The Constant Foreigner | Archtiecture & Culture

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The Constant Foreigner : Architecture and Culture

Location Study

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Architecture and Culture

There is an intrinsic link between culture, architecture and the composition of our cities and landscapes. The way people conduct their lifestyles and the confl icts between modernity and ancient traditions manifest themselves in the form of our buildings and cities.

The best architecture and cities do not impose themselves as iconic objects but provide a backdrop to that to the daily lives of people and gives a sense of place and identity.

Great architecture is a manifestation of culture that can be both beautiful and ugly but always engaging and relevent.


Italy

Italy

No where on earth is as much beauty packed into such a relatively small country. Italy from the Roman empire through to the Renaissance has had an infl uence across Europe and much of the western world.

The suggested route tracks Italy from north to south looking at the changes in architecture in response to culture land-scape and climate from northern European infl uences in the north through to the Renaissance in Tuscany, the legacy of Ancient Rome and the infl uence of Ancient Greece and North Africa on the south and Sicily.

“You may have the universe if I may have Italy.” Giuseppe Verdi


VeniceVenice is a unique city in the north east spread across 118 islands linked by both canals and bridges. The entire city is a world heritage site. In the 13th century Venice was Europes’ most prosperous city state through extensive trade and cultur-al exchange with Constantinople and the Muslim world. One of the most famous Venetians, Marco Polo also established trade and cultural links with China.

BolognaBologna is an important cultural, artis-tic and education centre in italy. Bologna is home to the oldest university in the world founded in 1088. In 2011 Bologna was ranked the Italian city with the best quality of life. Bologna lays claim to be-ing Italys’ Principia Gastronomica, the food capital.


PisaPisa was wealthy maritime city state in the 11th century and while it is most fa-mous for it’s Leaning Tower it has many other beautiful and even more impor-tant works of architecture. The small building known as Santa Maria Della Spi-na is known to contain a thawn from the crown of Christ.

FlorenceFlorence is no doubt one of the most beautiful cities in the world and was at the heart of what is possibly the greatest creative movement in history. Florence was the birthplace of the renaissance which has left the city with an unsur-passed cultural, artistic and architec-tural legacy. Works by Davinci, Michel-angelo and Brunelleschi adorne the city.


LuccaLucca is famous for its’ intact Renaissance city wall which now works as a circular park around the city. Lucca contains some beautiful Romenesque buildings and also ancient legacies in it’s city structure such as the Piazza dell’Anfi teatro which once housed a Roman amphitheatre. Lucca was the birthplace of Puccini who composed La Boheme and Madame Butterfl y

SienaSiena is probably Italys’ best preserved medieval hill towns. The hostoric centre of Siena is a Unesco world heritage site. Siena is famous for its cuisine, art, muse-ums, medieval cityscape and the Palio, a horse race held twice a year. The Piazza del Campo is one of Italys’ if not the worlds most beautiful public spaces.


RomeRome is the capital if Italy and was the cen-tre of the ancient Roman Empire for some 700 years from the 1st century BC as well as home to the Vatican which is the centre of the Catholic Church. The history of the city is some 2500 years and architecturally it contains well preserved structures from every period in its’ history. Many have said it is the worlds’ most beautiful city.

NaplesNaples is the biggest city in the south of Italy and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Naples historic city cen-tre is the largest in Europe and it’s landscape between the Mediterranean and the nearby Mount Vesuvious dramatic. It was through Na-ples that Greek culture was originally intro-duced to Italy. Naples is the most chaotic and crime ridden of Italian cities but probably the most characterful.


Amalfi Coast - Positano, Amalfi , RavelloThe Amalfi coast is the most dramatic and beautiful coastline in Europe that stretch-es from Sorrento to Salerno. The coastline has an incredible mountainous topography and is famous for towns such as Positano, Amalfi and Ravello that climb the hills dra-matically from the sea. The coast also has many stunning fi shing villages and islands where the local seafood is amongst the best in the world.

Sicily - Palermo, Siracusa, RagusaThe island of Sicily forms the southern-most part of Italy and it has absorbed many cultural and culinary infl uences from both Greece and North Africa. While being one of the poorest regions of Italy it is also one of the most beautiful and authentic. You can see the infl uence of the Romans, Greeks and the Arabs in both the architecture and the food of the island. Along with Naples it has also been under the infl uence of the Cosa Nostra (Mafi a)


India

India

India is the worlds second most populous country and possibly it’s richest and most culturally diverse. India is under-pinned by an ancient Hindu culture as well as a strong Islamic infl uence. This can be overlaid with the strong infl uence of legacies of past colonial masters in the form of Britain and Portugal. It is an incredible feat that such a large and culturally diverse nation manages to live in comparative peace and harmony despite one of the most signifi cant gaps between wealth and poverty on the planet.

“If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India.”

Romain Rolland


KolkataKolkata is India’s oldest port city and trading post as well as being the capi-tal of India under the British Raj. The city was at the centre of Indias’ inde-pendence movement and was the centre of the countries science, education, cul-ture and politics. Calcutta is synonymous with urban chaos and the crumbling rel-ics of British Colonial rule.

VaranasiVaranasi is an ancient city situated on the great Ganges River and is considered the holy city for Indias’ Hindus. According to legend the city was founded by the Hindu deity Lord Shiva several thousand years ago. Varanasi is some 3000 years old and is claimed to be the oldest city in the world. Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganges relives sins and dying and having your ashes thrown in the Ganges relieves the soul of transmigrations.


AgraAgra is an Indian city with a Persian in-fl uence and is home to one of the worlds most beautiful buildings The Taj Mahal.It was the capital city for the Mughal em-porors from 1526 - 1658 and has many magnifi cent Mughal buildings and gar-dens.

DelhiDelhi is the capital of modern day India and it’s administrative centre. It is a mega city with over 22 million residents.The British captured Delhi in 1803 and made it the capital of British India. The new capital buildings in an area known as New Delhi was designed by British Archi-tect Edwin Lutyens. Delhi also has been home to Islam in India with the countries fi rst great Mosque.


LehLeh is the capital of the Himalayan King-dom of Ladakha. Leh was the most im-portant city on the trade route between India and China for centuries. The town is still dominated by the now ruined Leh Palace, former mansion of the royal fam-ily of Ladakh. The city has a tradition of cohesiveness and religious tolerance with Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims liv-ing in relative peace.

ChandigarhChandigarh is a unique modern capital city in India that came about when the British partitioned India and Pakistan in 1947 and the Indian Punjab needed a new capital city. Designed by the French architect and urbanist Le Corbusier it has achieved fame for both it’s modern-ist architecture with and Indian fl avour as well as the food of the Punjab.


AmritsarAmritsar is the centre of the Sikh reli-gion and home to the Golden Temple. The population of Amritsar is almost 50% and almost in fact became part of Paki-stan during the British Partition of India. The city is known for its rich cuisine and culture.

JaipurJaipur is known is the Pink City and is one of the best planned cities in India and is the capital of the desert state of Rajasthan. The city contains the Hawa Mahal which was it’s royal palace with the Amber Fort on it’s out-skirts. The city is also famed for it’s gems, jewelry and fi ne Indian fabrics. The city con-tains the Jantar Mantar which is a world heri-tage listed observatory built in 1734.


JodpurJodhpur is a popular tourist destination, fea-turing many palaces, forts and temples, set in the stark landscape of the Thar desert. It is also referred to as the “Blue City” due to the blue-painted houses around the Mehrangarh Fort.Mehrangarh Fort and the Umaid Bhawan Pal-ace are features of the city. The city was on an important trade route between Gujurat and Delhi which have allowed it to grow wealthy off trade.

JaisalmerJaisailmer lies is a city built around a hill top fortress and sits in the middle of the Thar Desert in Rajasthan. The city is known as the ‘Golden City’ due to the honey col-ored sandstone from which most of the buildings are made.The Jaisalmer Fort is almost 900 years old and is one of the worlds biggest while the city also contains many examples of Have-lis or courtyard houses.


PushkarPushkar is one of the oldest cities in In-dia and is one of the fi ve sacred cities for Hindus. Pushkar has many temples and the lake is considered sacred while it contains the Brahma Temple which is one of the most important in Hinduism. Pushkar also hosts a famous annual cam-el fair. Mahatma Ghandis’ ashes were im-mersed in Pushkar Lake.

UdaipurUdaipur is known as the city of lakes. Udaipur is also known as being Indias’ most romantic cities and the sunsets over Lake Pichola are legendary. The city is also home to some very famous forts and the Lake Palace which was once used for a James Bond movie. Lake Pichola is an artifi cial lake created some 700 hundred years ago


MumbaiMumbai is Indias’ most populous city with close to 25 million people while also be-ing India economic capital. It is also in the worlds top 10 fi nancial capitals. Mumbai is Indias’ take on a cosmopolitan internation-al city and has over time been a melting pot of cultures including British, Portug-ese, Arabic,Jewish and Indian. The fabric of the city is studded with many beautiful colonial era Victorian buildings.

KerelaKerela is one of Indias most beautiful re-gions with a tropical coastline and famous backwaters. The area is regarded as one of the best places to live in India with the countries most educated populations. Ker-ela has been labelled one of the worlds top 10 paradises according to national geographic. Both the British and Portugese have occupied Kerela in the past.

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HampiHampi is a village in the centre of India that contains the ruins of the capital city of the Vijayanagara Hindu empire. The ruins cover a vast area and are a Unesco World Heritage Site. The ruins sit within areas of jungle and amongst local ba-nana plantations. It has been compared to Ankor Wat in Cambodia and Pompeii in Italy.

HyderabadHyderabad has been known as the ‘City of Pearls’ and was once the centre of the global pearl and diamond trade. The ar-chitecture of Hyderabad has a distinct Indo-Islamic style which is unique to the city. Hydrabadi food is very famous espe-cially the Hyderabdi Biryani (rice dish). The city is now a powerhouse behind In-dia’ economic boom with a fl ourishing IT industry.


Iran

Iran

Iran is the Middle Easts’ most culturally rich and diverse country. Persia as it was known was a cultural hotbed for archi-tecture, literature, philosophy and art. The architecture of ancient Persia has been at the core of Islamic Architecture all over the Middle East and North Africa as well as infl uencing art and architecture of the Roman and Greek empires.

Iran embodies a diversity of landscapes from snow capped alpine mountains in the north through deserts, ancient forests and a coral reef fringed coast line in the south.

“Only from the heart Can you touch the sky.”

Jalal ad-Din Rumi (Persian Poet and Mystic, 1207-1273)


TabrizTabriz is one of Irans historic capitals. Ta-briz is a high altitude city at 1350m and con-tains many historic monuments. The Tabriz Bazaar or central market place was named a Unesco world heritage site in 2010. Some archeologists believe that the Biblical Gar-den of Eden was actually located in Tabriz. Tabriz is on the silk route between Europe and China and Marco Polo passed through in 1275.

TehranTehran is Irans capital and is one of the worlds largest cities and is the largest in western Asia. Tehran has a spectacular setting with the city sitting at the foot of the Alborz Mountain Range where there are ski fi elds. Tehran is the most cosmo-politan city in the Middle East and West-ern Asia and the cuisine and architecture refl ect this.


MashhadMashhad is the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities for Shia Mus-lims. The city was a major trading hub and a key oasis along the silk trade route as well as housing the shrine to Imam Reza which is a place of pilgrimage for Shia Muslims. Mashhad is also home to one of the oldest libraries of the Middle-East called the Cen-tral Library of Astan-e Quds Razavi with a history of over six centuries.

QomQom is counted as one of the focal centres of the Shi’a Islamic Faith both in Iran and around the globe. The city is a holy site for the Shi’a and contains the shrine of Fatima Maesume, sister of Imam`Ali ibn Musa Rida (Persian Imam Reza, 789–816 AD).Qom is also the largest centre for Shi’a scholarship in the world and is a signifi cant destination of pilgrimage for people in the Middle East.


KashanKashan was a leisure vacation spot for Sa-favi Kings. Bagh-e Fin (Fin Garden), spe-cifi cally, is one of the most famous gardens of Iran. This beautiful garden with its pool and orchards was designed for Shah Abbas I as a classical Persian vision of paradise. The garden itself however, was fi rst found-ed 7000 years ago. Kashan is internation-ally famous for manufacturing carpets, silk and other textiles

EsfahanEsfahan was once one of the largest cities in the world. It fl ourished from 1050 to 1722, particularly in the 16th century under the Sa-favid dynasty, when it became the capital of Persia for the second time in its history. This history has left the city with an unparalleled architectural legacy. Even today, the city re-tains much of its past glory. It is famous for its Islamic architecture, with many boulevards, covered bridges, palaces and mosques


ShirazShiraz is known as the city of poets, lit-erature, wine and fl owers. It is also con-sidered by many Iranians to be the city of gardens, due to the many gardens and fruit trees that can be seen in the city. Shiraz has had major Jewish and Christian communities. The oldest sample of wine in the world, dating to approximately 7,000 years ago, was discovered on clay jars recovered outside of Shiraz.

BamBam is one of Irans oldest cities with an ancient citidel sitting in its centre. The ancient citadel of Arg-e Bam has a his-tory dating back around 2,000 years ago, to the Parthian Empire. The city is known for its dates and citrus fruits. Following devestating earthquakes in 2003 the city is undergoing a process of restoration and reconstruction.


KishKish Island was ranked among the world’s 10 most beautiful islands by The New York Times in 2010. Kish Island has been mentioned in history many times.When Marco Polo visited the Imperial court in China, he commented on the Emperor’s wife’s pearls, he was told that they were from Kish. Kish is surrounded by coral reefs and has many ancient building-scluding an underground aqueduct.


Bolivia

Bolivia is a high altitude country occupying the Andean Plateau in South America. It is a country of incredibly varied his-tory and equally varied landscapes. It was at one point part of the great Inca Empire, conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century for its minerals especially silver and a part of Peru before it’s liberation in 1809.

While the Spanish have left some striking Andean cities in the form of Potosi and Sucre to the spectacular La Paz which sits in a canyon at high altitude it is the incredible landscapes that strike you most. The Atacama Desert on the Chilean border is the driest place in the world, the worlds largest salt fl ats in the Uyini Desert to the worlds highest lake in the form of Lake Titicaca on the border with Peru.

This can all be coupled with the mix of ancient Andean Indian and Inca cultures with that of the Spanish colonialists.

Bolivia

And the Atacama


San Pedro de Atacama (Chile)San Pedro de Atacama is a beautiful Spanish desert town that sits on the border of Chile and Bolivia. The town sits within the Ataca-ma Desert and it’s moon like landscape is the driest place on earth.San Pedro is built from pueblos or mud brick courtyard buildings and the local population is a descended from Indians and the Spanish. The Atacama has some of the clearest skies on earth and is one of the best places from which to see the stars.

Uyini DesertThe Uyini Desert is the largest salt fl at on earth and sits at over 3,500m above sea level. The salt fl at is almost entirely devoid of any vegetation apart from an-cient cacti while the desert contains vol-canoes, lakes and is a breeding ground for pink fl amingos.


PotosiPotosi is a colonial town established by the Spanish in the Andes Mountain range. The wealth of the city was built off the back of the nearby silver mines from which the Spanish plundered the wealth of Bolivia.Potosi is also one of the highest cities in the world and is over 4000m above sea level.

SucreSucre is another beautiful Spanish colo-nial city in the Andes and is the modern day capital city of Bolivia. The city is a Unesco World Heritage Site and it’s 18th and 19th century Spanish Colonial city heart is almost entirely intact. The spec-tacle of the city is enhanced by the strik-ing white buildings against the clearest of blue skies.


La PazLa Paz is the seat of government in Bolivia and is the highest governmental centre in the world at almost 3700m above sea lev-el. The city is chaotic mix of modernity and colonial architecture but what is most striking about La Paz is its geography. The city climbs the steep walls of a canyon that sits within the Bolivian Antiplano.

Lake TiticacaLake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world and straddles the bor-ders of Bolivia and Peru.The lake is surrounded by the Andes Mountain Range and has many beautiful Islands including the Isla de Sol and Isla de Luna which are steeped in ancient Inca mythology and contain 15th century Inca ruins.

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The Constant Foreigner | Archtiecture & Culture