Subject: Historical cities

Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto cool: Japan's former capital preserves old traditions.

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If Tokyo represents the part of Japan obsessed with technology and the future, Kyoto is the part that rakes sand in Zen gardens and performs graceful tea ceremonies.
That's not entirely fair -- Nintendo is based in Kyoto, just one part of the city's thriving tech scene.
Perhaps closer to the truth is that as imperial Japan's capital for more than 1,000 years, Kyoto has found a way to respectfully preserve its old traditions while eagerly embracing the new as well.
More than 1,000 Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines temper the frenetic pace of modern life. Sites such as Nijo Castle, which dates back to 1603, draw people from around the world.
Since the city was largely spared bombing during World War II, most are still in use.
Beijing, China
Planning a winter trip to Beijing? A quick side journey to the Great Wall rewards with stunning, snowy views.
China has invested heavily in eye-popping modern architecture for its capital over the last two decades, but with a past that stretches more than 3,000 years, the city has a deep history providing a rich legacy of art, architecture and education.
Just visiting the city's six UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven, could take a week.
That would barely allow even a casual glance at the treasures inside the city's legion museums and galleries, much less the alleyways of the hutongs, old neighborhoods reinvented and sometimes rebuilt as a trendy center of the Beijing's modern life.
Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe
From the 11th century, this kingdom in southeastern Zimbabwe grew into a trading empire that stretched through the African interior and across the Indian Ocean.
A royal complex grew on a hilltop, with drystone architecture creating a terraced palace with fruit trees, hidden chambers and stunning views over the king's dominion.
Below, the towering walls of the Great Enclosure surround a conical tower that's become a national symbol.
Overpopulation and deforestation caused the kingdom's collapse around 1450 -- historically bad timing as Europeans soon began arriving to find a weakened polity that was easier to subdue.
Great Zimbabwe remains a monumental reminder of Africa's achievements before colonialism.
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Timbuktu, Mali
Before the Sahara nearly swallowed the city and before French colonialists swept through, Timbuktu was one of the world's most important centers of learning.
The city's librarians guarded thousands of manuscripts, protecting them against the elements and violence.
Many of the manuscripts were evacuated to Mali's capital Bamako during the last period of separatist violence, but the city's unique mosques remain.
The three most important ones date as far back as the 14th century.
Their earthen architecture requires continuous maintenance, and caretakers today use the same techniques to preserve them as the original builders.