OLINDA
Olinda is one of the most well preserved colonial towns in Brazil. It was once the capital of the federal state of Pernambuco on the Atlantic coast and in 1982 was designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The first Portuguese immigrants were excited about its wonderful location when they landed here in 1535. They were followed by priests and monks who built churches and monasteries within the palm groves on the hills. Most of the town’s important buildings date back to that time when the town prospered due to the cultivation of sugar cane. Religion in the town began to blossom, a fact indicated by the remarkable Benedictine monastery, the Mosteiro de Sao Bento. Olinda is a fine example of colonial splendour and sacred art. A unique masterpiece of Brazilian Late Baroque!
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Cairo’s Alabaster Mosque dominates the skyline of the largest city in Africa. The imposing building is situated in the middle of the Citadel, a prominent fortress that was built in the 19th century. In 1830, Egyptian King Mohammad Ali Pasha ordered the construction of a mosque to strict Ottoman design. It is no accident that the external appearance of the Mosque is similar to that of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. The minarets of the Alabaster Mosque rise 84 metres into the sky and have become an integral part of Cairo’s silhouette. The impressive interior of the building is illuminated by an enormous chandelier, a gift from the French King, Louis Philippe the Fifth. Today, the light of the original 365 oil lamps is powered by electricity, yet the great building still possesses a sublime atmosphere. The brilliance of the light augments the dimensions of the mosque to a breathtaking degree and the ceiling of the great prayer hall is over fifty metres high. Beneath the central cupola is the dignified tomb of King Mohammed Ali. The royal casket is made of the finest Italian marble and is decorated with Turkish motifs. Today, the Alabaster Mosque is considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of Egyptian Islamic-Ottoman architecture of the 19th century. It has lost none of its former shining magnificence.
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Tive a felicidade de ter estado dentro desta magnífica mesquita, é um edifício muito belo na sobriedade do estilo, menos bela que a mesquita Azul e Haggia Sofia, no entanto a sua cúpula reflecte tons de cor entre o azul e roxo é espectacular, a serenidade é o que se sente quando nos sentamos no seu tapete vermelho e se observa a mesquita, a sua grandiosa cúpula é assombrosa rodeada por uma penumbra de escuridão reflecte-se os tons de cor.