Petra: History
Petra was the capital of the Nabataean kingdom — Arab traders who, from around the 4th century BC, controlled the key stretches of the incense and spice routes…
History
Rio de Janeiro: History
Rio de Janeiro was founded by Portuguese colonists in 1565, and its name, meaning January River, stems from an early navigational error — the first Portuguese explorers who…
Kyoto: History
Kyoto became Japan’s imperial capital in 794 AD under Emperor Kanmu, who named his new city Heian-kyo. It held that position — seat of the imperial court —…
Sydney: History
Sydney’s story as a European settlement starts in 1788, when the First Fleet arrived at what’s now Circular Quay and established what would become continuous British settlement in…
Cappadocia: History
Cappadocia’s human history stretches back to the Hittites, who controlled central Anatolia around 1800 BC and left behind rock-carved reliefs and fortress ruins scattered across the region. After…
Seville: History
Seville has been important for a very long time. The Romans knew it as Hispalis. When the Moors conquered in 711, it became Ishbiliya, eventually capital of the…
Bali: History
Bali’s Hindu culture exists because of a historical accident worth knowing. As Islam spread across the Indonesian archipelago from the 13th century onward, the Majapahit Empire — the…
Cusco: History
Cusco — Qusqu in Quechua — was founded, according to Inca oral tradition, by the legendary first Inca ruler Manco Cápac, and grew from a regional settlement into…
Goa: History
Goa’s history took a sharp turn in 1510 when the Portuguese admiral Afonso de Albuquerque captured the territory from the Bijapur Sultanate and made it the capital of…
History of Kochi
Kochi history explained through the spice trade, Portuguese arrival, Dutch influence, Jewish heritage, British rule and the modern port city.