Recent Reviews Zoë Sheng
The Zandiyeh Ensemble of Fars Province (T)
Zoë Sheng Chinese-Canadian in NZ - 16-Jan-19
Shiraz was the former capital of the Zand dynasty which ruled Iran for merely 43 years. The remains of their 18th century dynasty can mainly be seen here. The town is relatively big and has a fancy metro to get around, basically running along the main road cutting through the city. The ensemble of buildings is at the appropriately named Zandiye station. The navigation app told me it would be another 19 minutes to reach it by car and expecting no parking over there I parked it at the edge of the traffic-laden area where I could later easily turn north onto the ring road to exit the city. The metro is quite new, 2004, and super clean. It also only costs 10k rial (not toman) per ride which is ridiculously cheap
Read OnZozan (T)
Zoë Sheng Chinese-Canadian in NZ - 14-Jan-19
Apparently closely pronounced to “Susan” was a town with a huge project: build two opposing arcs that would be a unique mosque (Malek Zozan Mosque). Yes, I can picture it. Yes, I would love to see it. It would probably be one of the top sites to visit. Alas, they never completed it and the city is now in ruins. Who is at fault? The Mongolian Empire! Harsh. So the only brick building in the area is still visible but in a devastated fashion. Some mosaics are on the walls and scaffolding for renovations or study, either way there is not much left to see. I still enjoyed coming, if not for the fancy street lights that dot a gravel path, or the signs that explain enough to make me want to Google half the stuff and learn more.
Read OnSalt Domes of Iran (T)
Zoë Sheng Chinese-Canadian in NZ - 15-Jan-19
Salt domes can be found in many places around the world and by itself isn't anything so special, but the amount of concentrated salt domes in Iran is surely something spectacular. I visited the longest cave system on Qeshm (referred to as Ghesm in documentation) Island. Because Qeshm is another tentative site at the moment I will not go into much “how to get here” but instead just say it takes about an hour from the car ferry port Laft and the last 20km is a dirt/sand road that is fine for 2WD. The village before this diet road starts also has some of the nastiest speed bumps I've had to endure and camels may graze near the road so be careful. The salt cave is smack in the middle, okay south, of the Qeshm Geopark
Read OnAsbads (windmill) of Iran (T)
Zoë Sheng Chinese-Canadian in NZ - 11-Jan-19
Let's go see windmills! You mean the Netherlands? Noooo...the original windmills in Persia! There is some debate whether or not the Eastern Persian horizontal windmills inspired European ones but the invention certainly made their way East. This makes me want to inscribe it immediately. But wait, if these windmills are so old then why does the wood look like it was freshly cut last month and the houses don't look rundown like the other old historic towns made in mud-bricks?
Here lies probably the biggest problem with the inscription attempt: authenticity. One gets a strong feeling that these are the 40 odd windmills are here for demonstration rather than the originals. The houses were heavily rebuilt. The technique is there but the mud-brick and wood is surely not old enough to warrant it special. This feels like an open-air museum
Read OnPetra
Zoë Sheng Chinese-Canadian in NZ - 09-Jan-19
*Hums Indiana Jones theme* I was so looking forward to seeing the entrance to the cave to the holy grail! Imagine when I found out that it was all fake - Hollywood you got me again!! Honestly I didn't but I also didn't know that the treasury was off limits and didn't even go far or had anything special inside. The wall is still highly impressive after what was an amazing walk through the canyon, excited to reach it at any moment. The water flow system in the canyon is ingenious. The souvenir stands didn't even offer any Indiana Jones dress up anymore - I guess that time has gone - you can still buy a camel magnet though! Great!
Read OnProfile Data
- Name
- Zoë Sheng
- Country
- Chinese-Canadian in NZ
- Most Impressive
- Rock Islands, Palau
- Proposal
- Mariana Trench
Recently Visited WHS
- Update 21.01.19
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- Yazd
- Tchogha Zanbil
- Persepolis
- Meidan Emam, Esfahan
- Takht-e Soleyman
- Pasargadae
- Bam Cultural Landscape
- Soltaniyeh
- Bisotun
- Armenian Monastic Ensembles
- Shushtar
- Safi al-Din Ensemble in Ardabil
- Tabriz Bazaar
- Persian Garden
- Masjed-e Jâme'
- Gonbad-e Qâbus
- Golestan Palace
- Shahr-i Sokhta
- Susa
- The Persian Qanat
- Lut Desert
- Maymand
- Sassanid Archaeological Landscape
Visited WHS
Calakmul 5Petra 5Huanglong 4.5Shirakami-Sanchi 4.5Shiretoko 4.5Le Morne 4Red Fort 4Sanchi 4Agra Fort 3.5Alto Douro 3.5Golestan Palace 3.5Mount Hamiguitan 3.5Pico Island 3.5Potala Palace 3.5Québec 3.5Rideau Canal 3.5Wadi Rum 3.5Al-Hijr 3Bisotun 3Hampi 3Ivrea 3Sigiriya 3Vat Phou 3Ajanta Caves 2.5Fujian Tulou 2.5Grand Pré 2.5Koguryo Tombs 2.5Lut Desert 2.5Mahabalipuram 2.5Nan Madol 2.5Palenque 2.5Pattadakal 2.5Sian Ka'an 2.5Bagerhat 2Camagüey 2Paquimé 2Vigan 2Campeche 1.5Cienfuegos 1.5Gonbad-e Qâbus 1.5Historic Jeddah 1.5Kaesong 1.5Levuka 1.5Maymand 1.5Nalanda 1.5Wudang Mountains 1.5Qalhat 1Aapravasi Ghat 0.5Al-Ahsa Oasis 0.5Battir 0.5Kuk 0.5Lumbini 0.5Reviewed WHS
- Petra
- Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River
- Xidi and Hongcun
- Al-Ahsa Oasis
- Khangchendzonga National Park
- Nalanda
- Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
- Chengjiang Fossil Site
- Alto Douro
- Hubei Shennongjia
- Struve Geodetic Arc
- Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art
- Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region
- Chief Roi Mata's Domain
- Gunung Mulu
- Sigiriya
- Phong Nha - Ke Bang
- Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution
- First Coffee Plantations
- Yakushima
- Wood Buffalo National Park
- Papahanaumokuakea
- Mount Hamiguitan
- Medina Azahara
- Fanjingshan
- Okinoshima Island
- Mount Wuyi
Visited TWHS
Reviewed TWHS
- The Zandiyeh Ensemble of Fars Province (T)
- Zozan (T)
- Salt Domes of Iran (T)
- Asbads (windmill) of Iran (T)
- Group of Monuments at Mandu, Madhya Pradesh (T)
- Royal Manas National Park (RMNP) (T)
- Monuments and Forts of the Deccan Sultanate (T)
- Al Bidya Mosque (T)
- Evolution of Temple Architecture - Aihole-Badami- Pattadakal (T)
- Ekamra Kshetra - The Temple City, Bhubaneswar (T)
- Ancient Ruin of Drukgyel Dzong (T)
- Iconic Saree Weaving Clusters of India (T)
- Worship wooden architecture (17th -18th centuries) in Polesye (T)
- Sites Megalithiques de la province de Xieng Khouang (T)
- Tr’ondëk-Klondike (T)
- Gombak Selangor Quartz Ridge (T)
- Mining Historical Heritage (T)
- Mediterranean Wind Mills (T)
- Pharaon Island (T)
- Fagaloa Bay - Uafato Tiavea Conservation Zone (T)
- Liangzhu Archaeological Site (T)
- Ring of cenotes of Chicxulub Crater, Yucatan (T)
- Yukon Ice Patches (T)
- Limes Romanus - The Roman antique monuments on the Middle Danube (T)
- Prehistoric Cave Sites in Maros-Pangkep (T)
- Gaya Tumuli of Gimhae - Haman (T)
- The Ipolytartnóc Fossils (T)
- Kangjingun Kiln Sites (T)
- Ras Mohammed (T)
- Valle Salado de Añana (T)
- Qinghai Lake (T)
- The Wine in Iberia (T)
- Monastery of Santa María de La Rábida and the Columbus Memorial Places in Huelva (T)
- Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, the northern part of Okinawa Island and Iriomote Island (T)
- The Ancient Waterfront Towns in the South of Yangtze River (T)
- Vertical Vegetation Landscape and Volcanic Landscape in Changbai Mountain (T)
- Cultural landscape of the stud farm at Kladruby nad Labem (T)
- SanFangQiXiang (T)
- Žatec – the Hops Town (T)
- Maijishan Scenic Spots (T)
- Kvetera Church (T)
- The Dunejec River Gorge in the Pieniny Mountains (T)
- Salterns (T)
- The Four Sacred Mountains as an Extension of Mt. Taishan (T)
- Ancient Porcelain Kiln Site in China: The Yue-Kiln Site at Shanglin Lake (T)
- The President Coolidge (T)
- Jinfushan Scenic Spot (T)
- Marine Protected Areas of American Samoa (T)
- The Complex of Yen Tu Monuments and Landscape (T)
- The Djavolja Varos (Devil's Town) Natural Landmark (T)
- Baiheliang Ancient Hydrological Inscription (T)
- Asuka-Fujiwara : Archaeological sites of Japan's Ancient Capitals and Related Properties (T)
- Stone Buddhas and Pagodas at Hwasun Unjusa Temple (T)
- Hua Shan Scenic Area (T)
- The Sado complex of heritage mines, primarily gold mines (T)
- The Alligator Sinensis Nature Reserve (T)
- Sites of Hongshan Culture: The Niuheliang Archaeological Site, the Hongshanhou Archaeological Site, and Weijiawopu Archa (T)
Top 50 Missing Sites
Top 200 WHS