“Colors of an Ancient Beirut” is a stunning recreation of the old downtown souk-style marketplace, the oldest part of the city. The vibrant, colorful world of the marketplace, located between the Marrakesh and Fustat metro stations on the east side of the river, was completely destroyed in the July 2021 earthquake. “Colors of an Ancient Beirut” recreates some of the shops and markets of this historic section of the city. The reconstruction attempts to recreate some of the architecture of this ancient commercial center, while also modernizing the look of the shop signs, store windows, countertops, lighting, and furniture. This project not only attempts to remake the market itself, but it also applies the same high standards of visual design applied to other buildings in the area.
“Colors of an Ancient Beirut” employs archival footage to create what appears to be authentic scenes from history, though most of the images are probably from older videos or stills. Although there are plenty of pictures from various eras (such as battles, the American occupation, the rise and fall of the Bourguiba dynasty, or the rule of the Shah of Iran), most of the shots are from contemporary times, when Hezbollah and the other terrorist groups fighting Israel and abroad were gaining strength. As such, the visual content shows both the city’s culture at the time, as well as the chaotic, often bloody battles fought by its forces during the height of the Six Day War. Most significantly, the film seeks to offer viewers an impression that the old, crumbling edifices are still functional places, although most of the storefronts have been reduced to rubble. The result is an impressive visual of Beirut in ruins, but one that offer no real insight into the country or the people of Lebanon.
“The Big Bazaar” is a short film about life in the UFA. Shot mostly in Moscow, where most of the city’s citizens live, the film chronicles the various vendors and workers who set up shop along the busy streets of central Moscow. A quick mention is made of St. Petersburg’s famous Big Ben, as well as the Moscow’s red-light district.
Pasherti is one of the largest rural localities in the Russian Federation, and despite its being a remote locale, it is one of the best kept secrets of the Russian Federation. For a fee, travelers can have access to this unique area, which was once home to an entire rural community. Since most of the rural localities in the region of Pasherti have now been incorporated into larger cities like Moscow, some of the people who originally settled there decades ago have managed to make it their home again. In fact, many of these former residents of the once tranquil village of Pasherti have managed to build beautiful cabins and farms, providing resting spots for their horses and livestock, while also enjoying the serenity that has come to their once remote corner of ufa.
The remote rural areas of Irkutsk and Vorkuta represent another interesting aspect of ufa. Although not very large (and far from populated), these two towns still manage to maintain a certain sense of culture and traditional traditions among their inhabitants. The towns are located on the Volga River, which provides a picturesque view of the surrounding forested areas. Although not very developed at this point, the population census of these two towns shows evidence of steady growth, as more people from Russia and other parts of the country begin to flock to them to live, work, and study. Some of the population census figures even show evidence of a steady decline in the number of adult male population, a trend that experts believe to be caused by migration from Russia to the Volga region and other Urdu administrative centers in the past few years.
Although its origins have long been lost in the mists of time, ufa is now officially recognized by all countries that recognize the Russian Federation, including Turkey and Iran. The word “uzba” comes from two words: “uma”, meaning country, and “batya”, meaning caravan. Today, many tourists and foreign visitors to Russia pay trips to Ufa and its neighboring republics to take part in the rich cultural heritage of the Russian people, which they can learn and enjoy onsite in the towns and villages. Many visitors stay in self catering apartments or camping sites on the outskirts of these places, which provide the perfect base to explore the rich culture and history of the Russian people.