TUNISIA - Matmata

Postcard from Matmata

Situation of Tunisia in World and Africa

Situation of Matmata in Tunisia

Flag of Tunisia







Tunisian stamp :

Matmâta or Metmata is a small Berber speaking town in southern Tunisia. Some of the local Berber residents live in traditional underground "troglodyte" structures.

The structures typical for the village are created by digging a large pit in the ground. Around the perimeter of this pit artificial caves are then dug to be used as rooms, with some homes comprising multiple pits, connected by trench-like passageways. This type of home was made famous by serving as the location of the Lars Homestead, home to Luke Skywalker, his Aunt Beru Lars and Uncle Owen Lars for the Star Wars movies. The Lars Homestead was in fact the Hotel Sidi Driss, which offers traditional troglodyte accommodations. One of Call of Duty 2 missions takes place in Matmâta as part of North African Campaign.

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Tunisian stamp :

"Tarf-Ras" Traditional costume for ceremonies in Kerkennah

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Postcard sent by Slim, as "mailsweetmail" - Postcrossing - Reference TN-150

Tunisia - Matmata

barak allahu fiik

UK England - The Archbishop's Palace, Maidstone

UNITED KINGDOM - England, Kent

The Archbishop's Palace is an historic 14th century building on the banks of the River Medway in Maidstone, Kent. Traditionally a home from home for travelling Archbishops from Canterbury, the building is today principally used as a venue for wedding services. The former stable block for the palace (today severed from the palace by the A229), now serves as the Tyrwhitt-Drake Carriage Museum.

The area of Maidstone was probably given to the Archbishops of Canterbury as a royal gift during the seventh or eighth centuries.

The Manor of Maidstone was given to the Archbishop by Rector William de Cornhill in 1207 to be used as a resting-place for Archbishops travelling between London and Canterbury and is linked to Palaces at Charing, Otford and Croydon. Some of this original building may survive as ruins close to the present palace, but most of Cornhill's house was demolished and rebuilt, largely by Archbishop Courtenay in the 1390s, who was also responsible for the construction of neighbouring All Saints' Church. The buildings surrounding the Palace, the Archbishops' Stables to the east and 'the gatehouse' were used as a mill and lodgings for the Archbishops' staff of accountants, butlers, cooks and clerks.

The high wall at the back of the Palace shows a sloping recess with a boarded window about 12 - 15 feet above the ground. Local legend claims that this was once a dungeon and its most famous occupant was John Ball, 'the mad priest of Kent'. His refusal to accept or conform to the established social order resulted in the Archbishop of Canterbury sentencing him to life imprisonment for sedition. He was sprung from the jail in 1381 during the Peasants' Revolt — a protest at the poll tax introduced by Chancellor Sudbury — who was also Archbishop of Canterbury.

At the time of the English Reformation in the sixteenth century, with Henry VIII dismantling the Catholic Church establishment, the Palace was taken by the Crown and eventually sold to John Astley, Master of the Jewel Office. He refronted the building, giving the palace its present appearance.

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Postcard sent by Margaret as "renheek" - Postcrossing - Reference GB-116711

The Archbishop's Palace, Maidston
The card shows one of the old buildings in Maidstone, the county town of Kent.
It is the Archbishop's Palace and has a fine view over the River Medway.

Thank you

MALAYSIA - Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur

MALAYSIA

The Petronas Twin Towers (Malay: Menara Berkembar Petronas) (also known as the Petronas Towers or just Twin Towers), in Kuala Lumpur the capital and largest city of Malaysia, are twin towers.
They were built between 1992 and 1998.
With a heigh of 452 m, they were the world's tallest buildings before being surpassed by :

• Taipei 101, Taipei - Taiwan, in 2004 : 509 m
• Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai - China, in 2008 : 492 m
• Burj Khalifa, Dubai - United Arab Emirates, in 2009 : 828 m
• International Commerce Centre, Hong Kong, in 2010 : 483 m

However, the towers are still the tallest twin buildings in the world. They were the world's tallest buildings from 1998 to 2004 if measured from the level of the main entrance to the structural top.

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Postcard sent by Athena - Private swap - Reference ML001

The striking and futuristic Petronas Twin Towers rises majestically in the Kuala Lumpur skyline as a symbol of this progressive and modern city.