İstanbul Türkiye

When it snows in Istanbul, everything turns a little more magical.

The streets, the parks, even hearts are covered in a blanket of white.

It’s the perfect time to enjoy the snow while sipping a warm tea—preferably Turkish tea, if you’re in Istanbul—and making memories!

️

#SnowInIstanbul #Istanbul

The Taj Mahal, India

It is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India.

It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan (r. 1628–1658) to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal; it also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself.

The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare (42-acre) complex.

Interesting Facts About the Taj Mahal:

The Taj Mahal took 22 years to build.

More than 22,000 labourers worked in the construction of the Taj Mahal.

The construction of the Taj Mahal cost 3.2 crores of rupees at that time.

Various Precious stones were brought from various countries for the building of the Taj Mahal.

The white marble stone was brought from Rajasthan. Blue gems from Tibet, emeralds from Sri Lanka, jasper from Punjab, and crystals were imported from China.
#tajmahal

Turkish fans flood the streets of Berlin, Germany, painting themselves red and white ahead of Türkiye's crucial match against The Netherlands in the quarter-finals of EURO 2024.

Rainbow ballet.

These photos of the black & white jacobin hummingbird capture the exact moment in which the sunlight penetrates the wings of a Black and white Jacobin hummingbird revealing a secret of nature that cannot be seen with our eyes. These photos contain no digital manipulation.

Gazze’de ateşkes için çağrı metni imzalayan isimlerden biri olan ünlü oyuncu Cate Blanchett, Cannes Film Festivali galasında giydiği siyah, yeşil ve beyaz renkli elbisesiyle kırmızı halıda Filistin bayrağının renklerini oluşturdu.

One of the signatories of the ceasefire appeal text in Gaza was the renowned actress Cate Blanchett. At the Cannes Film Festival gala, she wore a black, green, and white dress on the red carpet, forming the colors of the Palestinian flag.

AFP

#freepalestine #cannesfilmfestival #cateblanchett

Rainbow ballet.
These photos of the black & white jacobin hummingbird capture the exact moment in which the sunlight penetrates the wings of a Black and white Jacobin hummingbird revealing a secret of nature that cannot be seen with our eyes. These photos contain no digital manipulation.
Photos by: @christianspencerphoto [IG]

Three Israeli hostages mistakenly killed by Israeli forces in Palestine’s Gaza had been holding up a white flag, Israeli Army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on December 16 following an initial inquiry into the incident.

On December 15, the military identified the three hostages as Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz and Samer Talalka, all taken by Hamas on October 7.

A soldier saw the hostages emerging tens of metres from Israeli forces in the Shejaiya neighbourhood of eastern Gaza City. "They're all without shirts and they have a stick with a white cloth on it. The soldier feels threatened and opens fire. He declares that they're terrorists, they (forces) open fire, and two are killed immediately," said Hagari.

The third hostage was wounded and retreated into a nearby building where he called for help in Hebrew. "Immediately the battalion commander issues a ceasefire order, but again there's another burst of fire towards the third figure and he also dies," said Hagari. "This was against our rules of engagement," he added.

“You will wear white for umrāh soon Insha’Allāh.” ️

A group of doctors organised a silent march in several cities across Türkiye to protest Israel’s deadly offensive on Palestinians in Gaza in solidarity with the Palestinian health workers in the blockaded enclave.

Doctors wearing white aprons with red handprints carried signs expressing solidarity with Palestine and condemning Israel’s attacks on hospitals and civilians. The protests have been held for the third time in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa and other cities across Türkiye.

“Physicians and health workers in Gaza’s hospitals are fighting a monumental struggle to provide treatment in dire conditions without electricity, medicine and oxygen,” said Mehmet Muhsin Kefçi, a physician and spokesperson for the group in Istanbul.

“Israel’s attacks on physicians, health workers and patients are a clear war crime.”

Kefci said that they would expand the silent march every week until the Israeli attacks stopped. He called on all his colleagues to boycott pharmaceutical companies that openly support the persecution of Palestinians in Gaza.

Since the start of the offensive, Israeli attacks have killed 280 medical staff, while a further 31 others, including Director of the Al Shifa Hospital Mohammad Abu Salmiya, have been detained by Israeli forces, according to Gaza’s government media office.

Around 130 health centres have been targeted, while 20 hospitals and 46 medical centres have been put out of service.

Dozens of US children demonstrate with their parents in front of the White House to demand a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza.

Here is what some of the kids had to say.