Talk:Taxila

Votive stupa photo

That votive stupa photo is pretty poorly done, two photos mashed together without the lighting even matching, and is technically against our image policy of no montages/only simply photography. Can we find something to replace it? Texugo (talk) 11:57, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

Commons has two photos of that stupa and I've replaced that one with the other, which is better; at least it has no obvious lighting mismatch.

However, I think the photos in general could be improved; there are some really good ones but I'm not sure either the selection or the order is optimal. That said, I plan to work on the text and leave photos to others. Pashley (talk) 13:31, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

Thanks, that one looks much better! Texugo (talk) 13:52, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

I'm expecting hundreds of quality photos uploaded to Commons during September. --Saqib (talk) 16:06, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

Some pictures in the current article strike me as unnecessary. I have removed them but dropped the links into this section so we can replace them if needed. Pashley (talk) 19:36, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

I dropped them back in. The layout is now a bit odd, with photos of ruins in Eat and Sleep sections since they would not fit elsewhere. This will need another look when we have more photos, but should do for now. Pashley (talk) 19:49, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

Disco cat?

A photo of the "disco cat" souvenirs discussed in the Buy section could be interesting. And if it is unique to Taxila and the most popular souvenir, there's probably also an interesting story behind it. Did cats perhaps have the same status in the Gandhara Kingdom as in the ancient Egypt? Googling "taxila cat souvenir" gives WT's article (out of all pages) as the first result, which wasn't too funny to see. On the other hand, change to the Images tab and there are pictures of Taxila interspersed with lolcats... ϒpsilon (talk) 18:25, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

YPSI. I don't think cats were that much important in Gandhara Kingdom as they were in ancient Egypt but yes a photo would be definitely nice. I'll see if I able to get one. --Saqib (talk) 20:26, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

Nuns?

We mention monks and monasteries in several places, but not nuns or nunneries. Some branches of Buddhism also have those; were there any at Taxila? Is there such a thing as a Hindu nun? Jain? Pashley (talk) 19:59, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

I don't much about but I read somewhere skeletons of nuns were discovered while excavation by Sir John Marshal. --Saqib (talk) 20:26, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

It now mentions nuns. Pashley (talk) 22:38, 6 August 2014 (UTC)

Nicholson

I added a listing for Nicholson's monument, near Taxila. This certainly something I would stop for, though I suspect most would ignore it.

See WP, or his listing at "Badass of the week" for background. Pashley (talk) 00:53, 6 August 2014 (UTC)

Co-ordinates for world heritage sites?

UNESCO include 18 places in their listing and we list all 18 in UNESCO's order. However, only 15 of our listings at Taxila#World_Heritage_Sites have co-ordinates. If we could add them for the other three, then our list would look better and our landmark numbers would match the numbers UNESCO has assigned.

Does anyone know how to get these? Pashley (talk) 19:26, 19 August 2014 (UTC)

I tried to get them but couldn't able to. --Saqib (talk) 19:30, 19 August 2014 (UTC)

Photos

Hello Pashley. I was reviewing uploads of Wiki Loves Monuments Pakistan on Commons and I come across a guy who uploaded plenty of good quality photographs today of Taxila. Perhaps you can view the photos that he uploaded and include some here. I think we can also get a new banner from those images. --Saqib (talk) 08:39, 7 September 2014 (UTC)

Drink?

It is a Muslim country and has hot weather. Can I get a nice cold beer anywhere? Pashley (talk) 02:17, 27 February 2015 (UTC)

I don't know the answer to this, but "Drink" isn't only for alcoholic drinks. Does anyplace have good chai or what have you? Ikan Kekek (talk) 03:32, 27 February 2015 (UTC)

Pashley: I guess you're kidding. Anyways, one can always get permit from Excise and Taxation Department and carry good quality liquir anywhere in Pakistan. Otherwise PTDC and Royalson hotel will definately arrange some for you if you ask. IK, good chai is everywhere. I thought I don't really need to mention such basic Wikivoyage:Captain Obvious in each and every guide as such information should be better covered in Pakistan article, once and for all. As for drinking places, there're no dedicated establishements in town such as a coffee shop but every restaurant serve juices, coffee, tea or whatever you say. --Saqib (talk) 13:03, 27 February 2015 (UTC)

So maybe a single sentence should be added, stating that you can get good chai and soft drinks at any decent restaurant in town. It's obvious to you but might not be obvious to a foreigner who's never been to Pakistan before. Or maybe it would be, but a single sentence wouldn't hurt. Ikan Kekek (talk) 16:45, 27 February 2015 (UTC)

I wasn't kidding; I genuinely did not know. Your answer is about what I expected & you are right that it is better to cover it once in the country article, but it was not obvious to me. Pashley (talk) 00:57, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

I added a sentence. See if it's alright; if not, please edit it. Ikan Kekek (talk) 00:58, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

A drink section is supposed to have suggestions about the best suited places to have a drink. It's not just about what you can drink, or about dedicated places, but also about finding a cosy or quiet a place, or where you can go at night, or where there's music etc. Of course, in most countries it is true that every hotel or restaurant also serves drinks. That's especially true in e.g. developing Asian cities, where street life can be crowded, chaotic and loud, and where it can be very useful to know where you can sit a bit more... quietly, or where they have air-conditioning, or where you can find a western coffee. This kind of information is never Captain Obvious, I think. We should also keep in mind that many people will not read a whole country guide when they are only visiting one or two cities that have their own guides; I know I don't. I will look up general information about money, visa or language in the country guide, but otherwise I rather expect that all I need in terms of listings etc will be in the destination guide, so a little bit of repetition should be quite okay. JuliasTravels (talk) 21:15, 1 March 2015 (UTC)