The folk costume has always been a significant national symbol that conveys a message of unity. It belongs to the splendid cultural heritage of a nation and reflects its customs, traditions, and even climate conditions. A traditional costume of each folk is a noteworthy object of study that requires thorough examination. The Sámi are indigenous people inhabiting the northern parts of No...

The Greek santouri is a trapezoid-shaped stringed instrument that belongs to the hammered dulcimer family. The term “dulcimer” is claimed to derive from the Latin Dulcis (sweet) and the Greek melos (song). On the other hand, the term santouri is the Greek version of a series of similar terms (i.e. santur, santour, santoor) used to describe an instrument that is present in quite a f...

  The use of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data is not new to universities. Over the last decade, we have observed a significant increase in digital infrastructure that has shaped the ways in which we teach and convey information, display and store data, and understand and translate instruction. Technological innovation is at the fore-front of these advancements, shifting away f...

In the history of Sri Lanka, few female characters are as reverently aspired to as Queen Vihara Maha Devi. Not only because she gave birth to and rose up the greatest Sinhalese king Duttugenumu, but also because of her own morality and maternity. In the 13th century Pali text, Vihara Maha Devi was described as “a woman without blemish”: 60 Nazly Ahmed, Flickrfirm in the faith, piou...

The algae harvest in the “Entre-os-Rios” and the “Douro” regions (North of Portugal) was, from the middle ages to the mid20thcentury, an economic and socially important activity in mainland Portugal, asis clearly demonstrated by the Dionysian and Manueline provincial laws of “Póvoa de Varzim” and “Maia”. In the provinciallaw published on M...

There is no clear, general consensus on when the mantilla (a lace or silk veil) was first introducedas a traditional garment in Spain. Some authors claim that its use comes from the clothing tradition of the Iberians, who inhabitedthe Iberian Peninsula from the 6th to the 1st century BC. Examples supporting this theory are the well-known Dama de Elche or Dama de Baza, key sculptures from that ...

Naadam Festival & Mongolian Culture One of the most anticipated celebrations in Mongolia happens in the summer – the Naadam Festival (the Festival of the “Three Manly Sports”). Every year Mongolians enjoy watching how our strongest wrestlers, most meticulous archers, and swiftest horse riders compete for the pinnacle of achievement. The first offici...

Venice’s Marriage to the Sea: Ritual, Representation, and Environmental Transformation As longue-durée historian Fernand Braudel emphasized, Venice’s beauty can be considered as the material synthesis of the medieval Mediterranean culture that flourished thanks to its connecting water element. In Venice, the accumulation of wea...

Sheep on Roads of Silk Central Asian nomads traditionally kept five kinds of animals—horses, sheep, goats, camels, and cows. Of those, it can be said that sheep were one of the most important animals which contributed to forth the prosperity of the Silk Road. Sheep were domesticated about 10,000 years ago in Central Asia, probably from an originally wild sheep species. Nonetheless,...