Vignettes of the World
The Kalon ensemble of architecture is a key site to visit in Bukhara. In this part of Old Bukhara you will come across the Kalon Mosque, the Kalon Minar and the Mir-I Arab Madrassa. The Sights and Smells of the Bukhara Marketplace On our way …
The Old Tai Po Police Station is a Declared Monument in Tai Po. I joined a guided tour in order to learn its history. Green Hub is the NGO that runs the operation and maintenance at the Old Tai Po Police Station now and it …
On our first full day in Bukhara we first visited the Ulug Bek Madrassa and the Abdul Aziz Khan Madrassa. They stand tall and proud right across from each other.
As we took our leisurely stroll through the city’s ancient sites, we noticed a certain way in which Bukhara exhibits its distinct character. The city, at least in this heritage area, shows a color theme reminiscent of the different shades of the golden sand of deserts. As compared to Samarkand, the structures here wear a more wholesome, natural front. It seems much less sophisticated, at first glance—the structures that make the heart of Bukhara’s history are much less elaborate in their decorative elements. They have an earthy appearance.
At every turn around our neighborhood hotel, we see buildings that are monuments, not yet restored and lying in their natural state of ruins. They are “under state protection” as many of the signs say. We passed through an earthy three-dome structure to arrive at the Ulug Bek Madrassa and the Abdul Aziz Khan Madrassa.
Photo: A lot of the state-protected buildings in Bukhara are not yet restored and identified.
The madrassa are Islamic institutions of higher learning. Although most madrassas are sites of religious learning, the Ulug Bek Madrassas offered education in secular studies, such as science, astronomy and math. The Ulug Bek Madrassa in Bukhara is no different.
Amir Timur’s grandson Ulug Bek has left quite a few exceptional legacies in Uzbekistan. Being a man of a scholarly nature, Ulug Bek was known first and foremost for his contributions in the field of astronomy, and his learnedness had global influence. Out of his lifelong scholarship emerged the establishment of three Ulug Bek Madrassas. One was in Samarkand as part of the Registan; this one in Bukhara and one is in Gijduvan.
The Ulug Bek Madrassa in Bukhara was built in 1417. In fact, this Ulug Bek Madrassa is the oldest of the three mentioned above. It was built before the one in Samarkand, and one of the oldest in Bukhara as well.
The Madrassa is beautiful restored – but on the outside only. We came into the courtyard and found the studio rooms to show quite a bit of dilapidation.
The lady who runs a souvenir store there told us a little about the way to tell the madrassa from other kinds of Islamic structures. Where you see small room layout throughout the structure, it is a madrassa, as those are the dorm rooms for students. The small rooms gave home to two students.
The inscription of the front portal says, “aspiration to knowledge is the duty of each Muslim man and woman.” There is a museum on Bukhara calligraphy on site.
Not much is said about the Abdul Aziz Khan Madrassa. Suffice to say, that it was built in 1652, for Abd al-Aziz after his defeat of the Mughal army in Balkh.
The Madrassa is very beautiful with a grand portal, “the entire site is sumptuously decorated with mosaics in riotous colors and equally bright ganch stalactites.” (Bradt 242). It is said to have modeled after the Mir-I Arab Madrasa, which we visited after these two monuments.
The touring of these sites took about half an hour at most, because there is not much to see beyond the beautiful front portals. If you want to see the museum in the Ulug Bek Madrassa, it takes an additional 10 minutes or so.
Descriptions on site at the Ulug Bek Madrassa of Bukhara.
Sophie Ibbotson, Uzbekistan, Bradt Travel Guide (2020).
The day blessed us with generous sunshine and we had a good half day of touring in the main tourist sites of Bukhara. I will discuss those sites in later entries but first, the Puppet Museum of Bukhara. The Uzbeks consider the puppet show to …
There are myriad temples in Hong Kong and Wong Tai Sin is namely the most-visited temple in all of Hong Kong. I have been there once during January, a time when many of the faithful worshippers would visit the temple to seek fortune reading and …
For Hong Kong locals, the Kowloon Park is a good venue for a nice afternoon reading session, a place for sitting-down after shopping at the nearby Park Lane, or otherwise swimming at its swimming pool. We take its leisure purpose for granted and few people look for its historic significance beyond its role as a park.
I have never known the history of Kowloon Park until recently, when I came across photographs of the war relics on site. I decided to go to this very familiar childhood park again in search specifically for its historical significance.
The predecessor of the Kowloon Park is the Whitfield Barracks. At the time, the location at which Kowloon Park now occupies was strategically advantageous for defense purposes. It started as a military base as one could overlook the Kowloon side of the Victoria Harbour there. It was meant to be a temporary encampment in the beginning. When the British took over Kowloon in 1861, they named it the Whitfield Barracks and it became a permanent military site. At first, the Indian garrison was stationed at the Whitfield Barracks.
General H.W. Whitfield was the Commander of British Troops in China, Hong Kong and the Straits Settlement from 1869 to 1874. At one point, the Whitfield Barracks had more than 85 buildings. Of all of these buildings, only four barrack blocks and the battery were preserved to the present.
Two of the former Whitfield Barracks, S61 and S62, have since 2005 been the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Center. It is believed that these barracks were built circa 1890s. I had limited time that day and did not go in for a look. The building is well-restored, and it stands elegantly at a prime location in the park. All of the former barracks and the battery at Kowloon Park were rated Grade 1 Historic Building.
It was believed that the barracks were turned into internment camps during the Japanese Occupation years. When WWII ended, the barracks may have housed some of the disarmed Japanese forces, as such they were temporary prisoners of war camps.
In terms of its architecture, the buildings were built in the colonial neo-classical style, representative of the general style of architecture for similar structures during its time. The two-story block has arched verandas. The low arches were meant to keep the building cool and away from the humidity of Hong Kong’s climate.
Given this early history of the Kowloon Park, there is still a site in the current park where military relics stand. I spent less than 15 minutes locating the cannon and the fortress inside the park. The area in which it now stands is named Discovery Playground and the relics there are known as the Former Kowloon West II Battery.
Because this area is now intended to be a playground for children, the fortress at the battery has been restored to a more colorful and cheerful appearance than the common restoration of war relics. Suffice to say, that the structure itself retains some of the key features of its intended wartime usage.
The Kowloon West II Battery was built during 1878 and 1880. It was built in concrete. There are three gun emplacements, a command center, ammunition storage spaces and a machinery room. Each gun emplacement was fixed with a 7-inch cannon. The use of the fortress ceased in 1916.
In 1970, the former Whitfield Barracks were turned into a park space, as such permanently altering its strategic role and became a key cultural and leisure site for Hong Kong people.
Generally speaking, the Kowloon Park is a nice park in terms of being spacious, quiet and lined with many old and vibrant trees. The landscaping, however, pales in comparison to other parks in Hong Kong, such as the Hong Kong Park or the Botanical Garden.
I find the highlight of the park being the Bird Lake. There is a bridged walkway through a rather large pond, where a flamboyance of flamingos and other birds gather. It is truly beautiful there.
I thought the Chinese garden was not worth much of a mention. There is a typical covered corridor and a lone pavilion, but not particularly beautiful.
Close to the Park Lane entrance, there is an open space “Avenue of Stars” of anime artists and their works. It is perfect for families with children.
Overall, if your purpose of visiting the Kowloon Park is merely to see the historical relics, then about an hour of a walk would be plenty of time, or more if you would like to see the exhibitions at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Center.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Introduction of the Kowloon Park.
Hong-Kong-Heritage.com, Strategic Base in the City Bustle? The Kowloon West II Battery (Chin).
The Antiquities and Monuments Office, Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Center.
I took a nice walk in Lamma Island on a sunny winter day. The walk took about three hours and it offered wonderful ocean and island views on a high point in Sok Kwu Wan, the southern section of Lamma Island. I have previously done …
In my opinion, the 1881 Heritage is one of the most successfully restored heritage sites in Hong Kong. Formerly the Marine Police Headquarters, the 1881 Heritage stands tall and grand in what used to be the waterfront of Tsim Sha Tsui. There are two reasons …
On this winter day of apricity I did a walk in Tsim Bei Tsui in Lau Fau Shan and then took a leisurely stroll to see the fish ponds of Yuen Long. The walk took a little more than two hours and the only climb is up the Tong Ha Liu Lookout of Kwai Shan at the altitude of 71 meters. The rest of the walk is on level ground.
Photo: View of Deep Bay with Shenzhen at the Back, Very Hazy Day
Lying a bit north of Lau Fau Shan and Tin Shui Wai, Tsim Bei Tsui is blessed with a vast expanse of mangroves. As it is enveloped by the Deep Bay, the area offers the unlikely views of an exceptional natural endowment set against the background of the urban skyline of Shekou, Shenzhen, China. In Tsim Bei Tsui, the highest point is Kwai Shan at an altitude of 71 meters. The Tong Ha Liu Lookout is at the peak of Kwai Shan.
Kwai Shan, meaning the “turtle hill,” acquired its name due to it shape looking like the shell of a turtle. Because the foothill extends out to the Deep Bay, the imagery elicited the imagination of an elephant drawing water with its trunk. Tsim Bei Tsui (a pointed nose and mouth) thus came to be the name for this general area south of Deep Bay and north of Lau Fau Shan.
Tong Ha Liu was once a settlement area for villagers. The waters surrounding Tsim Bei Tsui was once a very convenient passageway for ships taking cargo between Hong Kong and China. The settlement structures at Kwai Shan were rest stops for the travelers, merchants and workers of the sea traffic. Tong Ha Liu, in Chinese, means “the summer settlement for the Chinese people.” This hill was once abundant with sugar cane as well.
At the Tong Ha Liu parking lot I found the stairs to go the Tong Ha Liu Lookout. The climb took less than ten minutes. To be honest, there was not very much to see up there at the viewing point. Some bloggers have said that this would be a good spot for bird watching, and the description on site also says that there are binoculars for this purpose. However, the heavy foliage that surrounds the lookout will likely block visibility into the natural wetland that lies at the Deep Bay.
There was a swing hanging off the tree branch and I sat on the swing for a very cool experience, seeing the tree above me bend and ruffle as I swung.
A brief ten-minute break at the Tong Ha Liu Lookout was plenty for my purposes. I then headed down and continued on to Deep Bay Road. Soon you will see the border fence. There really is only one way on Deep Bay Road, you will pass the Tsim Bei Tsui Police Post on the way.
All of Deep Bay Road is a walk along the border and therefore there is a high fence throughout the walk. This does mean that there is not much view offered on this part of the walk.
However, keep looking on your right for certain viewing points that show the mangroves. They are not exceptional in terms of views but they are a good look at the natural endowment of the area.
You will also pass through the Drainage Channel of Tin Shui Wai and see some city views afar.
At this point of the walk, watch out for this exit, and walk through the trees. This way will lead you to the large area of the Fish Ponds of Fung Lok Wai.
Feel free to explore this area any way you want. In the blooming seasons of May and October, some of the Pontederia crassipes in full bloom in the fish ponds will offer amazing views.
Note however that, as with all rural areas of Hong Kong, you are likely to run into some dogs that are unleashed in the area. I saw about four of five such dogs (they may or may not be stray) at the fish ponds. The advice for handling free-roaming dogs is to approach them very slowly. When they bark and move toward you, remain calm and be still. After seeing that you do not present threats, the dogs will move away. Of course, if you have a hiking cane, that could be a protection should they launch attacks, but they usually do not attack.
Finally, note also that beginning at the fenced road section of this walk, there is very little shade throughout. There is virtually no shade at the fish ponds. Therefore be prepared if you are doing this walk in the summer.
The general direction to take is toward the Shing Uk Tsuen area. In Shing Uk Tsuen, you will find Green Top Minibus Route 74.
I do not advise anyone walking from Lau Fau Shan to Tsim Bei Tsui because it is a bit of a long walk without any particularly good views along the way. I suggest therefore to take the Green Top Minibus Route 35 on Tai Fung Street in Yuen Long and get off at the final stop in Tsim Bei Tsui. The minibus ride will take about half an hour.
Once you get off the minibus, keep walking ahead on Deep Bay Road and you will arrive at the parking lot within five minutes.
Photos: the Tong Ha Liu Parking Lot and the Stairway up the Tong Ha Liu Lookout
The stairs up the Tong Ha Liu Lookout is at the parking lot.
To get back to civilization, head toward the Shing Uk Tsuen Green Top Minibus Route 74, which will drop you off at the Long Ping MTR Station.
Description on site at Tong Ha Liu.
Timhiking on Kwai Shan.
The first hike of 2024 was on January 1st and I went to the Grass Island. I wanted a reasonable walk with views of the ocean. In Chinese we like to say “ride the wind and break the waves” to mean that one will stare …