The extravagant Candle Festival ushers in the beginning of the monsoon season in Thailand. As a lunar holiday, the Candle Festival this year is held from July 7th to 13th, 2025. The Candle Float parade will take place on July 10th and 11th, 2025.
Despite being celebrated in other parts of Thailand, few cities hold the festival quite like Ubon Ratchathani, which is located in the Issan region around 500 kilometers northeast of the capital city of Bangkok.
The Candle Festival has its origin etched in tradition and religion. It is held during Asalha Bucha and Khao Phansa days—two watershed Buddhist events that mark Buddha’s first sermon and the start of Vassa (sometimes referred to as Buddhist Lent), respectively. The celebration involves colorful parades of majestic and lavish candle wax sculptures accompanied by Thai traditional music and dance.
Long before the invention of electricity, Thai Buddhists had been collecting and donating candles to their local temples to ensure that they stayed ...
The railway network of Uzbekistan traces its roots to the late nineteenth century when the Russian Empire built the Trans-Caspian line across the region. During the Soviet period the system expanded into a dense network of broad-gauge tracks that linked industrial centers and agricultural zones.
After independence the country began modernizing its rails, focusing first on passenger comfort and then on speed. High-speed services arrived in 2011 with the Spanish-built Afrosiyob trains and expanded further in 2026 with the Korean-built Jaloliddin Manguberdi, yet many travelers still choose the reliable standard trains that continue to form the backbone of everyday intercity travel.
The route from Samarkand to Tashkent covers roughly three hundred thirty to three hundred forty kilometers across open steppe, farmland, and the approaches to the capital. High-speed options such as the Afrosiyob or Jaloliddin Manguberdi complete the trip in about two hours and fifteen minutes, offering modern seating, ...
Port FC vs Beijing Guoan – A Night to Remember at BG Stadium
Port FC and Beijing Guoan brought contrasting histories and recent form into their AFC Champions League Elite clash at BG Stadium.
Port FC, founded in 1967 as Port Authority of Thailand FC, is one of Thailand’s oldest clubs. Nicknamed the Port Lions, the Khlong Toei side built a strong reputation through multiple Kor Royal Cup titles in earlier decades and later FA Cup successes, including 2019. While they have never claimed the modern Thai League crown, they remain a passionate top-flight club known for energetic support and competitive football.
Beijing Guoan, one of China’s most traditional and popular clubs, traces its roots to the early 1950s and became fully professional in 1992. A founding member of the Chinese Super League, they have never been relegated from the top flight. Their honours include the 2009 Chinese Super League title and several Chinese FA Cups. Guoan has long been a regular in Asian competition with a large, ...
Registan Square stands at the heart of Samarkand as one of the most complete architectural ensembles in the Islamic world. The name means Sandy Place in Persian, a reminder that this open plaza once served as the commercial and civic center of the medieval city. Framed on three sides by monumental madrasas, the square forms a vast outdoor room of turquoise domes, soaring portals, and intricate tilework.
On the western side rises the Ulugh Beg Madrasa, built between 1417 and 1420 by the astronomer-king Ulugh Beg, grandson of Timur. Organized around a central courtyard with four iwans, student cells, and lecture halls, its high portal is covered in refined geometric star patterns in deep blues and gold. Four slender minarets mark the corners. This was a leading center of learning where theology, mathematics, and astronomy were taught side by side.
Facing it is the Sher-Dor Madrasa, constructed between 1619 and 1636 by the governor Yalangtush Bahadur as a deliberate mirror of the earlier building. ...
