Solivagant

Member since December 2005

#None 0 0

I am now retired but have been "travelling" for a "hobby" since I was 15 (1957!) whilst pursuing otherwise normal mundane career and "home" things in UK - thus being limited by "annual leave" allowances. During that time I have visited 164 "independent countries" - defined by me as the 193 full UN members plus (somewhat illogically, but they are generally accepted as "sovereign") Taiwan and Holy See (but am not pursuing "193"!). Unfortunately quite a few relatively easily accessible current WHS got "missed" along the way. If only I had known they would get chosen - they are not all obvious choices! Despite the weaknesses in the list and the politics involved in the selection and voting mechanism they provide a quick means of grasping the highlights of many countries and sometimes lead down interesting knowledge and research "avenues" which would otherwise have remain unexplored. 
Proposal for a new WHS:- Roca Agostino Neto Cocoa Plantation Sao Tome.
There are just too many European WHS relative to the rest. Little Sao Tome became the world's greatest producer of cocoa under the Portuguese. So poor were the social conditions that Cadbury boycotted Cocoa from there in early 20C. At Roca Agostinho (and other crumbling colonial sites on Sao Tome) you might just get a feeling for the economic system which created it and "fed" Europe with a raw material so often taken for granted - a really atmospheric place. But it isn't even on the "Tentative list"!

My most impressive site: Machu Picchu. I would like to choose somewhere

My proposal for a new site: See under

Recent Visits
  • 11
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    July 28, 2024
    Beijing Central Axis, Funerary and memory sites of the First World War, Gedi , Hegmataneh, …
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    4
    Jan. 1, 2020
    City Walls of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Dunhuang Yardangs, The Lijiang River Scenic Zone …
  • 0
    5
    Jan. 1, 2020
    Ancient cities of Upper Myanmar, Bago, Inle Lake, Shwedagon Pagoda, Wooden Monasteries of Konbaung Period
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About Solivagant

First name
Solivagant
Member since
December 2005
Country of Origin
None
Visits
Rank
#None
WHS
0
Tentative Sites
0
Website Participation
Reviews
442
Ratings

Ratings

World Heritage Sites
855 0
Photos
N/A
Locations
N/A
Zones
N/A

Reviews by Solivagant

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Triple-arch Gate at Dan by Solivagant

Triple-arch Gate at Dan (On tentative list)

Triple-arch Gate at Dan

When planning our tour through Israel I decided early on to make the journey up to the far north to see the Triple Arch Gate of Dan. This, both for …

White City of Tel-Aviv by Solivagant

White City of Tel-Aviv (Inscribed)

White City of Tel-Aviv

We only gave the White City around 2.5 hours and certainly wouldn’t claim to have seen it comprehensively. We concentrated on the areas/side streets on and around Rothschild Boulevard and …

Al Ain by Solivagant

Al Ain (Inscribed)

Al Ain

What prior image do most of us carry of an “oasis” site like Al Ain? Sand, palm trees, donkeys, camels? Well, as the photos in the main museum there show, …

Shah Jahan Mosque, Thatta by Solivagant

Shah Jahan Mosque, Thatta (On tentative list)

Shah Jahan Mosque, Thatta

Thatta has seen better days. Once the flourishing capital of Lower Sindh, its heyday was between the 14th and 16th centuries. Within the town little remains of that glory, though …

Taxila by Solivagant

Taxila (Inscribed)

Taxila

Taxila is one of those archaeological sites which seem to have a bit of everything - remains of different cultures from Mesolithic to Mediaeval encompassing Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Islam and …

Tombs of Jahangir, Asif Khan and Akbari Sarai by Solivagant

Tombs of Jahangir, Asif Khan … (On tentative list)

Tombs of Jahangir, Asif Khan and Akbari Sarai

Another day in Pakistan and yet another tomb……! But this one is of someone one has heard of - Jahangir, the 4th Mughal emperor. He was the intellectual, artistic, liberal, …

Badshahi Mosque, Lahore by Solivagant

Badshahi Mosque, Lahore (On tentative list)

Badshahi Mosque, Lahore

Between 1673 and 1986 the Badshahi Mosque, commissioned by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, was the biggest mosque in the world, at which point it was overtaken by Pakistan’s national mosque …

Wazir Khans Mosque, Lahore by Solivagant

Wazir Khans Mosque, Lahore (On tentative list)

Wazir Khans Mosque, Lahore

Masjid Wazir Khan is the 2nd Lahori Mosque on Pakistan’s T List. It was constructed in the 1630s during the reign of Shah Jahan around 40 years before the Badshahi. …

Rohtas Fort by Solivagant

Rohtas Fort (Inscribed)

Rohtas Fort

Based on the number of reviews it has received (this is the 86th!!), Rohtas would appear to be a remarkable place. However, almost all of them are from locals or …

Moenjodaro by Solivagant

Moenjodaro (Inscribed)

Moenjodaro

As a site of one of the major archaeological finds of the 20th C Moenjodaro had long been on my target list. It is, however, what I might term an …

Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam by Solivagant

Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam (On tentative list)

Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam

Another day in Pakistan ….. another tomb! But this one was a bit special architecturally and, unusually for Pakistan, had been restored (1971-7) and still seemed in reasonable condition. We …

Rani Kot Fort, Dadu by Solivagant

Rani Kot Fort, Dadu (On tentative list)

Rani Kot Fort, Dadu

The rusty hand painted sign at the turning was intriguing - “Sindh Culture and Tourism Department. WORLD’S BIGEST FORT RANI KOT. 2500 Labours had prepared FORT RANI KOT

Uch Sharif monuments by Solivagant

Uch Sharif monuments (On tentative list)

Uch Sharif monuments

A trip to Pakistan will lead you to conclude that it is a country of Mausolea – the burial places of the leaders of various Islamic Empires and dynasties, religious …

Fort and Shalamar Gardens by Solivagant

Fort and Shalamar Gardens (Inscribed)

Fort and Shalamar Gardens

We arrived at Lahore Fort’s main Alamgiri gate to find it firmly closed for the next 3 days. The army had taken over, both to protect it from Taliban attacks …

Chaukhandi Tombs, Karachi by Solivagant

Chaukhandi Tombs, Karachi (On tentative list)

Chaukhandi Tombs, Karachi

Chaukhandi tombs were our first introduction to Pakistani T List sites but their condition set the tone for much of what was to come. An interesting site of beautifully carved …

Messel Pit by Solivagant

Messel Pit (Inscribed)

Messel Pit

It looked easy enough to try to fit in both Lorsch and Messel Pit in a day and still leave time to drive on. They are only around 40kms apart …

Völklingen Ironworks by Solivagant

Völklingen Ironworks (Inscribed)

Völklingen Ironworks

An “aside” to start with - Several reviewers describe Volklingen as a “Steel Mill”. That is it is NOT – so the “slot” is still there for some country to …

Berlin Modernism Housing Estates by Solivagant

Berlin Modernism Housing Esta… (Inscribed)

Berlin Modernism Housing Estates

As other reviews have shown, it is possible, if you wish, to see all 6 sites in a day using the U-Bahn. For those with less interest or stamina our …

Zollverein by Solivagant

Zollverein (Inscribed)

Zollverein

Oh dear – I am going to be the “party pooper” on this one! Everyone else has loved it. I thought it was “thin” on value and very poorly presented. …

Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe by Solivagant

Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe (Inscribed)

Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe

I have little to add to Els’s thorough review (and thorough “seeing” of the site – more so than ours!) but our experience of parking might be of use. We …

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