Tucked away in a forested hillside in Austria’s Tyrolean alps is a château called Itter with a long history and one remarkable footnote. Read more…
History Archive
Sea Tigers of the LTTE
In a lagoon north of Mullaitivu is a gold-painted ‘victory monument’. It presides over the area where the ‘Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam’ (LTTE) made their last stand against the Sri Lankan army in 2009.
Conflicting Stories in Sri Lanka
A couple of chance encounters highlighted the dueling narratives of Sri Lankan history and the tensions that still remain following the end of the civil war.
The Art of Amistics
Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag paints images of suburban Sweden in the 1980s transformed by some unexplained technological breakthrough.
Osaka and the Dekasegi
While wandering Osaka looking for the famous Umeda Sky building in Osaka I met my first talkative local.
Tsukiji Fish Market
One out of every five fish caught on planet earth is sold at Tsukiji fish market. Every day more than 2000 tons of fish pass through the market in Tokyo’s Chūō district.
Tokyo’s Indestructible Skytree
2015 led me back to Tokyo. This time I spent most of my time in the district of Sumida in Tokyo’s Northeast.
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Nakagin Capsule Tower, Tokyo
The Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo is a run-down testament to the ambition of some of Japan’s most celebrated post-war architects.
The Dogs and Demons of Joetsu
The small coastal city of Joetsu on Japan’s north coast highlights some of the problems facing modern Japan.
Women of the Rojava
Photos by Asmaa Waguih and Joey Lawrence of Kurdish fighters provide a face for a revolution that is quietly taking place behind the front lines of the war with ISIS.
China’s Firewall and the Siku Quanshu
The National Library of China holds an artifact that represents what must be the most ambitious attempt to control information in history.
Mt Huashan, China
Huashan is a mountain located about 120 kilometres east of Xi’an- China’s old capital. It’s home to some very dicey walking tracks, a really spectacular set of cable cars, a tea house perched on a cliff face and a photo studio with some genuine occupational health and safety issues.
Chengdu & the Chinese Dream
The entry point for my brief tour of China was the southern Province of Sichuan-famed for its incredibly spicy food and baffling theatrical performances. I flew into the capital Chengdu at the start of October and explored the city between bouts of rain before venturing out into the nearby mountains.
Ceres Valley, South Africa
Another bleary-eyed morning spent rock-hopping in the pre-dawn light to get to a vantage point before sunrise.
Byzantine Bunkers
Across Europe and Russia you can find the remains of bunkers and air-raid shelters- a legacy of the Second World War and the Cold War that followed. In Cappadocia, in central Turkey, you can find much older and much more extensive underground shelters.
Iconoclasm & the Burger King
In the valleys of Cappadocia are hundreds of cave churches from the early years of Christianity.
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The Refugees of Çavuşin
On a cliff overlooking the small town of Cavusin a Turkish flag flies amidst the ruins of a village.
Part 2: The fall of Trebizond
After the fall of Constantinople the two remaining Byzantine states- the Despotate of Morea and the Empire of Trebizond- came under renewed pressure.
Part 1: The Fall of Constantinople
In the mountains around Trabzon you can find fragments of an empire that traces its origins back to ancient Rome.
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