Sukhothai Historical Park, Thailand

Sukhothai, Thailand

Postcard TH-109558 from Thailand, received one year ago on July 24, 2012, shows the Sukhothai Historical Park, 13 km west of the new city of Sukhothai in Northern Thailand. The park has 193 ruins of Sukhothai, the ancient capital city of the Sukhothai kingdom in the 13th and 14th centuries. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the "Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns" along with the historic parks in Kamphaeng Phet and Si Satchanalai on December 12, 1991,

Elephant Stables in Hampi, India

Elephant Stables, Hampi, India

I received a postcard IN-54195 from India today. It shows a long building with a row of domed chambers where the ancient royal family housed their ceremonial elephants. Hampi, once the capital of Vijaynagar Empire from 1336 and 1565, is a ruined city. However, the elephant stables are among the few least damaged structures.  The ground in the front was a parade place for the elephants and troops. The domes and the arched gateways indicated the Islamic influences on the structure. Hampi is now listed as a "threatened" UNESCO World Heritage Site, due to heavy vehicular traffic and constructions nearby.