Pictures Dated 10th September 2009

The al-Askari Mosque, Samarra, Iraq, c1930s. Artist: Unknown

The al-Askari Mosque, Samarra, Iraq, c1930s. Originally built in 944, the al-Askari Mosque is the shrine of Ali al-Hadi and Hasan al-Askari, the 10th and 11th Twelver imams and is one of the holiest sites to Shia Muslims. The golden dome was added in 1905. The dome and the two minarets were destroyed by Sunni insurgent bombings in 2006 and 2007 but were rebuilt, with the shrine re-opening in April 2009. A print from Countries of the World, edited by JA Hammerton, volume IV, The Fleetway House, c1930s.

© The Print Collector / Heritage-Images

Torii of Itsukushima temple in Miyajima Island, Japan, c1930s. Artist: John Bushby

Torii of Itsukushima temple in Miyajima Island, Japan, c1930s. This Shinto shrine dates from the 6th century although the gate itself was built in 1168. It is one of Japan's most popular tourist attractions. The gate, which is 54 feet tall, is the largest in Japan. A torii is a traditional entrance gate to a Shinto shrine. It marks the boundary between the sacred ground of the shrine and the profane outside world. A print from Countries of the World, edited by JA Hammerton, volume IV, The Fleetway House, c1930s.

© The Print Collector / Heritage-Images

'St Catherine', 1365-1367 (1955). Artist: Master Theodoric

'St Catherine', 1365-1367 (1955). St Catherine, martyred early in the 4th century, depicted holding a wheel. She was intended to be executed on an instrument of torture known as a breaking wheel but it miraculously broke when she touched it. Catherine was beheaded instead. Theodoric's magnum opus is a collection of panel and wall paintings of saints, prophets and angels, commissioned by King Charles IV of Bohemia for the Chapel of the Holy Cross at Karlstejn Castle. A print from Gothic Painting in Bohemia 1350-1450, by Antonin Matejcek and Jaroslav Pesina, Artia Prague, 1955.

© The Print Collector / Heritage-Images