Bonus - The Total Solar Eclipse of 2024
Wonders of the World
A quick bonus episode about how eclipses connect with human history
info_outline
099 - The Meenakshi Amman Temple of Madurai
Wonders of the World
Towering above the city of Madurai, the gopurams or gateways of the Meenakshi Amman Temple are medieval skyscrapers, awash in color, writhing in movement, beautiful and otherworldly at the same time. In this episode we'll discuss the rise of the Mughal Empire, the fall of Vijayanagara, and of course, masala dosa, that most incredible of South Indian streetfoods.
info_outline
100 - The Wieliczka Salt Mine
Wonders of the World
In the late 1500s Poland and Lithuania joined to create the Commonwealth, a remarkable, if flawed, experiment in constitutional monarchy that would last more than 200 years. Its legacy of religious tolerance and representative republicanism is strangely overlooked in American history books - and I would guess in other histories as well. One of the chief economic engines of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was the Wielizcka Salt Mine, an amazing wonder delved over 700 years. To visit Wieliczka is to be amazed at the artistry of salt sculptures and impressed by the sheer cheesiness of all the...
info_outline
098 - The Süleymaniye Mosque of Istanbul
Wonders of the World
Suleiman the Magnificent? Suleiman the Lawgiver? Suleiman the Bisexual Poet? No matter how you label him, Suleiman was a fascinating sultan of the Ottoman Empire who strode upon the world stage, and his private life was worthy of a scandalous Netflix show. Among his greatest legacies was commissioning this phenomenal mosque, designed by Mimar Sinan, one of the history's most successul and significant architects. Listener and traveler Emma Browning returns to discuss visiting the mosque and Istanbul and trying to find vegetarian food in a city known for its meat and seafood. Grab some...
info_outline
097 - Machu Picchu
Wonders of the World
The world-famous "lost city of the Inca". It wasn't a city, and it wasn't lost, but yes, it was made by the Inca. The incredibly scenic former estate of kings is a true marvel, as I can personally attest, but this episode is about so much more than the ruins that people come from all over the world to see. Joined by Nick Machinski of the History of the Inca Empire podcast, we talk about the dramatic rise and fall of the Inca Empire, their staunch resistance to Spanish conquest, and the wonders that might have been, like the gold-covered Qoriqancha. Listener and friend of the...
info_outline
Mental Health Hiatus
Wonders of the World
It's all too much for me to take - the Beatles, 1969
info_outline
096 - The Humble Administrator's Garden of Suzhou
Wonders of the World
He was from the richest city in Ming China, or one of the richest, and after his checkered political career, he came home and planted a garden. 500 years later, we can still visit his garden and marvel at the humility of Wang Xianchen, the Humble Administrator. This episode is a pleasant diversion beforewe get back to the big stories. And we'll have Suzhou "smoked" fish while we're here! Sources: Clunas, Craig. Fruitful Sites: Garden Culture in Ming Dynasty China Lonely Planet China Photograph CC4.0 by wikicommons user Another Believer
info_outline
095 - The Migration of the Monarch Butterflies
Wonders of the World
Monarch butterflies are tiny, ephemeral creatures, whose audacious color patterns makes them beloved across a continent, yet few realize how remarkable their migration from Canada and the US to their winter ground west of Mexico City really is. Listener Livia Montovani joins us to talk about visiting the mountain reserves where hundreds of millions of butterflies spend their winter. We'll also cover the conquest of Mexico and the personalities involved, from Motecuhzoma of the Mexica to Cortés of Spain to the controversial role of la Malinche, the formerly enslaved woman who translated...
info_outline
Update and Intelligent Speech
Wonders of the World
A brief update about the show!
info_outline
094 - Chambord Chateau
Wonders of the World
Just a little 440-room hunting lodge built among other chateaux in France's Loire Valley, Chambord is the grand dame of them all. Built for François Ier, it betrays the influence of the Italian Renaissance, specifically of Leonardo da Vinci, François' teacher and mentor. Gary Girod, host of the French History Podcast, joins us to discuss François and his place in French history, while listener Sarah Demetz shares her experience visiting the chateau and the Loire. Plus fish in a lovely white butter sauce! Sources: Horne, Alistair. Seven Ages of Paris Isaacson, Walter. Leonardo da Vinci...
info_outlineThe eighth century's greatest adventure story. Abd al-Rahman, low-ranking Umayyad prince, finds himself the only male member of his family to survive a massacre at the hands of the Abbasid rebels. He escapes through many adventures to the Maghreb (present-day Morocco) where he decides to try his luck in Spain, or as it was called then: Al-Andalus. More adventures await him there before he eventually becomes the Emir of Córdoba, establishing what would become Medieval Europe's richest and most prosperous country.
His greatest achievement is the mosque that still stands in Córdoba today: the Mezquita. Row upon row of red and white double arches fill the immense, contemplative space, except for a giant Renaissance cathedral dropped in the middle of it.
Sarah Kildow, listener and Assistant Professor of Spanish at the University of Akron, stops by to discuss visiting Córdoba, seeing the Mezquita, eating tapas and enjoying Féria, the great Spring fair. Plus salmorejo, a chilled tomato soup that's perfect for hot summer days.
Andalucía is one of my favorite places, and I'm excited to bring this story to you.
Sources:
Ahmed ibn Mohammed Al-Makkari. The History of the Mohammedan Dynasties in Spain
Gerber, Jane S. The Jews of Spain: a History of the Sephardic Experience
Jayyusi, Salma Khadra and Manuela Marín. The Legacy of Muslim Spain
Kennedy, Hugh. Caliphate: the History of an Idea
Kennedy, Hugh. Muslim Spain and Portugal: a Political History of al-Andalus
Lewis, David Levering. God’s Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215
Lonely Planet Guide to Andalucía
Lowney, Chris. A Vanished World: Medieval Spain’s Golden Age of Enlightenment
Masood, Ehsan. Science & Islam: A History
Menocal, María Rosa. The Ornament of the World
Rick Steves Spain
Photograph by Fabio Alessandro Locati