Khanqah-e-Molla, another ancient shrine, quite possibly the oldest such Muslim shrine located in Kashmir, is situated in the old part of Srinagar on the banks of the River Jhelum. Khanqah-e-Molla is also known as the shrine of Shah-e-Hamdan.

Srinagar's Jama Masjid (there's a famous Jama Masjid In Delhi as well), built in in 1398 AD by Sultan Sikander, is perhaps the oldest, and certainly the largest, mosque in Kashmir. With an area of nearly 160,000 square feet, the mosque can accommodate more than 30,000 people for prayer. The mosque is located in the center of the city.

The Hazratbal Shrine, a picturesque, white-marble mosque, crowned with a massive dome, is situated on landscaped grounds on the left bank of the famous Dal Lake. It is believed that the Moi-e-Muqqadas, sacred hair of the Prophet Mohammad, is preserved here, and displayed on religious occasions. The mosque was started in 1968 and completed in 1979.

The Dal Lake is Kashmir's, and quite possibly India's, most famous lake, frequently referred to as the "Jewel in the Crown of Kashmir." Sir Walter Lawrence once described it as the "lake par excellence." Others, resident poets and visitors alike, have praised it endlessly. Indeed, despite the pollution and shrinkage in the body of water, it remains as colorful as ever, dotted with houseboats, which offer overnight accommodations, and flower-laden shikaras which can be rented both for touring the lake as well as a mode of transportation, as water taxis.

Chatti Padshahi, located near the southern gate of the Hari Parbat Fort, represents the Sikh presence in Srinagar. The sixth guru of Sikhism journeyed through Kashmir, pausing here to preach, and this gurudwara, or Sikh temple, recognizes that fact. Chatti Shahi is the most prominent gurudwara in Kashmir.

Chashme Shahi, or "Royal Spring," is Kashmir's most famous mineral springs, surrounded by landscaped gardens. Located approximately 9 Km from the city center in Srinagar, the springs are noted for their medicinal qualities. The gardens were laid out in 1632 AD by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. An added attraction here is Pari Mahal, founded some years later by Shah Jahan's eldest son, Dara Shikoh, and located 2 Km uphill from Chashme Shahi. There is now also a tourist village in the Chashme Shahi-Pari Mahal area.

Each of the 17 autonomous communities in Spain is proud of its uniqueness, but none is so fiercely nationalistic and culturally disparate from the rest as the País Vasco. The name itself, “the Basque Country,” embodies the proud, bold, individualistic spirit of the people here. For a land that has been historically isolated, whose people have fiercely resisted outside influence since Roman times, the years of cultural suppression under Franco, when the Basques were forbidden from speaking their own language and practicing their cultural traditions hit hard.

South of France, east of the País Vasco and at the historical center of Castilian Spain sits Navarre, among the smallest of the country’s autonomous communities but as dynamic in people, politics and heritage as they come. Basque people settled the region long before a succession of Roman, Gothic, Moorish and Frankish invaders gave way to the Spanish Catholics. As a result, a strong sense of Basque culture and the nationalism that comes with it are still apparent in the north and western parts of Navarre and in the capital of Pamplona.