David Gabis Photography Blog

Medieval Carcassonne is a fortified town rather than a castle - and perhaps the most impressive fortified medieval town to be found. Which is ironic, because in the middle of the 19th century it was in such bad repair that it became scheduled for demolition, to be saved by the efforts of the local mayor, who called in the new 'historic monuments' department to take a look. The main entrance of the fortified city The city was saved, the well known architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc took the renovation project in hand, and the rest, as they say, is history. Panoramic view of the castle inside the fortified city Due to its position on historical routes across France the location has been occupied for more than 5,000 years, and was an important centre from 2,500 years ago onwards. It was first fortified by the Romans, and given the name Carcaso. After the Romans were driven out Carcassonne fell in the hands of various of the invading tribes, and became more fortif

Firing of the cannon in front of Burj Khalifa, Dubai A loud boom signals the start of Ramadan across Dubai. The Ramadan cannons heard in Dubai throughout Ramadan keep the tradition alive. The firing of the cannon is an old tradition that is believed to have originated in Egypt to announce IFTAR and the end of the day’s fast. Since then the practice has spread to most Arab countries. "Two shots will be fired to mark the beginning of the holy month. A single shot will be fired throughout the month to announce Iftar time".  During the holy month of Ramadan, cannons are placed all over the emirate and fired everyday signifying the daily time for Iftar. Cannon ready to fire to announce the Iftar time in front of Dubai Opera