Photos from Fall Ozark Sufi camp in 2008. (More captions will be added as I have time!)

People and scenes from 2008 Fall Ozark Sufi Camp

Here are yet more photos from camp! There will be one more album after this one.

We returned the following day to downtown Cologne to visit the Dom (cathedral) and soak up some more Karnival vibes.

After our trip to India, Clark & Maya & I visited Paul and Verena in Cologne, Germany, and it happened to be Karnival time! This album has photos of Karnival in Cologne.

The Taj Mahal in story and pictures...

At 6 a.m. one morning, we boarded 3 "super-deluxe" (India version) buses for a trek to Agra and Taj Mahal. On the way to Agra, we visited Fatehpur Sikri, the grand, abandoned city/mosque complex built by Akbar, the 3rd and greatest Mughal emperor, in 1571 in honor of the Sufi saint Salim Chisti. Akbar came to power at the age of 13 (upon the death of Humayun). He greatly extended the realm, introduced standard weights and measures, and was a wise and liberal leader. He abolished slavery and promoted religious tolerance, even creating a religion called "Din-i-illahi" which combined bits of Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism. His reign is also known for great art, music, architecture, and literature. He died in Agra in 1605. But for awhile, he lived in this beautiful city of red sandstone, where he built a white marble dargah for a Sufi saint.

Humayun was the second Mughal emperor. (Babur was first.) He introduced Persian miniature painting to India. He died in 1556, after falling down his library steps. This tomb, begun in 1565 by his senior wife, built by Persian architect Mirak Mirza Ghiyas, is the first great example of a Mughal garden tomb and inspired the Taj Mahal, among others. There are other tombs in the complex, including that of Isa Khan. Until recently, the whole area was a victim of "encroachment". That is to say, many people had settled in here - animals, cooking fires and all. Beginning in 2000, everyone was cleared out and an extensive effort was begun to restore the place. Architects and archeologists researched, surveyed, and planned. Laborers continue to work on the grounds, canals, and buildings. Admission is charged, and there's a visitors' area with photos and historical information.

This complex is located in a most ancient area of Delhi, several miles south of the current city center, and may have been a city as far back as the 8th century. During the time of the Rajput Tomar Dynasty it was known as Dhilli or Dhillika (from which "Delhi" takes its name). In 1192 it was taken by the Afghan invader, Muhammad of Ghur, who defeated the last Hindu king, Prithviraj Chauhan. He left Qutb-u'd-Din Aibak in charge, who crowned himself as the Sultan of Delhi in 1206 when his master died, founding the first Muslim dynasty. In 1193, Qutb-u'd-Din Aibak built a large mosque here called Quwwat-ul-Islam ("the might of Islam"), and in 1199 he began the great tower called the Qtub Minar. Later on, Iltutmish, Allaudin Khilji, and Feroze Shah Tughlaq added other buildings and made repairs.

A collection of pictures taken at our lovely hotel in the Sunder Nagar neighborhood of New Delhi. No, we didn't spend all our time in the hotel...but it was our home for 10 days.

Pictures taken at the large Hindu temple near Cannaught Place, and the beautiful Bahai Temple - only the exteriors, though. Picture-taking wasn't allowed inside these holy places.

Nizamuddin Aulia (1236 - 1325) was one of the greatest Sufi saints of India. He was sent to Delhi by his teacher Baba Fariduddin Ganj-e-Shakar (Baba Farid), and he settled just outside Delhi in a town called Ghiyaspur. Now, hundreds of years later, Nizamuddin's tomb is located here and this entire area of what is now part of New Delhi is named for him. He welcomed people of all faiths, his teachings centered on love and compassion, he generously shared all offerings of food and money with the poor, and he loved Sufi music. Today, his dargah (tomb) is visited by people of all faiths, hundreds are fed daily for free, and qawwali music is regularly sung here. Many other Sufi tombs are located in this area, including those of Hazrat Inayat Khan, and Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan. For more information: http://www.alif-india.com/alley.html (basti) and http://www.nizamuddinaulia.com/ and http://www.salaam.co.uk/knowledge/biogra-
phy/viewentry.php?id=1297 (Nizamuddin Aulia).

General sights of New Delhi

The group visits the dargah of Hazrat Inayat Khan for the first time.

I have many photos from the four-day music festival and the URS observance. I have tried to include enough photos to give a sense of the richness and beauty of the event without overwhelming the viewer. This album includes a few photos taken by other participants (as noted), when they had a better photo of a certain event. (I have included only a few photos from the music festival to give the flavor of it. I don't have good photos of all the performers, so it isn't a complete record.)