Travel Mongolia: Traditional Customs
The diverse terrain of Mongolia has wrought a unique culture born of the steppe, desert and city— we delve into some practices that have been given UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status.
The Politics of Sports in the Asian Games
Sporting competitions conjure images of athletic prowess and physical feats, with all the fanfare hiding the deft political manoeuvring required to bring these events to life. A closer inspection of the Asian Games reveals a political tapestry reflective of the deeply complex relations of the member states.
Ghost Nets of the Ocean
Huge fishing vessels pipe through the Torres Strait every day, casting their nets and reeling in the bounty. But yet more net drifts along the coast, forgotten but for the animals that become ensnared in it, and the islanders whose paradise wanes with the ocean's suffering. Rising to the call, these ambassadors have woven their message of conservation into stunning works of art.
Bangkok’s Chinese Heritage May Soon Be Bulldozed
The Thai capital's new train line may see the removal of cultural sites including an iconic village of alms bowl makers
The Mesir Festival: A Paste of History
Text & photos Emre Kuheylan
The Mesir Festival is one of the oldest festivals in Turkey. In March 2011, the festival will see its 471st...
The History of a Language
Today marks the 75th year that President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence at the Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, officially declaring...
Wok of Fame
When the government created the city-state’s first hawker centre in 1971, resettling disparate food vendors into a single, well-managed facility, no one could have predicted the peculiarly Singaporean obsession that would ensue.
Above Sea Level
Long before the sun peeks over the horizon, artisanal fishermen across Malaysia’s Johor Strait gather at their respective jetties and beaches. These days, fish are harder to find and their coastal lands are slowly disappearing into the sea. The future is bleak for the indigenous fisherman.
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The Pyramid of Gunung Padang
Megalithic site in Indonesia could be the oldest in the world
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PeruGunung Padang is once again making headlines as the first pyramid in Southeast Asia and the oldest megalithic site in the world.Recent discoveries as deep as 90 feet found the hill-pyramid to contain...
Asia’s Sweet Success: The History of Ice Cream in Asia
by Selina Tan
The concept of a frozen dessert is one that goes back thousands of years. By pouring a mixture of salt and ice over containers of liquid syrup, the Chinese were creating a rudimentary form of ice cream as long ago as 2000 BC. The resulting frozen product...
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
(Photo: Graphicaartis/Corbis)
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon has captured the imagination of historians worldwide for centuries. Yet, its existence remains a debate as years of digging have turned up nothing about the lost Gardens.First described in a book called Babyloniaca by a Chaldean priest named Berossus in 280 BC, the...