Images

The Togudo Hall, Ginkaku-ji. It was originally the private residence of the retired shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa (l. 1436-1490 CE, r. 1449-1474 CE). Built in the late 15th century CE, the hall contains the oldest surviving example of a tea ceremony...

The Sea of Silvery Sand (Ginsha-nada) which replicates the outline of the West Lake in China and the small lunar viewing platform (Kogetsudai) made of sand. The Zen temple complex Ginkaku-ji, Kyoto, Japan. Late 15th century CE.

The Silver Pavilion of the Zen temple complex Ginkaku-ji, Kyoto, Japan. LAte 15th century CE.

The Islamic holy city of Mecca with the Holy Mosque of Ka'aba, illustration from Arabia: The Cradle of Islam by Samuel Zwemer, New York, 1900.

A photograph of the Islamic holy city of Medina, taken from the north-side by Colonel Muhammad Sadiq Bey on his second visit in c. 1880 CE. The Masjid al-Nabwi (or The Mosque of the Prophet Muhammad (c. 570 - 632 CE)) and the tomb of the...

Almoravid dynasty (1056-1147 CE) gold coin from the reign of 'Abdallah ibn 'Iyad. 1146 CE. (British Museum, London)

The Central Courtyard and East Apartments of the Minoan Palace of Phaistos, Crete (2000-1400 BCE).

The Hagia Triada sarcophagus is a Late Bronze Age (1400 BCE) 137 cm-long limestone sarcophagus covered in plaster and painted in fresco and combining features of Minoan and Mycenaean style. The painted frieze shows all the stages of the sacred...

The side A of the Phaistos disk, New-Palace period (1600-1450 BCE), Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Crete.

This scene is part of a long tributary one where the king receives Chaldean tribute from Musallim-Marduk, son of Ukani. Here, the Assyrian king, Shalmaneser III (r. 858 - 824 BCE), stands and his left hand rests on the tip of his bow while...