Title 2

Inca empire info...
 

Japan

             My time capsule took me on a trip to Heian, the capital of Japan in the year 954.  It changed my voice and language so that I could speak Japanese. There were two things that I really wanted to see on this trip.   

             Once I got to Heian, I decided to visit the Pagoda of Muro-ji which was built in the 800’s on a mountain southeast of Nara.  Since it was built on a mountainside, the architects used all natural materials in building it, like cypress tree bark for the roof and wood planks for the floors.  It was VERY COOL!

My next place was a camp where the samurai soldiers are trained.  Young Japanese boys were trained to be samurai soldiers beginning at the age of 5 or 6. They were given wooden swords to practice with because the real swords were very dangerous and sharp. It was very tough to become a samurai and there was a lot of physical pain involved. 

The first thing they were taught was how to shoot a bow and arrow.  Grown up samurai were famous for being able to shoot the bow while riding a horse. The training also included ways to develop the minds of the warriors.  They had to meditate and fast for long periods of time so that they would be fearless in battle.

Being a samurai meant that you were highly trained and very skilled.  The samurai also had a strict warrior code called the Bushido that they followed.  It was focused on honor and meant that even if the battle took his life, the samurai must serve his master with total loyalty.

The swords the samurai used come in two sizes, one long and the other short.  The blades were extremely sharp.  It took a long time, lots of hard work, and discipline to learn to use it with speed and accuracy and the training was dangerous. 

Sources:

http://people.cohums.ohio-state.edu/bender4/eall131/EAHReadings/module02/m02japanese.html

http://www.alcdsb.on.ca/~mart/junior/2006gr5/japancassy06.htm

http://bionicbong.com/travel/places-in-japan/uji-recalling-glorious-heian-period/

http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/imagepopup.aspx?

http://samurai-warriors.org/samurai-training/

China - Tang Dynasty

Map of Tang Dynasty Area

Chinese Taxi

      For this trip back to the Tang Dynasty in China, I got myself a new time capsule that was equipped with a portable language translator built in so that I could change my language to Chinese while I was there. Way cool!

     My first stop was in the capital city of Chang’an.  I was all dressed up in a red silk kimono for the trip.  There were so many people there.  I decided to use a Chinese taxi cart for my transportation since they were everywhere.  The driver took me to visit the Da Ci’en Temple which actually has a pagoda built right in it.  The pagoda is called the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.  Inside the temple were tons of Buddha statues and carvings, all in gold.  I saw monks kneeling down to worship this Buddha.  People were meditating all around the temple to help them stay calm.  I found this fascinating, but not something I’d be interested in doing myself.

    

Blue Glazed Pottery

Chinese Silks

 We went to the art gallery next and I wandered around looking at all the displays.  I saw a vase that was made using the cobalt blue glaze that the Chinese invented and lots of silks of all colors.  There were sculptures and paintings of all kinds.  The Chinese love horses and camels, so I saw lots of those.

      I decided to get a good rest before leaving the next day for a rice farm.  The Chinese rice paddies are usually built in terraces. They irrigate with water from rivers and the water flows downward. When the plants are full grown, they are cut and then dried out so the rice can be separated from the plant.  Then it gets milled to remove the hull from the grain.  It’s a lot of work and the fields are major muddy.

Terraced Rice Paddy

      They let me taste some of their crops and I have to say that the food was a lot better than what I ate on my last trip to Timbuktu!  We had barley cakes,  rice with small pieces of pork and lots of fresh fruit.  The men were all drinking wine and were very happy.  After dinner they played backgammon and some of them were gambling which is very popular but illegal.  If they got caught, there were really awful punishments...like getting 100 lashes or being forced to serve in the army.   

Classical Chinese Dancers

     My last stop before leaving Chang’an was to go to a dance recital that was performed by classical Chinese dancers.  Their costumes were long and looked uncomfortable.  The sleeves were narrow at the top and had these long scarf like materials attached to them which the dancers whipped around during their performance.  It looked like they could trip themselves any minute.  Here is a link to that shows the dance routines like I saw performed:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR7GX2KyD1U

     After the recital I met some of the dancers and asked them to teach me a couple of dance moves. I looked ridiculous!  It’s much harder than it looks and even the normally polite and shy dancers were laughing at me. Guess it’s time to go home now.  I will always remember all of the colorful silk costumes of the dancers and how they were able to move so gracefully.  I sure hope none of my rice farmer friends get caught gambling!


Chinese symbol for Goodbye



Sources:

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/tang

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Li_Yuan

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/274034/Xuanzong

http://www.asiarooms.com/en/travel-guide/china/xian/sightseeing-in-xian/tang-dynasty-palace-xian.html

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/bigwildgoose.htm

http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=38

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/tang/

http://www.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/history/dynasty-tang.cfm

http://pierceschoolbrookline.wikispaces.com/Migration

http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=38

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/miracle-rice.html

http://www.chinese-symbols.com/g-chinese-symbol-for-goodbye

http://www.countrywalkers.com/find-a-tour/by-destination/asia-%26-south-pacific/china/china%3A-beijing,-xi'an-%26-southern-provinces



Timbuktu

 

Map Of Mali

Today I’m entering my time capsule to be transported back to the Kingdom of Mali. I’ve set the dials to arrive in West Africa in the year 1235. My plan is to watch as history takes place from the beginning of the Kingdom of Mali up until Mansa Musa finally leaves on his pilgrimage to Mecca. The Kingdom of Mali came into existence when Sundiata of the Keita clan defeated Soumaoro, the King of Sossa. Up to that time it was known as the Kingdom of Ghana.  

  

Ancient Manuscript



When I stepped out of the time capsule I was right smack dab in the middle of a city named Timbuktu. The first thing I did was to find some robes that would hide my jeans and tee-shirt.  I feel like I’m in an oven because it is so unbearably hot! Next I found a village guide to take me to visit the university library so that I could learn more about Mali’s history since it had become a kingdom. I didn't really understand the language, but the guide helped me to translate what had happened since Sundiata defeated Soumaoro. While I was there I was able to watch the scribes work on copying books.



Camel Caravan

 We walked around the village most of the morning. I had lunch with the guide’s family. We ate goat meat with vegetables. When I put it into my mouth my first reaction was Yuk! How can you people eat this? After lunch we mounted a real camel for our journey to the Niger river to watch the village women mine gold. Then we were on our way to the salt mines where they actually have huts made from big blocks of salt. After checking out the salt mines, we’ll be riding the camels back to Timbuktu. 

Salt Blocks



When we finally got back to Timbuktu, I re-entered the time capsule and set the dials forward to 1324 so that I could watch Mansa Musa depart on his pilgrimage to Mecca. Mansa Musa was a devout Muslim who was also very wealthy. It has been said that his caravan included 80 camels, 60,000 men and 12,000 slaves who carried gold bars which he gave away to the poor as he was traveling. He was well known for his generosity and devotion to the principles of the Qur’an.

 When he returned from his pilgrimage, he built several mosques and a royal palace in Timbuktu.Now I’m ready to go back to the real world. It’s hot, I’m tired, and hungry. There are no showers or restaurants here, so I guess I really am a spoiled American. The thing I will remember most about my journey is how Mansa Musa took the gold bars and handed them out to the poor as he was traveling. It impressed me how much he cared about the poor and that he wasn’t greedy like most kings. If I had to choose a second thing I would remember, it would be the disgusting food that I ate with the guide’s family. I mean who really eats that? Hey! If they liked it, it’s fine with me. The guide was very helpful with translating and showed me how to ride a camel like a pro.

Sources:

  

 http://www.javierjimenezonline.com/mali.htm

http://minglecity.com/group/knowledgeisking/forum/topics/the-rise-and-fall-of-timbuktu?commentId=2322904%3AComment%3A14869813&groupId=2322904%3AGroup%3A14845749

http://bamakan.blogspot.com/2010/06/salt-of-earth.html

 http://jeffreylantarticles.com/jeffreylant/ansar-dine-islamists-destroy-famed-mosque-in-timbuktu-promising-more-wanton-destruction/attachment/timbuktu_mosque1/

http://cms.iucn.org/index.cfm?uNewsID=512

 http://www.uvm.edu/~inquiryb/webquest/sp07/mcmoore/Salt%20Mine%20Tour.html 

http://www.artzar.com/content/sahara/page09.html

Damascus wiki assignment

 Http://www.bbc.co.uk/world-middle-east-197307

            On September 26, major explosions were reported in Damascus by official military sources. The military forces stated that the army and Air Force headquarters were apparently hit with a car bomb and a separate bomb located inside the general staff building. None of the senior personnel were injured due to the bombing. After the bombing occurred shooting broke out almost immediately. The explosions took place at the beginning of the morning rush hour. Traffic had not moved at all. The violence continued in the city damaging buildings in the central area. Roughly about 150 people were killed everyday from attacks. The United Nations representatives from the other countries have been demanding protection for those areas that have been liberated. But the violence still went on hurting (injuring) and/or killing people. 

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