahi in Agra. However during the period of Shah Jahan in 1649, the capital was shifted back to Delhi. When his son Aurangazeb became the king, he imprisoned Shah Jahan in Agra and shifted his capital to Delhi.

For a short period of time, Marathas and Jats ruled over the place. In 1803, Agra came under the control of the British Empire. A great famine struck Agra in 1837 and continued for a year. Agra was one of the important centers of the Great Revolt of 1857. It was the birth place of the Radhaswami Faith. The importance of Agra grew after the independence of India in 1947. The Agra photos and Agra videos show the majesty of the city and its monuments.

By Cheng Keat Tan

What makes a place unique? Is it from its people, food, natural settings, infrastructure or architecture? It is actually all of the above that contribute to the unique characteristics of a particular place. A place with stunning architecture and beautiful natural landscape is meaningless without its people and the daily myriad events that are being carried out there. A vibrant city is constantly evolving itself as people move in to stay, work and play. Places with rich history and cultural heritage tend to attract lots of tourists and migrants. These people then bring along their way of life, religion and cuisine to their new home and directly enliven the place even further.

Architecture without people is like a plain box without any opening. It is the inhabitants inside architecture that determine the needs for ventilation through windows and the articulation of circulation within the building gives rise to the incorporation of doorways and corridors. People from different cultures have their own unique ways of entering a building and their level of tolerance for privacy will give birth to various design of windows fenestration. When a society reaches a mature state, people within the community will desire more than just a practical building. They will want to have their history, religion and culture to be permanently integrated into architecture. Architecture is indeed an extension of our lifestyle and culture.

One of the places that possess the characteristics which I have just mentioned is George Town, Penang. Penang is one of the states of Malaysia which was founded in 1786 by Captain Francis Light, a trader for the British East India Company. Many migrants from India and China moved to Penang in the 19th century and started to build their communities which have lasted until today. In those days, the Chinese and Indians lived along side with the Malays and Europeans to gradually build up George Town together brick by brick. They brought along their skill from their native lands to construct houses and congregational places for their respective communities. The design of these buildings manifested the way of life of these people. Their lifestyle determines the layout and detailing of the buildings. Tourists today who visit the inner city of George Town will discover many interesting residential, religious and community architecture scatter throughout the entire city.

Penang has an international airport and is well-connected to the rest of the world. If there is no direct flight from where you are, you can always transit at either Singapore or KL to make your way through to George Town; a UNESCO World Heritage City.

By Henry Arnault

In 1999, Cuenca was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in recognition of its rich past and many historical buildings. With a population of 330,000, it is the third largest city in Ecuador after Guayaquil and the capital city, Quito.

Cuenca is located in the southern Ecuadorian highlands region of the Andes and altitude ranges from 7,700 to 8,300 feet (2,350 to 2,550 meters) above sea level. It is located 9 hours south of Quito and 4 hours east of Guayaquil. Cuenca means basin in Spanish, and in fact, the city is at the confluence of 4 rivers, all of which are part of the Amazon river watershed.

In pre-Columbian times, the area was a Cañari settlement founded in the sixth century. About 50 years before the Spanish incursion, Inca conquered the settlement and the city grew to become the regional capital of the Inca Empire. It was called Tomebamba, and according to indigenous sources, was filled with gold-filled temples and palaces. However, when the Spanish arrived they found a city abandoned and destroyed. Tombebamba may have been the mythical city of El Dorado. Visitors today can visit the ruins of Pumapungo, the Inca administrative palace.

The Spanish city of Cuenca was founded in 1557 and named after the Spanish city of Cuenca, birthplace of Viceroy Mendoza. Cuenca was erected by the Spanish over ruins of the Inca city, and today, one of the city’s most distinctive features are its many colonial buildings constructed from travertine stone.

Today Cuenca is defined by its cosmopolitan aspects as much as by its pre-Colombian and colonial past. Visitors will find a myriad of international restaurants, art galleries, cafés, and bars. Cuenca is known as the Athens of Ecuador, birthplace of many of the nation’s artists, writers, and philosophers. The historic center of the city is delimited within a small, neatly organized radius. Must see landmarks are the “Old Cathedral,” one of the first Spanish building constructed in Cuenca, and the “New Cathedral,” which was large enough to fit 90% of Cuenca’s population when it was first built in 1880. Cajas National Park is nearby, filled with rivers, lagoons, and streams.

Cuenca has a subtropical highland climate with mild temperatures year-round that range between 55 and 60 F (13 and 15 C). The region experiences warm days and cool nights. The rainy season is between January and May, with bright sunny mornings and afternoon showers, and the heaviest rains are in March, April, and May. Meanwhile, the dry season is between June and December.