by Saima Baig
Blogs Podcasts Videos On Science Nature History and Climate Change
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April 24, 2025
Hello, and welcome to 360 on History, where we uncover the hidden stories of our past, revealing the lesser-known wonders of history. I'm your host, Saima Baig, and today we’re exploring petroglyphs. These ancient rock carvings, etched into stone, have been part of our landscape for millennia. I guess humans have always had a desire to leave their mark on Earth, and petroglyphs are one of the most striking ways they’ve done so. One particularly fascinating location where we can still see these marks is Shaital, in northern Pakistan.<br /> Shaital is a key point along the Karakoram Highway, which stretches through northern Pakistan. Historically, this area was a bustling transit station, connecting regions like Swat Valley, Gilgit, Chilas, and Chitral, and serving as a vital link in the Silk Road from China to Europe. Because of its importance, many travellers—Buddhist missionaries, Sogdian merchants, and pilgrims—passed through Shaital over the centuries, leaving behind inscriptions and graffiti on its rocky terrain.<br /> In fact, more than 100 inscriptions and 700 petroglyphs have been found at just the Shaital bridge along the Indus River. These rock art sites are strategically located along pathways and riverbeds, making them visible to travellers for generations. They served as markers, possibly as part of trade routes, or as places of cultural and religious significance.<br /> Now, let’s talk about what these carvings actually look like. The petroglyphs depict a variety of themes—hunting scenes, animals, triangular human figures, and even Buddhist imagery. They’re like a snapshot of the region’s rich history, offering us a visual storybook of a time long gone. These images have been left behind by different groups, showcasing the diversity of influences on this area over the centuries.<br /> You might wonder, what languages are these inscriptions written in? Well, the answer is as diverse as the peoples who passed through. Ancient scripts like Kharosthi, Brahmi, Sogdian, Chinese, Tibetan, Proto-Sharada, and even Hebrew have been found. Brahmi is the most common, and it's clear that this region was a melting pot of different cultures, languages, and religions.<br /> Some of these inscriptions are short—just the names of travellers and their families, and perhaps the date of their arrival. But they also provide important insights into the region’s history. Iranian merchants, for instance, left behind more than 550 inscriptions in the Sogdian language between the third and seventh centuries. We even find inscriptions in the now-extinct Bactrian language, as well as Middle Persian and Parthian.<br /> These inscriptions give us a glimpse into the lives of people who passed through the region, as well as their beliefs. Many of the Iranian inscriptions reveal cultural insights into the Sogdian people and their Zoroastrian gods. Though we don’t have exact dates, most of these inscriptions likely belong to the Sasanian period, between 224 and 651 AD.<br /> But the story doesn’t end there. As we move through time, we find that the region also became a center of Buddhist reverence. Inscriptions in Brahmi and Kharosthi reveal that Shaital was a place visited by Buddhist travellers. Among the carvings, you’ll find a large triptych depicting a stupa and scenes from the Sibi Jataka—a Buddhist tale about the past lives of the Buddha. There are also depictions of Buddha himself, surrounded by other figures, and carvings of stupas, all reflecting the spread of Buddhism through the area.<br /> The rock carvings and inscriptions are a dream for those interested in ancient rock art. They reflect the influences of various cultures, including Buddhism, and offer us a glimpse into the past lives of the people who lived in this region. As early as the late Stone Age, in the ninth millennium BCE, the petroglyphs began to appear, with the oldest layers likely serving as markers for hunting stations.
April 17, 2025
We are on a mission to talk about all the lesser known celestial objects in our skies. So, today we bring you Haumea, a dwarf planet that lives in the region beyond the orbit of our eighth planet Neptune. Listen on!<br /> <br /> <br /> Haumea has a unique elongated, rugby-ball shape due to its rapid rotation, which causes it to flatten at the poles and stretch at the equator.<br /> <br /> <br /> Its surface is covered with crystalline ice, indicating possible geological activity despite its distance from the Sun.<br /> <br /> <br /> Haumea has two moons (Hi'iaka and Namaka) and a ring system, making it one of the few known dwarf planets with rings.<br /> <br /> <br /> Hello and welcome to another episode of 360 on History! I'm your host, Saima Baig, and today we're diving into the fascinating world of lesser-known celestial objects in our skies. Today, we bring you a truly intriguing object—Haumea, a dwarf planet located in the distant region beyond the orbit of Neptune.<br /> Now, Haumea may not be a household name like Pluto or Eris, but it has some mysteries that are sure to capture your imagination. Let’s go back to 2004, when Haumea was first discovered by a team from the Palomar Observatory at Caltech. However, it wasn’t until 2005 that the discovery was formally announced by a team led by José Luis Ortiz Moreno at the Sierra Nevada Observatory in Spain, using images from 2003. Initially, Haumea was given the provisional designation 2003 EL61, but the object would soon get its official name.<br /> Haumea was named after the Hawaiian goddess of childbirth and fertility on September 17, 2008. But here's a fun fact: Before Haumea had a permanent name, the discovery team affectionately called it "Santa," because it was first sighted on December 28, 2004—just after Christmas!<br /> Haumea’s story is not just about its discovery—it’s about the mysteries surrounding its shape, its moons, and its role in the outer reaches of our solar system. Estimated to be the third-largest known trans-Neptunian object, Haumea’s size is comparable to Uranus’s moon, Titania. Its mass is about one-third of Pluto’s and about 1/1400th of Earth’s. Its equatorial diameter is roughly 1,080 miles, making it about one-seventh the size of Earth.<br /> Now, let's talk about its distance from the Sun. Haumea orbits at an average distance of about 4 billion miles, or 6.5 billion kilometers. This places it 43 astronomical units away from the Sun. To put that in perspective, it takes sunlight 6 hours to travel that far.<br /> Here’s where things get even more interesting. Haumea has a shape that defies what you might expect from most celestial bodies. It’s not round like Earth or the Moon—Haumea is an ellipsoid, stretching out like a rugby ball. This unusual shape is due to its rapid rotation—it spins so fast, completing one full rotation in just 4 hours! This fast spin causes it to stretch at the equator, forming that rugby-ball shape.<br /> Astronomers believe Haumea is made of rock with a coating of ice, and its rapid rotation makes it one of the fastest rotating large objects in the entire solar system. It’s so fast that it’s almost as if Haumea is constantly on the go. In fact, Haumea takes a staggering 285 Earth years to orbit the Sun, completing one rotation every four hours during that time.<br /> It’s also thought that Haumea's current shape might have resulted from a massive collision billions of years ago, setting off its fast rotation and even creating its moons. Speaking of moons, Haumea has two: Namaka and Hi’iaka. Both moons were discovered in 2005 and named after Haumea's daughters in Hawaiian mythology. Namaka is a water spirit, while Hi’iaka is the goddess of hula dancers and the island of Hawaii. These moons, along with the dwarf planet itself, belong to a group of objects found in the Kuiper Belt—a vast region beyond Neptune, filled with icy worlds.<br /> Haumea is not just a strange shape—its surface holds so...
April 4, 2025
Welcome to 360onhistory, I’m Saima Baig, and today we’re taking a journey through the medieval heart of Kraków, one of Europe’s most historically rich cities. Whether you’re a history buff or just someone interested in discovering a new destination, Kraków’s Old Town is a treasure trove of stories waiting to be uncovered. So, sit back and let’s step into the past.<br /> Kraków is a city steeped in history. It was once the royal capital of Poland and, in many ways, it’s still a living, breathing testament to the Middle Ages. The Old Town, with its cobblestone streets, towering spires, and ancient buildings, remains a glorious snapshot of the past. The heart of the city is the Main Market Square, or Rynek Główny, which is not only the largest medieval town square in Europe but also the pulse of the city. Surrounded by medieval townhouses, churches, and landmarks, it’s the perfect starting point for a visit to Krakow.<br /> One of the most iconic structures here is the Cloth Hall or Sukiennice, a market hall dating back to the 14th century. Originally a place for trading textiles, it now houses shops selling local crafts, souvenirs, and a sense of the trade that once filled Kraków’s streets. Walk inside, and you’ll still get a taste of that medieval commercial hustle.<br /> But Kraków’s charm isn’t just in its architecture—it’s in its story. And no story of medieval Kraków would be complete without mentioning Wawel Hill. This imposing limestone hill is where the grand Wawel Castle and Wawel Cathedral stand. The castle has served as the residence of Polish kings for centuries, and the cathedral is a site of immense historical and religious significance. Here, Polish kings were crowned, and many of them were buried in the crypts beneath the cathedral. But perhaps one of the most famous stories tied to this hill is that of the Wawel Dragon, a legendary creature that once terrorized the city. While it’s no longer around, you can still find its statue near the castle, breathing fire and standing as a reminder of Kraków’s mythical past.<br /> As we move through the streets of the Old Town, we see one of its most celebrated landmarks—the St. Mary’s Basilica. Standing tall with its twin towers, this Gothic church is known not just for its architecture but also for the Hejnal Mariacki, the trumpet signal played every hour from its tallest tower. The tune is cut off mid-way as a nod to a brave trumpeter who was shot while sounding the alarm about an invading Mongol army in the 13th century. This act of heroism is immortalised in Kraków’s daily ritual, reminding people of the city’s turbulent medieval past.<br /> Another hidden gem in the Old Town is Floriańska Street, one of the main arteries of the medieval city, leading up to the Floriańska Gate, part of the original city fortifications. The gate once served as one of the main entrances to Kraków, and as you pass under it today, you can’t help but feel all the centuries that have passed since the first merchants and travellers walked beneath it. I could just stand there and imagine the traders passing through.<br /> Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596, it began as a hamlet on Wawel Hill and was a busy trading centre of Central Europe in 985. In 1038, it became the seat of Polish monarchs from the Piast dynasty.<br /> <br /> The city has a population of 804,237 (2023), with approximately 8 million additional people living within a 100 km (62 mi) radius. , and has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life. Cited as one of Europe's most beautiful cities, its Old Town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, one of the world's first sites granted the status.<br /> Kraków’s medieval defensive walls were once a mighty barrier, with 47 towers, most of which are gone now. However, you can still explore the remnants of the Barbican,
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