Ben Henderson History
@hendersonhistory.bsky.social
Teaching you the stories that shaped history, art & ideas | Present Witness History on BBC World Service radio | Follow me on X, Bluesky, Insta, TikTok, YouTube
Life in English villages changed enormously in the 1950s.
In this charming clip, Robert Reid revisits Iddesleigh in Devon to see how things changed in the space of seven short years.
BBC Archive from February 1959.
#countryside #CountryLife #tradition
In this charming clip, Robert Reid revisits Iddesleigh in Devon to see how things changed in the space of seven short years.
BBC Archive from February 1959.
#countryside #CountryLife #tradition
May 15, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Life in English villages changed enormously in the 1950s.
In this charming clip, Robert Reid revisits Iddesleigh in Devon to see how things changed in the space of seven short years.
BBC Archive from February 1959.
#countryside #CountryLife #tradition
In this charming clip, Robert Reid revisits Iddesleigh in Devon to see how things changed in the space of seven short years.
BBC Archive from February 1959.
#countryside #CountryLife #tradition
Great Mosque of Mecca (Masjid al-Haram)
Which is your favourite?
If you enjoyed this thread, please repost and follow for more of the world's architectural wonders. You may enjoy this thread celebrating 100 years of Art Deco bsky.app/profile/hend...
Which is your favourite?
If you enjoyed this thread, please repost and follow for more of the world's architectural wonders. You may enjoy this thread celebrating 100 years of Art Deco bsky.app/profile/hend...
May 13, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Great Mosque of Mecca (Masjid al-Haram)
Which is your favourite?
If you enjoyed this thread, please repost and follow for more of the world's architectural wonders. You may enjoy this thread celebrating 100 years of Art Deco bsky.app/profile/hend...
Which is your favourite?
If you enjoyed this thread, please repost and follow for more of the world's architectural wonders. You may enjoy this thread celebrating 100 years of Art Deco bsky.app/profile/hend...
Great Mosque of Mecca (Masjid al-Haram)
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
16th century (although Islamic structures have been on the site since the 7th century)
Built By: Ottomans among others (original structures built by Rashidun Caliphate)
The largest mosque in the world, it houses the Kaaba.
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
16th century (although Islamic structures have been on the site since the 7th century)
Built By: Ottomans among others (original structures built by Rashidun Caliphate)
The largest mosque in the world, it houses the Kaaba.
May 13, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Great Mosque of Mecca (Masjid al-Haram)
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
16th century (although Islamic structures have been on the site since the 7th century)
Built By: Ottomans among others (original structures built by Rashidun Caliphate)
The largest mosque in the world, it houses the Kaaba.
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
16th century (although Islamic structures have been on the site since the 7th century)
Built By: Ottomans among others (original structures built by Rashidun Caliphate)
The largest mosque in the world, it houses the Kaaba.
The Clock Towers vs Big Ben
May 13, 2025 at 8:11 PM
The Clock Towers vs Big Ben
The Clock Towers
May 13, 2025 at 8:11 PM
The Clock Towers
The Clock Towers
Location: Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Built: 2012
You might think this is ugly, but I included it because the clock face on the tower utterly massive - 35 times larger than Big Ben in London.
Location: Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Built: 2012
You might think this is ugly, but I included it because the clock face on the tower utterly massive - 35 times larger than Big Ben in London.
May 13, 2025 at 8:11 PM
The Clock Towers
Location: Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Built: 2012
You might think this is ugly, but I included it because the clock face on the tower utterly massive - 35 times larger than Big Ben in London.
Location: Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Built: 2012
You might think this is ugly, but I included it because the clock face on the tower utterly massive - 35 times larger than Big Ben in London.
Kandovan Village
May 13, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Kandovan Village
Kandovan Village
Location: East Azerbaijan, Iran
Built: Likely 13th century
An amazing village where people still live in cave dwellings carved into the volcanic rocks. It's been continuously inhabited for centuries.
Location: East Azerbaijan, Iran
Built: Likely 13th century
An amazing village where people still live in cave dwellings carved into the volcanic rocks. It's been continuously inhabited for centuries.
May 13, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Kandovan Village
Location: East Azerbaijan, Iran
Built: Likely 13th century
An amazing village where people still live in cave dwellings carved into the volcanic rocks. It's been continuously inhabited for centuries.
Location: East Azerbaijan, Iran
Built: Likely 13th century
An amazing village where people still live in cave dwellings carved into the volcanic rocks. It's been continuously inhabited for centuries.
Dome of the Rock
May 13, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Dome of the Rock
Dome of the Rock
Location: Jerusalem, Israel
Built: 7th century
Built as an Islamic shrine to house the rock from which the Prophet Muhammad is said to have ascended to heaven. The rock is also sacred to Jews and Christians, as the place where Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac.
Location: Jerusalem, Israel
Built: 7th century
Built as an Islamic shrine to house the rock from which the Prophet Muhammad is said to have ascended to heaven. The rock is also sacred to Jews and Christians, as the place where Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac.
May 13, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Dome of the Rock
Location: Jerusalem, Israel
Built: 7th century
Built as an Islamic shrine to house the rock from which the Prophet Muhammad is said to have ascended to heaven. The rock is also sacred to Jews and Christians, as the place where Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac.
Location: Jerusalem, Israel
Built: 7th century
Built as an Islamic shrine to house the rock from which the Prophet Muhammad is said to have ascended to heaven. The rock is also sacred to Jews and Christians, as the place where Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac.
Chand Baori Stepwell
May 13, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Chand Baori Stepwell
Chand Baori Stepwell
Location: Abhaneri, India
Built: 8th or 9th century
Built By: King Chanda, Nikumbh dynasty
A stepwell built to collect water during Rajasthan’s dry season. It's one of the deepest and most visually striking stepwells in India, with 3,500 narrow steps.
Location: Abhaneri, India
Built: 8th or 9th century
Built By: King Chanda, Nikumbh dynasty
A stepwell built to collect water during Rajasthan’s dry season. It's one of the deepest and most visually striking stepwells in India, with 3,500 narrow steps.
May 13, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Chand Baori Stepwell
Location: Abhaneri, India
Built: 8th or 9th century
Built By: King Chanda, Nikumbh dynasty
A stepwell built to collect water during Rajasthan’s dry season. It's one of the deepest and most visually striking stepwells in India, with 3,500 narrow steps.
Location: Abhaneri, India
Built: 8th or 9th century
Built By: King Chanda, Nikumbh dynasty
A stepwell built to collect water during Rajasthan’s dry season. It's one of the deepest and most visually striking stepwells in India, with 3,500 narrow steps.
Akshardham Temple
May 13, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Akshardham Temple
Akshardham Temple
May 13, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Akshardham Temple
Akshardham Temple
Location: New Delhi, India
Built: 2005
Built By: BAPS Hindu denomination
A Hindu temple and cultural complex.
Location: New Delhi, India
Built: 2005
Built By: BAPS Hindu denomination
A Hindu temple and cultural complex.
May 13, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Akshardham Temple
Location: New Delhi, India
Built: 2005
Built By: BAPS Hindu denomination
A Hindu temple and cultural complex.
Location: New Delhi, India
Built: 2005
Built By: BAPS Hindu denomination
A Hindu temple and cultural complex.
St. Basil's Cathedral
May 13, 2025 at 8:10 PM
St. Basil's Cathedral
St. Basil's Cathedral
Red Square, Moscow, Russia
Built: 16th century
Built by Ivan the Terrible, the cathedral's design is said to symbolize the flames of a bonfire. Stylistically it has few precedents, it seems to be a fusion of Russian vernacular (wooden), Asian and Byzantine influences
Red Square, Moscow, Russia
Built: 16th century
Built by Ivan the Terrible, the cathedral's design is said to symbolize the flames of a bonfire. Stylistically it has few precedents, it seems to be a fusion of Russian vernacular (wooden), Asian and Byzantine influences
May 13, 2025 at 8:10 PM
St. Basil's Cathedral
Red Square, Moscow, Russia
Built: 16th century
Built by Ivan the Terrible, the cathedral's design is said to symbolize the flames of a bonfire. Stylistically it has few precedents, it seems to be a fusion of Russian vernacular (wooden), Asian and Byzantine influences
Red Square, Moscow, Russia
Built: 16th century
Built by Ivan the Terrible, the cathedral's design is said to symbolize the flames of a bonfire. Stylistically it has few precedents, it seems to be a fusion of Russian vernacular (wooden), Asian and Byzantine influences
Church of Our Saviour on the Spilled Blood ceiling
May 13, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Church of Our Saviour on the Spilled Blood ceiling
Church of Our Saviour on the Spilled Blood
May 13, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Church of Our Saviour on the Spilled Blood
Church of Our Saviour on the Spilled Blood
Location: St. Petersburg, Russia
Built: 1883–1907
Built By: Tsar Alexander III
This is European Russia but it's stunning so why not. The Russian Orthodox church was built on the site where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated - hence 'spilled blood'.
Location: St. Petersburg, Russia
Built: 1883–1907
Built By: Tsar Alexander III
This is European Russia but it's stunning so why not. The Russian Orthodox church was built on the site where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated - hence 'spilled blood'.
May 13, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Church of Our Saviour on the Spilled Blood
Location: St. Petersburg, Russia
Built: 1883–1907
Built By: Tsar Alexander III
This is European Russia but it's stunning so why not. The Russian Orthodox church was built on the site where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated - hence 'spilled blood'.
Location: St. Petersburg, Russia
Built: 1883–1907
Built By: Tsar Alexander III
This is European Russia but it's stunning so why not. The Russian Orthodox church was built on the site where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated - hence 'spilled blood'.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
May 13, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
The most incredible non-western architecture (part 3) - a thread 🧵
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Built: 2007
Built By: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
The mosque can accommodate 40,000 worshippers. It also features one of the world’s largest handwoven carpets.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Built: 2007
Built By: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
The mosque can accommodate 40,000 worshippers. It also features one of the world’s largest handwoven carpets.
May 13, 2025 at 8:10 PM
The most incredible non-western architecture (part 3) - a thread 🧵
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Built: 2007
Built By: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
The mosque can accommodate 40,000 worshippers. It also features one of the world’s largest handwoven carpets.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Built: 2007
Built By: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
The mosque can accommodate 40,000 worshippers. It also features one of the world’s largest handwoven carpets.
The World War 2 Ghost Army's job was to put on a show for an audience who wanted to kill them.
They were a unit of 1k American artists, who created the illusion of being a force of 40k, using the power of theatre.
They saved tens of thousands of lives by drawing enemy fire.
#history #WorldWar2
They were a unit of 1k American artists, who created the illusion of being a force of 40k, using the power of theatre.
They saved tens of thousands of lives by drawing enemy fire.
#history #WorldWar2
May 7, 2025 at 4:33 PM
The World War 2 Ghost Army's job was to put on a show for an audience who wanted to kill them.
They were a unit of 1k American artists, who created the illusion of being a force of 40k, using the power of theatre.
They saved tens of thousands of lives by drawing enemy fire.
#history #WorldWar2
They were a unit of 1k American artists, who created the illusion of being a force of 40k, using the power of theatre.
They saved tens of thousands of lives by drawing enemy fire.
#history #WorldWar2
After her death, Octavian ensures that his depiction of Cleopatra - as the foreign seductress - is woven into Roman literature, which has led to her salacious reputation.
But medieval Islamic scholars, and later Shakespeare, portray her as a wise heroine.
(Horace, Di Chirico)
But medieval Islamic scholars, and later Shakespeare, portray her as a wise heroine.
(Horace, Di Chirico)
May 5, 2025 at 4:33 PM
After her death, Octavian ensures that his depiction of Cleopatra - as the foreign seductress - is woven into Roman literature, which has led to her salacious reputation.
But medieval Islamic scholars, and later Shakespeare, portray her as a wise heroine.
(Horace, Di Chirico)
But medieval Islamic scholars, and later Shakespeare, portray her as a wise heroine.
(Horace, Di Chirico)