Talks on Africa and the Middle East by Guest Speaker Ron Gatepain

		Pyramids - Giza Built between 2589-2504 BC it is the single remaining wonder of the ancient world. The Great Pyramid of Giza was, until 1300 A.D., the tallest building in the world; with a base area of over 52,600 square metres it is accurate to a few millimetres. In this talk, Ron will look at the way it was constructed and the people and times in which it was built. LEARN MORE Click to play presentation
		Valley of the Kings – Luxor For a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were excavated from the rocks in the desert for the burial of the Pharaohs and the Egyptian elite. In this talk, Ron explains how they were constructed and looks at some of the most famous including the tomb of Tutankhamen found intact in 1922.
		Temples of the Nile In this talk, Ron takes you on a journey along the Nile and looks are some of the temples which are situated along its banks. The symbols of a once-mighty civilisation and the worship of their Gods, the temples provide a good insight into the lives and beliefs of the ancient Egyptians. LEARN MORE
		Karnak Temple - Luxor The religious complex developed over a thousand years where 25,000 people lived and worked for the glorification of the Gods. Now a vast open-air museum and the largest ancient religious site in the world Ron discusses its development and influence on history and architecture. LEARN MORE
		Temple of Hatshepsut - Luxor Hatshepsut is best known as the only woman who actually reigned as a Pharaoh even portraying herself as a man. Her temple at Deir el-Bahri near Luxor is one of the finest examples of a mortuary temple. In this talk, Ron looks at the temple and the life of Hatshepsut. LEARN MORE
		Temple of Rameses the Great - Abu Simbel One of the great engineering projects of ancient Egypt the temple built by Rameses the Great was cut into solid rock. In 1950 it was cut up, moved to its current location and reassembled in order to prevent it from being submerged by the construction of the Aswan High Dam. In this talk, Ron looks at the temple and the life of Rameses and the work involved in its re-citing. LEARN MORE
		St Catherine’s Monastery - Sharm el Sheikh The oldest continuously functioning Christian monasteries in the world it was built on the order of the Roman emperor Justinian between 527 – 565 to enclose the chapel built by the mother of Constantine, reputably at the site of the burning bush on Mt Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments. In this talk, Ron looks at the monastery and questions the theory that this is not the true location of the burning bush.

Morocco

Hassan II Mosque - Casablanca

Built in 1993 to become the second largest mosque in the world, almost half of its surface area lies over the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Able to accommodate 25,000 worshippers inside the mosque, it has the capacity for a further 80,000 in the courtyard. In this talk, Ron will introduce the principles of Islamic architecture and show how that is displayed in the mosque.

Tunisia

Carthage

Founded by the Phoenicians it became a major power of the Mediterranean and a rival to the Roman Empire until its destruction in 146 BC by the Romans in the Third Punic War. In this talk, Ron will look at the city, its rise and fall and at Hannibal, one of its most famous sons. LEARN MORE

Jordan

Petra

The rose-red city cut from the rock it was lost and forgotten for centuries until its rediscovery in 1812. In this talk, Ron looks at the architecture and background to this World Heritage Site. LEARN MORE

Israel

		Jerusalem Dating back to the 4th century BC Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world and sacred to three major world religions. In this talk, Ron looks at some of the major tourist and religious sites and discusses their history and importance.
		Masada In 70 AD a group of 1000 Jewish Zealots captured King Herod’s clifftop fortress and held out against the might of Rome for three years before choosing mass suicide rather than submit to Roman captivity. In this talk, Ron uncovers the history of this most dramatic and symbolic act in Jewish history explaining the events and looking at the fortress itself. LEARN MORE

Dubai

Dubai City

Since the discovery of oil in 1971 Dubai has been aware of the need to diversify before the oil runs out, resulting in the staggering speed of its development. Its innovative real estate projects have resulted in it having the tallest building in the world and a ski centre making artificial snow attracting commerce and tourism. In this talk, Ron looks at its development and at some of its world-renowned projects.