]]> ]]> (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayt_al-Suhaymi#/media/File:Flickr_-_Gaspa_-_Cairo,_Bayt_es-Suhaimi.jpg)]]> (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayt_al-Suhaymi#/media/File:GD-EG-Caire-Suhaymi033.JPG)]]> (https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GD-EG-Caire-Suhaymi023.JPG#mw-jump-to-license)]]> https://www.etbtoursegypt.com/Wiki/Egypt-Travel-Guide/bayt-al-suhaymi-house-of-suhaymi
https://egypttimetravel.com/bayt-al-suhaymi-in-cairo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayt_al-Suhaymi]]>
The building had played a religious purpose as a meeting ground for the Ngāti Awa tribe. The large roof provides shade for the porch, and the wood in which this structure was made was easily accessible. This building provokes a ritual movement as a sensory experience. ]]> Vikingekongehal]]>
Internally the building's massive hall spans multiple supports acting as a nature room divider. These supports hold important lighting which previous would be candles and torches now LED's for safety purposes. Along the sides built in seating, tables. and other misc items lay along the walls. Stepping down into the center a large stone hearth for cooking stands between two massive dinning tables ready for a feast. Weapons and shields hang on the walls.]]>
https://www.visitdenmark.com/press/latest-news/denmarks-largest-viking-longhouse-opens]]> Formal Description A beautiful, fascinating house that looks like it is standing tall right in the sky above all other houses, like it is floating in the sky like clouds without any base. Makes you wonder what it feels like to be up there. This house has many layers of walls, and the gates that surround the central tower. The layout is fascinating but also complicated and mysterious. It feels like a maze. It is mostly designed to confuse enemies. The paths of the house are twisted and turned, leading uphill through courtyards, towers, and narrow passageways. Each area is built to slow down attackers and protect the center. The highest tower is 152 feet tall. From the outside, it looks like it has five levels, but actually it has six levels inside and also a basement. Each level gets smaller as it goes up. The entrance of the house is made up of a large wooden gate at the very bottom of the hill. It moves through the paths and multiple gates, which lead to the main tower. The building material is a wooden post and lintel structure. Beams and columns support each floor. There are no vaults or domes, just stacked wooden levels with steep tiled roofs. The Surfaces are smooth white plaster over wood and stone. Roofs have repeating curved tiles and family crest tiles at the edges. Decorations are simple but elegant, with fish-shaped roof ornaments for protection. The light of this house comes through small windows and slits in the walls. The house is made of wood, stone, and white plaster. The base is made from a strong stone, and the towers and walls are mostly made out of wood, with plaster to help prevent fire.]]> Interpretive Reading This house was designed to protect, impress, and show power. The maze paths, tall stone base, and strong wooden structure were chosen to be a military defense, to make it hard for enemies to attack. At the same time, is elegant white walls and layered roofs gave it a beautiful, almost floating look, which signaled wealth, power, and control. In its historical context, it likely showed the strength of the ruling family and helped to keep the peace. The use of wood and plaster helped keep it light and flexible, which is good for earthquakes, and the stone base gave it the strength to keep it together. It may have felt like walking toward the sky and heavens. The whole structure can be seen as a metaphor for a mountain, with many levels rising to the peak, and the main tower is its hierarchy, where power is held.]]> Contemporary Resonance or Reflection Today, this house is a rare example of a large wooden structure that has survived for centuries, so it raises questions about how this building has lived for centuries that not even in modern times, with a lot of technology, we are unable to build such a building. It also reminds us to think about how power and beauty were shown through architecture, and how a design and an idea will still live on even after the architect dies.]]> https://www.remotelands.com/travelogues/app/uploads/2019/07/Himeji-Castle-01.jpg ]]> Longitude: 134.6939° E]]>
The house rests low to the ground, with an ell extending from the back, suggesting later additions. The overall feel is modest and functional, with little ornamentation. It sits quietly in its surroundings, bordered by simple shrubs and a stone path, embodying the practical elegance of early American life.]]> Notable Architectural Detail - One notable architectural feature is the large central chimney, a hallmark of First Period colonial design. This massive brick structure anchors the house both visually and functionally, originally serving multiple fireplaces throughout the home. Its placement in the center reflects the importance of the hearth for heating and cooking, and it showcases the practical, centralized planning typical of early colonial architecture.]]> Longitude: -71.11694087477946]]> https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Siwaluh_Jabu_Desa_Budaya_Lingga.jpg)

Image 2: COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een Karo Batak loods TMnr 60004176.jpg (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:COLLECTIE_TROPENMUSEUM_Een_Karo_Batak_loods_TMnr_60004176.jpg)]]>
Image 2:Creative Commons
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This house is an example of minka-style homes popularized in Japan by the non-samurai class, namely farmers, merchants, and artisans.  While not the upper class, a position reserved for samurai and the shogun's prefectural advisors, these workers would accumulate wealth during the Edo period. This specific home was likely owned by a wealthy farmer, as highlighted by its large yard and guest room.]]> ]]> ]]>
The Sacred Autonomous Royal Monastery of Saint Catherine of the Holy and God-Trodden Mount Sinai, more commonly known as Saint Catherine’s Monastery, stands at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt. Dating back to the mid-500s AD, it is one of the oldest and still occupied monasteries in the world. Harboring the aesthetics of most Byzantine and early Christian style structures, its plan is rather irregular and has a fortress-like format with its high, thick granite stone walls to house a collection of buildings. It is rather compacted and the various structures primarly range between 33 and 66 feet. The natural earth colored exterior blends in with the desert surroundings, as the granite was excavated from the surrounding mountain environment. A fortified gate named after Emperor Justinian, who ordered the building of the monastery (Justinian’s Gate or Gate of the emperor), was no longer used as the main entry point to preserve its condition. One of the main basilica-style churches has a timber roof, wooden doors, and decorative beams that contain intricate mosaics and depictions of important Byzantine icons. Next to it is the notable belfry, which is three stories but divided into 4 tiers, has open archways, and large bells that are still in use today. It is a much later addition to the monastery and was built in a style similar to 12th-century Syrian churches.

The monastery's overall structure flexes its dual role as an elaborate sanctuary and fortress, as it was meant to protect monks and pilgrims within its massive granite walls that are practically impenetrable. Housing manuscripts, relics, and even a library of volumes in various languages, the monastery, for many, is a holy place and sacred. It is believed to be built where Moses witnessed the burning bush, which still lives on the premises. It was then that the building of all the surrounding structures became almost an act of worship in itself, and certainly a way for people to preserve the divinity of the area. Then, the body of Catherine of Alexandria (after which the monastery was later named) was also said to have been discovered there. This only further cements the status of it being spiritual, which has stretched across all three major Abrahamic religions. Each faith has its own tie to the area, such as the discovery of Christian Palestinian Aramaic, Arabic, and Hebrew texts. ]]> (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Catherine%27s_Monastery#/media/File:Katharinenkloster_Sinai_BW_2.jpg)
]]> (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Catherine%27s_Monastery#/media/File:Monastery_of_Saint_Catherine_at_Mount_Sinai-_drawing_from_the_Description_de_l'%C3%89gypte_(1809).jpeg)]]> https://orthodoxwiki.org/St._Catherine%27s_Monastery_(Sinai)
https://www.sinaimonastery.com/index.php/en/
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/954/]]> Patrons: Anne, Queen of Great Britain; John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough]]> 1722 - Construction is completed
1987 - Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site]]>