Entrances

An old entrance gate through the bulwark around Nyborg Castle, Funen, Denmark. The year of completion, 1784, is indicated above the entrance. However, the monogram of King Frederik IV says 1725. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Austria

Belgium

In the old days, instead of bells, doors were usually equipped with a so-called door knocker, which was often an imaginative and fanciful creation.

Cambodia

A gopura, or gopuram, is an entrance tower, leading into a Hindu temple or temple complex.

Chile

Cat, sleeping in front of a door, filled with graffiti, Valparaiso. The long relationship between Man and the cat is described on the page Animals: Animals as servants of Man. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

On this entrance gate to a Catholic shrine in Cartagena, dedicated to Virgin Mary, someone has written: “Thank you for participating in keeping this place clean.” – Catholicism is dealt with in detail on the page Religion: Christianity. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

China

Denmark

In Scandinavia, during the Middle Ages, houses were built of the durable oak wood, and construction of a single house required felling of several large trees. This practice soon exhausted the supply of trees, and instead people began building the so-called half-timber houses, whose walls consisted of a frame of oak planks, the space between them being filled out with clay bricks.

Two entrance gates, leading into the cathedral in the town of Ribe, Jutland. The bronze reliefs in the lower picture depict symbols of the four Christian evangelists: Matthew (winged man), Mark (winged lion), John (eagle), and Luke (winged ox). These evangelists are presented in detail on the page Religion: Christianity. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

The pictures below show Landporten (‘The Country Gate’) in Nyborg, Funen, photographed at two different seasons. This gate, 40 m long, is the eldest preserved barrel-shaped entrance gate in Denmark. Initially, construction began during the reign of King Christian III (ruled 1534-1559), and was enlarged during the reign of King Frederik III (ruled 1648-1670). Originally, it was rectangular, forming part of a rampart. The roofed building was added in 1750. Until the 1840s, this was the only entrance to the city.

In the old days, instead of bells, doors were usually equipped with a so-called door knocker, which was often an imaginative and fanciful creation.

Eagle, Gudhjem, Bornholm. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

I found these old-fashioned doors on an abandoned farm in Zealand. Handle and key hole in the farmhouse (top), and a stable door with rusted chains and an old bicycle lock. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

This door in a former laboratory building in Nature Reserve Vorsø, Jutland, has been blocked by a dense growth of elecampane (Inula helenium), meadow sweet (Filipendula ulmaria), creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense), and common nettle (Urtica dioica). (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

An avenue, consisting of horsechestnut trees (Aesculus hippocastanum) and sycamore maples (Acer pseudoplatanus), leads up to the entrance gate of a farm near Horsens. – Horsechestnut is described on the page Plants: Ancient and huge trees, sycamore maple on the page Nature: Invasive species. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Egypt

Sherif Baha el-Din is a renowned Egyptian herpetologist, who has described several new species of reptiles in Egypt, including the Mount Sinai gecko (Hemidactylus mindiae) and the Qattara gecko (Tarentola mindiae). (His wife’s name is Mindy!)

Sherif Baha el-Din (left) and Danish biologist Uffe Gjøl Sørensen, standing in front of a fancy welcome gate in the Zaranik Protected Area, Sinai, 1999. At this time, Baha el-Din was working with the threatened Egyptian tortoise (Testudo kleinmanni). (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

France

Au Nègre Joyeux (‘The Merry Negro’), Rue Mouffetard, Paris, was a store selling coffees, chocolates, and confectionery. It was founded in 1812 and existed for more than a hundred years. Today, the building is a convenience store.

Until 2018, the old sign and an oil painting were still hanging on the building. The painting was first interpreted as a racist image, depicting a woman, served by a black servant. However, the exact opposite is the case: a happy black man, dressed as an 18th Century gentleman, has just risen to toast, and is served by a white maid, wearing the usual attire of servants in the 19th Century.

Following several cases of vandalism, the painting was removed in 2018, and is now kept at the Musée Carnavalet.

Previously, this door was possibly a hatch in a merchant’s storage building, through which goods were delivered directly into the building from carts, Pointe de Primel, Brittany. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

This door in the village of Kerampeulven, Brittany, is no longer in use and has been adorned with flower pots. Literally, Kerampeulven means ‘the village at a menhir’. This menhir is shown on the page Culture: Megaliths. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

The Tour Vauban (‘Vauban Tower’), initially known as Tour de Camaret, is a tower, 18 m high, in Camaret-sur-Mer, Brittany. It was part of a fortification, built by order of Sebastian Le Prestre, seigneur de Vauban, later known as Marquis de Vauban (1633-1707), military engineer, who served Louis XIV (1638-1715).

In the old days, instead of bells, doors were usually equipped with a so-called door knocker, which was often an imaginative and fanciful creation.

This entrance to the church Notre Dame de Roscudon, Pont-Croix, Brittany, is probably no longer in use, as the stairs have been overgrown by many plants of the species Mexican fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus). (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Greece

Below, a selection of pictures shows more or less dilapidated doors in the city of Rethymno, Crete.

In the old days, instead of bells, doors were usually equipped with a so-called door knocker. Below, a selection of these often imaginative or fanciful creations is shown, likewise from Rethymno.

Fist. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Lion’s heads. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Once upon a time, this door handle also functioned as a door knocker. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Guatemala

Antigua, the former capital of Guatemala, is a gorgeous old Spanish colonial town, with cobbled streets, pastel-colored houses, arches across the streets, and a huge number of spectacular churches. This attractive city is described in detail on the page Travel episodes – Guatemala 1998: Country of the Mayans.

India

The city of Jaipur, Rajasthan, was founded in 1726 by Jai Singh II, who was the Maharaja of Amer, a mountain town c. 10 km from present-day Jaipur. Amer was facing a problem of increasing scarcity of water, and the Maharaja decided to move his capital to the nearby plains.

The Old Town of Jaipur has been dubbed The Pink City, as many of its houses are painted pink. This tradition goes back to 1876, when Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales visited the city. As pink denotes the colour of hospitality in India, the Maharaja decided to have the entire city painted pink, as a sign of welcome to his royal guests.

In spring and autumn, the Rohtang La Pass, Himachal Pradesh, is a very popular destination for Indian tourists, and below the pass, numerous dhabas (small road-side restaurants) have sprung up helter-skelter. Weather permitting, most guests prefer to sit outside the restaurants, as the interior is often damp and dark.

This dhaba below the Rohtang La Pass offers juice and ‘snex’. Despite the cold, the guests are sitting outside the restaurant, as the entrance leads into a dark hole. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

In Deshnok, Rajasthan, a local goddess, Karna Mata, is regarded as an incarnation of Devi. Her followers believe that if you are reborn as a rat, you escape the wrath of Yama, ruler of the underworld and the god of judgement after death. For this reason, rats are sacred.

The mosque Jama Masjid in Bijapur, Karnataka, was initiated in 1576 by Ali Adil Shah I of the Bijapur Sultanate, but was never completed. Holding a capacity of 4,000 worshippers, it is the largest mosque in Bijapur.

In November 1618, the Danish King Christian IV ordered one of his admirals, Ove Giedde, to be the commander of a fleet of five ships, bound for India. The aim of this journey was to establish a trading station under the Royal Danish East India Company, to be able to bring cheap spices and textiles to the Motherland.

Two years later, Giedde and his crew reached the Coromandel Coast, at the mouth of River Kaveri in present-day Tamil Nadu, South India. Following negotiations with the Prince of Thanjavur, Giedde obtained permission to build a trading station, which was called Trankebar (in English Tranquebar) – a corruption of the local Tamil name of the place, Tarangambadi, which means ‘singing waves’. In 1660, a fort was completed, named Dansborg (’Danish Castle’). Behind this fort, a town sprang up, fortified with moats and walls, through which a number of gates gave access to the town.

The Indian Paria dog and many other members of the dog family are described on the page Animals – Mammals: Dog family. This Paria dog is scanning its surroundings from a doorway in the city of Varanasi. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

During the era of the great trading caravans, a side branch of the Old Silk Road led through the city of Jaisalmer, in the Thar Desert, Rajasthan. Travelling along this route, numerous camel caravans brought goods to and from India, trading with faraway China, Persia, Turkey, and Europe. As wealth accumulated in Jaisalmer, rich traders built extravagant and ornate sandstone mansions, called havelis, their walls and balconies decorated with beautiful and detailed carvings.

The Thar Desert and Jaisalmer are presented in depth on the page Travel episodes – India 2003: Camel safari in the Thar Desert.

A gopura, or gopuram, is an entrance tower, leading into a Hindu temple or temple complex. The pictures below show a gopura in the Minakshi Temple, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, which is adorned with thousands of sculptures. This temple is dedicated to goddess Minakshi, a South Indian name for Shiva’s shakti, or female energy, who, in northern India, is called Devi, Uma, or Parvati. The concept of shakti, and other Hindu phenomena, are described in detail on the page Religion: Hinduism.

The lower picture shows a detail of the gopura, depicting a scene from the epic Hindu drama The Churning of the Milk Ocean, from the Bhagavata-Purana. This drama is also related on the page Religion: Hinduism.

(Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Many entrances to Indian villages are adorned with welcome gates.

Between 600 and 1500 A.D., Rajasthan – in those days called Rajputana – was divided among numerous rivalling Hindu kingdoms, ruled by Rajputs (‘Sons of Rajas’). These people were born warriors, divided into 36 royal clans. Because of their internal rivalries, each Rajput king ordered his people to build forts and other strongholds to protect himself and his nobles against enemies. Naturally, nobody worried about the safety of the common people.

The city of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, was founded in 1459 by Rajput Prince Rao Jodha. The Old Town is aptly called ‘The Blue City’, as most of its houses are painted a light blue. Originally, these blue houses were inhabited by Brahmins, and their colour indicated that here you could ask advice about disease as well as religious issues. Furthermore, the blue paint contains copper oxides, which keep termites at bay. Around 1460, Rao Jodha also ordered the imposing Mehrangarh Fort built on a hill top, 125 m above the city.

The most important Sikh temple is Hari Mandir, in the city of Amritsar, Punjab. This shrine, dubbed ’The Golden Temple’, is built around a sacred pond, Amrit Sarovar, which gave name to the city. This gorgeous building is described in depth on the page Travel episodes – India 1997: Golden Temple of the Sikhs. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Do you have any goodies for me? – Inquisitive zebu, looking into a doorway, Jodhpur, Rajasthan. This ox is described on the page Animals: Animals as servants of Man. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Indonesia

This temple guardian in front of the entrance to a Hindu temple near Ubud, Bali, keeps evil forces at bay. – Temples and other aspects of Hinduism are dealt with in detail on the page Religion: Hinduism. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Ireland

Italy

Dilapidated door, Castellamare del Golfo, Sicily. The plants are slender sowthistle (Sonchus tenerrimus) and spreading pellitory-of-the-wall (Parietaria judaica). (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Door in an abandoned building, Passo della Mauria, Dolomites. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Kyrgyzstan

Nepal

In Hindu temples in the Kathmandu Valley, a so-called toran is placed above almost all doors and windows. A toran is a gilded, semi-circular brass or copper plate, often depicting Hindu deities. It corresponds to the tympanum in Greek and Roman temples, and in Christian churches.

The toran in the picture below, situated above the Sun Dhoka (‘Golden Gate’) in the Royal Palace, Bhaktapur, depicts the 4-headed and 16-armed Hindu goddess Taleju, protector of the former Malla Kings of the Kathmandu Valley, who ruled from about 1200 to 1768. Traditionally, the kings of Kathmandu were regarded as incarnations of the god Vishnu, and to the left, beneath the goddess, is a depiction of Garuda, the man-eagle mount of Vishnu..

Hindu gods and other aspects of Hinduism are dealt with in detail on the page Religion: Hinduism.

At the entrance to many villages in Nepal, welcome gates have been constructed, spanning the road or trail, leading to the village. Two examples from the Kali Gandaki Valley, Annapurna, are shown below.

Welcome gate at the village of Ghasa. One of the children is wearing a garland of marigolds, a so-called malla, around the neck. Such garlands are often worn during Hindu festivals. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Norway

Lom Stavkirke, a stave church in the Gudbrand Valley, is one of the largest stave churches in Norway. It was probably erected during the 1100s. This picture shows a detail of one of its doors. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Pakistan

Masjid-e-Tooba (‘The Round Mosque’) in Karachi, also known as Gol Masjid, was constructed 1966-1969. With a total area of 4,657m², it is probably the largest single-dome mosque in the world, having no pillars in the central prayer hall, the huge dome being supported on a low surrounding wall. During prayer, the mosque may hold up to 5,000 people.

Spain

Pre-Spanish cave near Vega de Acusa, Gran Canaria. Originally, it was inhabited by the indigenous people of the islands, the Guanches, a Berber people who migrated to the islands from Morocco. Later, the cave was used by Spanish herders, who put a door in the opening. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Sweden

Gråborg is the largest Iron Age fortification on Öland, founded around 300 A.D. Today, the wall of the fort, which surrounds an area of 210 by 160 m, has a height, varying from 4 to 7 m. It is presumed that the original height was 8-10 m, with a thickness of about 10 m.

Switzerland

Taiwan

Almost all entrance doors to Taiwanese Daoist temples are adorned with paintings, often depicting various guardians, who protect the temple against evil forces. The following 7 pictures show such doors.

Daoism is described in detail on the page Religion: Daoism in Taiwan.

These three pictures from a door in a Mazu temple in Beigang illustrate various seasons: ‘severe heat’, i.e. height of the summer (top), ‘little heat’, i.e. autumn (centre), and ‘severe cold’, i.e. height of the winter. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Only once a year, about two hours before midnight on Chinese New Year’s Eve, entrances to Daoist temples are closed. They will be re-opened at midnight, marking the start of the new year. – This picture was taken on New Year’s Eve in the Fushing Temple, dedicated to the Mother Goddess Mazu, in the town of Xiluo. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

In a suburban area of Taichung, a retired soldier has decorated houses, walls, and streets with colourful paintings, and, for this reason, the area has been dubbed Tsai Hung Tsun (‘Rainbow Village’).

Other pictures, depicting this art work, are presented on the page Culture: Folk art of Taiwan.

Obviously, these doors in Taichung are no longer in use, as various weeds have grown up in front of them. The upper picture shows Asiatic dayflower (Commelina communis) with blue flowers and oblong leaves, and the plant in the lower picture is downy bur-marigold (Bidens pilosa). Both species are described on the page Plants: Urban plant life. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Tanzania

Gereza is an Arabian fort in the town of Kilwa Kisiwani, on the Tanzanian coast, built on the order of the Sultan of Muscat around 1800.

Our at times rather grotesque adventures along this coast are described on the page Travel episodes – Tanzania 1988: Experiencing African bureaucracy.

Tibet

My at times rather grotesque adventures in Tibet are related on the page Travel episodes – Tibet 1987: Tibetan summer.

In 1965, when the Chinese leader Mao Tse-dung invented the term ‘Cultural Revolution’, religious practices were forbidden, and a mass destruction of cultural treasures began in all Chinese territories. Religious paintings were destroyed and icons smashed, and Buddhist monasteries were torn down by gangs of ravaging Red Guards. In Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, the monks were driven out of Jokhang, the largest religious sanctuary in Tibet, and the marvellous building became a pig-pen.

Following the death of Chairman Mao in 1976, and the arrest of the so-called ‘Gang of Four’, conditions changed. The Cultural Revolution came to a halt, restrictions on religious practice were somewhat eased, and Jokhang was re-opened.

Tibetan Buddhism is described on the page Religion: Buddhism.

Old-fashioned handle on a worn wooden door, Sera Buddhist monastery, Lhasa. Note the tuft of sheep’s wool, which has been tied to the ring, maybe to make it less sharp. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

During the summer 1987, I stayed a couple of weeks in the town of Shigatse. At that time, Chinese authorities had already begun levelling large areas of the town to create a ‘modern’ (i.e. communist concrete style) town. In 2004, when I again paid a visit to Shigatse, very little of the old quarters remained.

A dog and a cow are resting at the entrance door to a traditional Tibetan house in Shigatse. In former days, you would often enter a courtyard before arriving at the living quarters. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Tunisia

Originally, a medina, in Arabic‎ al-madinah al-qadimah (‘old city’), was a distinct city section in North African cities, and in Malta. A typical medina is surrounded by a wall and has many narrow, maze-like streets.

Turkey

One of Christendom’s most gorgeous buildings is the Byzantine Church of the Holy Wisdom, in Istanbul, usually called Hagia Sophia, or, in Turkish, Aya Sofia. This grand structure, which was erected 532-537 during the reign of Roman Emperor Justinian, was converted into a mosque in 1453, and today it is a museum.

Other pictures from this marvellous building may be seen at Religion: Christianity.

A rather steep and gloomy ascent leads up to the upper gallery in Aya Sofia. The stones have been worn smooth by the steps of millions of visitors. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Construction of the Topkapı Sarayı (‘Topkapi Palace’) in Istanbul began in 1459, ordered by Sultan Mehmed II (1432-1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror. Originally, this palace was called Yeni Saray (‘New Palace’) to distinguish it from an older palace in the city. The name Topkapı (‘Cannon Gate’) was applied to it in the 19th century. This palace served as seat for Ottoman Sultans for more than 500 years.

Dilapidated door in the Terrace Kiosk, often erroneously called Kiosk of Kara Mustafa Pasha, Topkapı Sarayı, built in the second half of the 16th Century. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Initially, Hierapolis was a Phrygian cult place, centered around the mother goddess Cybele. Later, the Greeks built a city on the spot, located near a number of hot springs. Today, the ruins are close to the modern city of Pamukkale.

United States

Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is a conifer, which is the tallest tree in the world, reaching a height of up to 115 m. It is also among the longest-living trees, some individuals being more than 1,800 years old.

Before commercial logging began in the 1850s, this tree occurred in the wild along coastal California (excluding the southernmost part), northwards to the south-western corner of Oregon. Today, it is restricted to scattered locations from Monterey County, south of San Francisco, northwards to extreme south-western Oregon.

Other pictures, depicting these impressive trees, may be seen on the page Plants: Ancient and huge trees.

This rusted entrance gate to an abandoned farm, the Quail Rock Ranch, in Mohave National Preserve, California, depicts a family of California quail (Callipepla californica). (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Vietnam

O Quan Chuong (‘Old East Gate’) in Hanoi was built in 1749, during the reign of King Le Hien Tong, in the eastern wall of Thang Long Citadel. This gate, which is the only remaining gate in the citatel, was restored in 1817. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Zimbabwe

Construction of Great Zimbabwe, capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe, took place between the 11th and 15th Centuries A.D. It is believed that this stone city, which covers an area of 7.2 km², was the residence of a local king. At its peak, it would have housed about 18,000 inhabitants.

(Uploaded January 2018)

(Latest update August 2024)

Kaj Halberg - writer & photographer

Travels ‐ Landscapes ‐ Wildlife ‐ People

Entrances