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Apr 2, 2024 13 tweets 6 min read Read on X
Art or Reality?

Let us explore Earth's most extraordinary secrets of nature's marvels, where the surreal landscapes defy not only the imagination but science itself! 🧵⤵️ The Door to Hell, a burning natural gas field in Derweze, Turkmenistan. By Tormod Sandtorv - Flickr: Darvasa gas crater panorama, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18209432
Thor's Well in USA

Often referred to as the "drainpipe of the Pacific," Thor's Well is a seemingly bottomless sinkhole that swallows the seawater around it. The sheer force with which the water is drawn in and expelled creates a dramatic spectacle, especially during high tide or stormy conditions. This natural wonder is actually a sea cave that has collapsed, with its roof now gone, allowing water to fill it from the bottom.Credit: Nigel Ten Fleming @TenFleming on X
Danakil Depression in Ethiopia

Known for being one of the hottest places on Earth with temperatures that often soar above 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius), the Danakil Depression is also one of the lowest points on the planet, dipping more than 100 meters below sea level. This desolate landscape is dotted with acid pools, lava lakes, and mineral deposits in neon colors, a result of volcanic activity and salt mining.Credit: @beyzhive on X
Vinicunca in Peru

Also called the Rainbow Mountain, Vinicunca is famous for its multi-colored strata, which are the result of various mineral deposits that have been exposed by erosion. The stunning hues of red, yellow, purple, and green make it seem as if the mountain was painted. This visual phenomenon becomes particularly vibrant after a rainfall.Image
Zhangye Danxia in China

These are the Rainbow Mountains of China, known for their otherworldly colors that mimic a marbled painting. Layers of different colored sandstone and minerals pressed together over 24 million years and then buckled up by tectonic plates have created this natural masterpiece.Credit: Weird Science - @weird_sci on X
Lake Hillier in Australia

This pink-colored lake on Middle Island is one of the most striking natural phenomena. The distinctive color of the lake is due to the presence of the organism Dunaliella salina, which produces a pink pigment as part of its photosynthesis process, and possibly in combination with the presence of halophilic bacteria in the salt crusts.Credit: Nature Is Weird - @NaturelsWeird on X
Pamukkale in Turkey

Known as "Cotton Castle" in Turkish, Pamukkale's terraces are made of travertine, a sedimentary rock deposited by mineral water from the hot springs. The cascading white pools with warm waters are not just a visual delight but also a popular spot for therapeutic bathing.Image
Darvaze Gas Crater in Turkmenistan

Nicknamed the "Door to Hell," this burning natural gas field collapsed into a large cavern, which geologists set on fire to prevent the spread of methane gas, and it has been burning continuously since 1971. The fiery pit is a surreal sight, especially at night.Image
Rainbow River in Colombia

The Caño Cristales, often called the "Liquid Rainbow," gets its multicolored appearance from the unique plant species that line its floor. Different colors, including red, yellow, green, and blue, are visible at different times of the year, thanks to the reproductive process of the plants.Image
Chocolate Hills in Philippines

Over 1,200 uniformly cone-shaped hills dot the landscape of Bohol. During the dry season, the grass-covered hills dry up and turn chocolate brown, giving them their name. Their formation is still a subject of debate, with theories including oceanic volcano eruptions, uplift of coral deposits, and a combination of erosion and weathering.Credit: https://www.matteocolombo.com/media/b696b84e-ae59-4555-82da-20f6612b3c3a-dramatic-light-over-chocolate-hills-bohol-philippines
Sand Pyramids in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Formed through the natural phenomena of erosion, the Sand Pyramids are spire-shaped formations that resemble a landscape straight out of a science fiction novel. They are created as the softer material around the pyramids is washed away by rain, leaving only the harder stone spires.Wikimedia Commons
Red Beach in China

Located in Panjin, this beach is covered with a type of seaweed called Suaeda salsa, which turns bright red in autumn. It's a vibrant and unusual sight, differing from the typical sandy beach, and also serves as a nature reserve for hundreds of species of birds and other wildlife.Image
Uyuni Salt Flat in Bolivia

The world’s largest salt flat, it was formed as a result of transformations between several prehistoric lakes. It's covered by a few meters of salt crust, which is exceptionally flat. The flatness and the bright white of the salt make it a surreal landscape, and when covered with a thin layer of water, it becomes the largest natural mirror on Earth.Image

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More from @CultureExploreX

Feb 22
They ruled over 1/6th of the Earth. Their wealth built golden palaces, jeweled thrones, and art hoards fit for gods.

For 300 years, the Romanovs shaped Russia’s soul—until blood stained their legacy.

A dynasty of beauty, excess… and a brutal end. 🧵👇 Peter the Great portrait by Paul Delaroche
On February 21st, 1623, Michael Romanov was coronated as Tsar of Russia, marking the beginnings of the Romanov dynasty.

The Romanovs didn’t just rule.

They built a world, where every whim, every dream turned into gold, marble, and diamonds.

But behind the beauty lurked fear, betrayal, and death.Michael offered Monomakh's Cap and scepter by Kuzma Minin, protected by Dmitry Pozharsky.  By Дар Ветер - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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The Romanovs were obsessive collectors, patrons, and architects of fantasy.

Under their rule, Russia transformed from a cultural backwater into a kingdom of artistic marvels.

Let’s start with their obsession with palaces.
Read 15 tweets
Feb 21
Sicily is where empires rose, clashed, and crumbled—leaving behind temples, cathedrals, and palaces.

Every archway, every ruin, every gilded mosaic is a monument to survival.

Have you ever walked through a place that made history feel alive? 🧵👇 The staircase of the Castle of Sperlinga in Sicily is carved into sandstone rock.
1. The Palatine Chapel in Palermo is a jewel box of faith.

Byzantine mosaics shimmer like starlight, while Islamic patterns remind of lost empires.

Built for Norman kings who ruled like sultans, prayed like emperors, and dreamed like poets. Credit: Culture_Crit
2 Valley of the Temples in Agrigento

Before Rome rose, these Greek temples stood as a defiant tribute to the gods.

Even in ruins, they radiate power.

The weight of 2,500 years presses down on you as you walk through them. Photo by Peri Deniz on pinterest pin/55380270411561563/
Read 14 tweets
Feb 20
For centuries, churches were prisons of stone—heavy, dark, suffocating. Worship felt like entombment.

Then one man shattered the darkness, made stone breathe, and filled it with light.

He didn’t just build a church. He started a revolution... 🧵👇 A marble statue of Abbott Suger by Jean-Baptiste Stouf (1836). Today, it stands in front of the ruins of Saint-Bertin Abbey, Saint-Omer.
His name was Abbot Suger, and he had a vision so radical that it would redefine architecture forever.

The year was 1137.

The place? Saint-Denis, the burial site of French kings.

Suger believed light was divine—lux nova, the "new light" of God.

But there was a problem. Effect of light from the rose window in Bari Cathedral, recurring in religious architecture to metaphorically allude to the spiritual light.  Photo by GiusyB.phy - File:Cattedrale_di_San_Sabino.jpg, CC BY-SA 4.0
The old church of Saint-Denis was cramped, dark, and unworthy of its sacred purpose.

Its walls smothered the light.

Worship felt enclosed, not transcendent.

Suger was not an architect, but he had faith—and ambition. Image
Read 17 tweets
Feb 19
Europe once built cathedrals that touched the heavens, composed symphonies that stirred souls, and chiseled beauty from stone.

Now? Churches are nightclubs, statues are torn down, and greatness is despised.

What went wrong? 🧵👇 Top: Milan Cathedral in Milan Bottom Left: Palais Garnier in Paris Upper Bottom Right: La Pieta by Michelangelo in Vatican City Lower Bottom Right: Woman with a Veil (La donna velata) by Raphael in Florence
First, culture requires confidence.

A civilization must believe in its own worth to produce enduring art and traditions.

Post-WWII Europe, riddled with guilt and disillusionment, lost that confidence.

It began questioning its past instead of building on it. Credit: @XAVIAERD (Xaviaer DuRousseau)
Europe’s churches—once the pinnacle of architectural and spiritual achievement—are now abandoned, turned into nightclubs or museums.

In many places, faith is gone.

And with it, the inspiration that fueled so much of Europe’s greatest art and music. Image
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Read 15 tweets
Feb 18
"Beauty will save the world."
– Fyodor Dostoevsky

Here are ten soul-stirring sculptures that capture the raw, transcendent beauty of human creativity. 🧵 “Modesty” by Antonio Corradini
1. Michelangelo's Pieta
2. Bernini's “The Abduction of Proserpina”
Read 12 tweets
Feb 18
16 Life Lessons from the Greatest Minds in History”

The greatest minds didn’t just change the world—they uncovered truths that can change your life.

Here are 16 lessons that stand the test of time… 🧵
1. Steve Jobs urged people to stop living for others.

Time is limited—make sure you’re writing your own story.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”
2. Elon Musk believes that bold ideas and relentless execution create the future.

If something truly matters, push forward no matter the obstacles.

"When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor."
Read 18 tweets

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