Ayub Arch And Lansdowne Bridge In Sukkur Rohri, Sindh, Pakistan Amazing Architecture And Rich History

This beautiful sight is offered in the Southern province of Pakistan -SINDH. The two bridges are named as Ayub Arch (in front) andLansdowne Bridge (at the rear).

History behind the Name : Ayub Arch is named after Pakistan's Military President Field Marshall Ayub Khan who ruled Pakistan from 1958-1970. Lansdowne Bridge was named after (at the rear).

SIZE of  Ayub Arch and Lansdowne Bridge  : It is hardly 4 kms in length with a maximum width of 1 km.

HISTORY of  Ayub Arch and Lansdowne Bridge  : The design ofLansdowne Bridge has always been a headline in the Architectural world. At one time it was believed that this design will not hold itself and will fall to rubble, however it has survived more than a century. You can a lot of details from another blog post about the same bridges at : Ayub Arch and Lansdowne Bridge at Sukkur.

LOCATION of Ayub Arch and Lansdowne Bridge : Bridges connecting the twin cities of Sukkur and Rohri in Sindh, Pakistan.

How to Reach  Ayub Arch and Lansdowne Bridge  : You can reach Sukkur via Aeroplane, Train and by road too. The train takes around 6 hours from Karachi while you can travel by road for approx ___ hours to reach this site.

Hotels/Lodging Facilities on  Ayub Arch and LansdowneBridge : Being the 3rd largest city of Sindh province, you can get all sorts of hotels and lodging facilities at Sukkur. Some of the best hotels in the town include InterPak Inn Hotel, Hotel Al-Habib and Mehran Hotel Sukkur.

Specialities of  Ayub Arch and Lansdowne Bridge :

• Lansdowne Bridge was the longest rigid girder bridge in the World, when its construction began in 1887.
• Lansdowne Bridge is a Railway bridge.
• Lansdowne Bridge was inaugurated on March 25, 1889.
• The bridge provided the Railway link between Lahore and Karachi. Before the construction of bridge the train boggies were required to be transported across the river on ferries.
• The great steel Ayub Arch was constructed in 1962 and railway traffic was shifted there. 
• About a hundred feet apart, the two bridges seem like one from a distance. 
• The Ayub Arch became the world's third longest railway arch span and the first bridge in the world to have "the Railway desk slung on coiled wire rope suspenders." 
• Dr. D.D. Steinman of New York, proponent of 'vocational aesthetics' designed this graceful bridge which cost about two crore rupees. 
• The foundation stone of Ayub Arch was laid on December 9, 1960. 
• Ayub Arch was opened by President Muhammad Ayub Khan on May 6, 1962.

Astola Island, Pasni, Balochistan - Green Water, Coral Reef & Endangered Turtles

Although Astola Island is a small, uninhabited island in Pakistan'sterritorial waters in Arabian Sea, yet it is Pakistan's largest off-shore island. It is the only significant island in Pakistan's territorialwaters.

History behind the Name : Astola Island is known as JazeeraHaft Talar in the local language, meaning "Island of the Seven Hills"

SIZE of Astola Island : It is hardly 4 kms in length with a maximum width of 1 km.

HISTORY of Astola Island : The first known mention of AstolaIsland in the history is dated back to Arrian's Account of Alexander's Admiral Nearchos in 325 BCE. Nearchos was tasked to explore the coast of Arabian Sea, Gulf of Azadi and Persian Gulf. According to Dr. A. V. Williams Jackson, "The seamen on board the ships of Nearchos, being superstitious, like the sailors of all ages and countries, were much frightened at the weird tales told about an uninhabited island, which Arrian calls Nosala, and is now known as Astola or Astalu. It lies nearly midway between Urmera and Pasni headlands, and is to this day as much an object of dread to the Med fisherman as it was long ago to the Greek sailors."

LOCATION of Astola Island : Lying in the Northern Tip of Arabian Sea, Astola Island is about 25 kms off the shore of Makran coastline and approx 39 kms SE of Pasni - Pakistan's Fishing Port. Astola Island is the northern most island in Arabian Sea.

How to Reach Astola Island : You can access Astola Island by hiring/ renting boats from Pasni. In order to reach Pasni, you will have to travel by road from Karachi or Gawadar on Makran Coastal Highway. It takes about 5 hours to reach Astola Islandfrom Pasni via motor boats.

Hotels/Lodging Facilities on Astola Island : In one word I can say NONE. The island is totally uninhabited and has no hotels at all. Despite being a popular yet "Hard" destination for eco-tourism, tents are the only source of spending a night, and that too you will have to carry with you.

Specialities of Astola Island :

• Astola Island is popular for its limited marine life and wildlife. 
• The endangered species of Green Turtle and Hawksbill Turtle nest on the beach of the island at the foothills of the cliffs. 
• Astola Viper is an important endemic reptile found on the island.
• A large number of breeding water birds including coursers, curlews, godwits, gulls, plovers and sanderlings also live on the island.
• The island is also the home of Coral Reef.
• Ruins of an ancient Hindu Temple of Hindu Goddess - Kali can be seen on Astola Island.
• A small Mosque dedicated to Muslim Saint - Khawaja Khizar.
• Camping, Fishing and Scuba Diving can be planned, but provisions will have to be carried by you.
• Spending a moonlit night at Astola Island, having camp fire and fish would surely be a lovely experience.
  Would you like to spend a night at Astola Island?

Benazir Bhutto's Coin

So finally I have the first picture of the coin featuring Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto
(Late).
Although the portrait on the coin seems less like her, still it's a nice one. 

 

Scouting 2007 Centenary Stamps And FDC From Luxembourg

A magnificent First Day Cover from Luxembourg is here to recharge your collecting and scouting senses.

 This FDC from Luxembourg was issued to mark the Centenary of Scouting in 2007. The Scouting 2007 Centenary included celebrations around the globe and festivities took place in a scouting way.
You can read more details from here: Scouting 2007 Centenary

The FDC was issued with two stamps, The first stamp on the right-hand side depicts a world globe and children of different races holding hands. The stamp also depicts a reef-knot which is the symbol of scouting around the planet. It is an EUROPA Stamp and is of 0.70 denomination.
The second stamp on the left-hand side is of 0.50 face value and depicts a scouting camp and a camp fire. It seems to be a painting made by a kid. It is also an EUROPA Stamp from Luxembourg.
I love this FDC. Can anyone tell me why this hat is on the cover? Is it a scouting symbol in Luxembourg or there is some other story behind it???

200 Years Of Salzburg Theatre In Austria

A beautiful vintage First Day Cover from Austria featuring the 200 years of "Salzburg Theatre". The stamp and FDC were issued on 14 November 1975 and is magnificently preserved.

The FDC was sent to me by Mr. Arslan Ali Overstreet from Wild Postcards.
I really loved the stamp and the postmarks on the cover.

Golden Jubilee Celebrations Of Founding Of China - Pak-China Friendship

The year 1999 is the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (1 949-1999). This event is all the more important for the Chinese nation as the whole mankind is on the verge of entering the 21st century.

People’s Republic of China appeared on the map of the world on October 1, 1949, which was the culmination of the glorious struggle of the Chinese people started from the democratic Revolution of 1911 led by Dr. Sun Yat Sen who inspired the resurgence of China.

The Chinese people suffered greatly for more than a century but they never compromised with the status quo and relentlessly struggled against the forces of exploitation. Eventually, they came out victorious under the dynamic leadership of Mao Zedong.

On October 1, 1949, some 300,000 people gathered at theTian’anmen square in Beijing and Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Central People’s Government proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

The national flag of China is red in colour which symbolizes Revolution, the five stars on the flag symbolize the unity of the Chinese people under the leadership of the communist party of china (CPC).

The national emblem of China is ‘Tian’ an men in the center illuminated by five stars and encircled by ears of grain and a cogwheel. Tian’anmen symbolizes the Chinese nation and the ears of grain and the cogwheel represent the working class and peasantry.

After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, Mao Zedong and Chou En Lai played a vital role not only to strengthen the roots of the Communist Party of China but also to improve the economic lot of the Chinese people.

Chou En Lai was the chief architect of New China’s foreign policy and led the country with remarkable dexterity and talent, Henry Kissinger described Chou En Lai as “the greatest statesman of our era”.

He was a man of remarkable vision. After gaining for China its rightful place in the UN Security Council in 1971, Chou En Lai recorded yet an other major diplomatic success when in early 1972, he received US President Richard Nixon in Beijing.

The visit led to normalization of relations between China and the United States of America. In this historic reconciliation, Pakistan served as a bridge between the two great nations of the world.

After the death of Mao Zedong in 1976, Deng Xiao Ping guided the country and embarked upon a programme of modernization, with economic reconstruction as its priority task.

Deng Xiao Ping was the chief architect of China’s Reform and the opening up drive (1978) to the outside world. Today, the People’s Republic of China is an emerging economic giant in Asia.

Since 1980, China has established special economic zones in Guandong, Fujian and the province of Hainan. In 1984, China opened 14 coastal cities to overseas investment. In 1990, the Chinese government decided to open the Pudong New Zone in Shanghai to overseas investment, which has now become an international economic center.

On July 1,1997, People’s Republic of China resumed its sovereignty over Hong Kong and proclaimed it a Special Administrative Region under the principle of “ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS”. People’s Republic of China will resume her sovereignty over Macao on 20th December 1999.

Pak-China friendship is unique in the history of the world. Pakistan was one of the first countries, which accorded recognition to People’s Republic of China. The government of Liaquat Au khan vigorously supported the cause of China in the United Nations.

Formal diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China were established on May21, 1951.

Pakistan and China have maintained extremely cordial relations during the last five decades.

China has always extended full co-operation to Pakistan in its developmental projects in agriculture, energy, industry, defence and tele-communications. This is considered a model relationship among two neighboring countries of the Third World.

With the rapidly growing closer relations between the two countries, the exchange of cultural and trade delegations has become more frequent. China fully supports Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir. Likewise, Pakistan has always subscribed to the idea of “One China” policy.

People’s Republic of China is destined to become more vigorous and achieve even greater successes in the next century. It is hoped that bilateral relations between Pakistan and China will further strengthen in the next millennium.

LONG LIVE PAK-CHINA FRIENDSHIP.

To commemorate the Golden Jubilee celebrations Pakistan Post Office is issuing a set of 2 commemorative postage stamps of denomination of Rs 2 and Rs 15 on September 21, 1999.