weekly photo challenge: pattern

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Oman, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, weekly photo challenge

Friday, May 10:  This week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is Pattern. Patterns are everywhere. Patterns are sometimes intentional and sometimes accidental. They can be decorative or merely a result of repetition, and often patterns can be in the eye of the beholder to discover them.

Sometimes man makes patterns out of nature, as in these tea farms in Boseong, South Korea.

Boseong Tea Plantations in South Korea

And sometimes nature makes its own patterns, as in these wetlands in Suncheon Bay Ecological Park in South Korea.

Suncheon Bay Ecological Park in South Korea

At other times, man makes patterns to show reverence at places of worship, such as this Buddhist temple in Maisan, South Korea.

a temple in Maisan, South Korea

Or to show reverence to Allah, as in the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan Mosque in Abu Dhabi, UAE or the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman.

Mosque in Abu Dhabi

Mosaic at Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman

And sometimes, man makes patterns to show his own ability to create opulence, as at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.

Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi

dome at Emirates Palace

weekly photo challenge: illumination

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postaweek2013, weekly photo challenge

Sunday, January 13:  The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is Illumination: Lights are functional — everyday objects in our rooms and on our streets. Yet lights can be powerful symbols: signs of life, curiosity, and discovery. We’re interested in seeing what you come up with for illumination — particularly your creative interpretations and more abstract approaches.

a lantern at a Muscat restaurant

the streets of Abu Dhabi, UAE, at night

a lantern in a niche at Kargeen Restaurant in Muscat

weekly photo challenge: my 2012 in pictures

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postaweek2012, weekly photo challenge

Friday, December 28: Inspired by Robin at Life in the Bogs: Time in a bottle, and by the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge, I put together a collage of my life during 2012.  All in all, it was an amazing year.  It started with getting a new flat in Nizwa, at the Abu Nooh Building, in January.  Soon after, my sons came to visit me in Oman for nearly a month.  We explored from Muscat to Nizwa, and even to far-flung Salalah.  It was a great experience for them and helped us establish a special bond of shared experience.

Developing a close friendship with Mario was one of the highlights of my year.  We both love photography and exploring Oman, so we have spent countless weekend days gallivanting around the country.  We have driven through flooded wadis to Wadi Dam, through Wadi Mistal to Wekan, across the Hajar Mountains through Balad Sayt, to Muscat and other places along the coast.  We went on a botched trip to Masirah Island, and ended up in Sur instead.  And we’ve taken too many walks to count on our favorite Jebel Akhdar, ending with a shared bottle of wine at the Sahab.

In August, I went back to the USA for a month, and had a fabulous time reconnecting with my family and home in Virginia.  I spent precious time in Richmond with my daughter Sarah, and our family spent a week at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland. I loved this time together and resolved that I need to be back home with my family.

I returned home to Oman for one day, repacked, and then spent two amazing weeks in Greece, exploring Athens, Crete, Santorini, Meteora, Delphi and Epidaurus (greek wanderings).  On my birthday, October 25, I flew for the Eid holiday to Ethiopia, where I spent a week visiting my friend Ed.  We explored Addis Ababa, Lalibela and Lake Langano (african meanderings {and musings}).  For the Islamic holiday weekend, I took a short trip to Abu Dhabi, about a 5 1/2 hour drive from Nizwa.

Click on any image below for a full-sized slide show.

Alex stands on the edge of a falaj in Wadi Shab

Mohammed, Mario and Atrium Torres Merlot at the Sahab Hotel, Jebel Akhdar, Oman

a camel in Wadi Darbat, Salalah, Oman

Life is an enigma. Fira, Santorini, Greece

seashells by the seashore, Al Musanah, Oman

passageways through old Bahla, Oman

The village of Al Ayn on Jebel Akhdar

some intrepid Omanis dare to cross the wadi of all wadis near Ibri, Oman

Omani men at Nizwa souq in Oman

a little ruined room in Birkat al Mouz, Oman

Alex in front and Adam in back in the BIG boulder-strewn Wadi Tanuf, Oman

Kayaks at Deep Creek Lake, MD

Oia, Santorini, Greece

“Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.”~ William Wordsworth (Wadi Muyadin, Oman)

Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, USA

St. George & the Dragon: the patron saint of Ethiopia

“The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare to let go. Our true work is this voyage, this adventure.” ~ Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah (Oman)

swingin’ in the trees at wadi darba, Salalah, Omant

part of the Door Series (?) by Abdul Majeed Karooh at Bait Muzna Gallery, Oman

Santorini, Greece

a hand reprimanding a goat in the Hajar Mountains, Oman

the incense burner on the hill at al riyam park in Muscat, Oman

Oia, Santorini, Greece

pomegranate at Wekan, Oman

the 21 Bronze Age tombs of Al Ayn with the jagged, comb-shaped Jebel Misht behind ~ Oman

Oia, Santorini, Greece

the young man from Balad Sayt, Adam & Alex in Oman.

Royal Opera House Muscat

Adam & Alex in the Empty Quarter, Oman

the Acroplis, Athens, Greece

following the endless steps to the top of Wekan’s gardens in Oman

Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, UAE

life vests and canoe paddles at our cabin at Deep Creek Lake, Maryland

the Bahla Mosque with the gardens in front ~ Oman

Oia, Santorini, Greece

Street scene in Athens, Greece

me on top of the ridge overlooking Khor an Najd in Musandam, Oman

plantations at Birkat al Mouz, Oman

the fisherman haul in the nets, Al Musanah, Oman

more goodies at Mutrah souq in Muscat, Oman

boarding the dhow in Musandam, Oman

my favorite “sport” ~ hiking anywhere scenic and gorgeous… 🙂 Juniper Tree, Jebel Akhdar, Oman

Sarah and me in Richmond, VA

Franciscan Monastery, Athens, Greece

Alx and Adam at Deep Creek Lake, MD

my wanna-be “garden room” with its fake plants (the one on the left is real)… 🙂 Nizwa, Oman

rock-hewn church at Lalibela, Ethiopia

my sons chillin’ at Ziyara in Muscat, Oman

Me on the edge of Bet Giyogis, Lalibela, Ethiopia

painted walls in one of the ruined houses at Wadi Bani Habib, Jebel Akhdar, Oman

Adam at Deep Creek Lake, MD

FRUIT!!!! Salalah, Oman

the entrance to the University of Nizwa, Oman

the sheikh zayed bin sultan al-nahyan mosque in abu dhabi, uae

a rainbow of flowers and the Sultan’s palace, Muscat, Oman

a chess game by the sea in Sohar, Oman

Thuraya, Shayma, me, Badr and Saud in January, University of Nizwa, Oman

Oia, Santorini, Greece

Street scene in Athens, Greece

asleep at work ~ Nizwa souq, Oman

Bailey near Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, USA

the rock-hewn masterpiece church of Bet Giyorgis in Lalibela, Ethiopia

one boy’s grandfather and his sardine catch of the day in Al Musanah, Oman

colorful fishing boats in Sur, Oman

my living room in the Abu Nooh Building, Nizwa, Oman

an Omani boy at Nizwa souq

the Acropolis, Athens, Greece

My two “Omani” boys at Mutrah Souq, Oman

Me at Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, USA

Franciscan Monastery, Washington, DC

the boys at the entrance to wadi bani khalid in oman

stylized palm trees on a hill in Oman

Entoto Raguel & Elias Church in Addis Ababa

Alex, Ahmed and Adam stand on the falaj going down to Wadi Tiwi in Oman

happy times at the Sahab Hotel, Jebel Akhdar, Oman

to infinity and beyond! Al Bustan Hotel in Muscat, Oman

near Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, USA (Alex, me and Adam)

Jebel Akhdar, Oman

my excellent student, Badr, on the left and his unknown friend driving near Birkat al Mouz, Oman

Alex and Adam the intrepid explorers

up & up the steps through the garden at Wekan, Oman

Mario and our bottle of wine, Sahab Hotel, Oman

a green garden at one of the Meteora monasteries in Greece

drinking coconut juice at a Salalah fruit stand ~ Oman

fruits of labor in Birkat al Mouz, Oman

me at the Agora, Athens, Greece

Malcolm & Sandy at the Turkish restaurant in NIzwa, Oman

I love the dramatic setting of this mosque in Salalah, Oman

Joanna Lumley and me at the Radisson Blu in Muscat, Oman

the village and the gardens of Balad Sayt in Oman

onions in Balad Sayt, Oman

Time in a Bottle ~ Jim Croce

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I’d save every day like a treasure and then,
Again, I would spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I’ve looked around enough to know
That you’re the one I want to go
Through time with

Though I have no “you” that I can “go through time with,” no romance and no prospects of romance, there is still never enough time to do the things I want to do, once I find them.  I still like to save every day like a treasure, in my memory.  Though it’s been a solitary year, it hasn’t often been a lonely one.

I’ve learned to be content by myself, and though I want to reconcile with my husband, I don’t know if that will happen.  If not, I will keep my heart open for whatever the universe flings in my direction.  I know I will be returning home to Virginia in mid-summer of 2013.  So after this year, my living abroad days will be on hiatus, at least for some time.  What comes next in my life, I don’t know, but I’m ready for a new adventure.

travel theme: liquid

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postaweek2012, Travel, travel theme

Friday, November 23:  Ailsa of Where’s my backpack? has given us a challenge for this week: Liquid.

Let the rain kiss you.  Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.  Let the rain sing you a lullaby.  ~ Langston Hughes

Sadly, I don’t have any rain pictures, as where I live, it never seems to rain.  However, here are some liquid photos for Ailsa’s challenge.

Click on any of the images below for a full-sized slide show.

the Mediterranean off of Santorini, Greece

the reflecting pool at the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan Mosque in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

marsh at Lake Langano, Ethiopia

a pool at Wadi Damm near Ibri, Oman

a pool at the Franciscan Monastery, Washington, D.C.

a river in Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania

wadi floods in Oman

sunday post: architecture

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Architecture, Sunday Post, Travel

Sunday, November 18: Jakesprinter’s Sunday Post challenge for today, architecture, is perfect, as I just returned home from Abu Dhabi, UAE yesterday.  This city and Dubai, where I’ve been before, are well-known the world over for their modern and daring architecture.  Here are a few samples from my trip to Abu Dhabi.

Architecture in the gallery below includes models for the Saadiyat Island Cultural District, which is currently in the planning phase.  This Cultural District will include the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, designed by Frank Gehry, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, designed by Jean Nouvel, the Zayed National Museum by Foster + Partners, a Maritime Museum designed by Tadao Ando, and a Performing Arts Center by Zaha Hadid.

The gallery also includes The Capital Gate Tower in Abu Dhabi with an 18-degree slope, prompting the Guinness World Records to name it the “furthest leaning man-made tower.” The leaning tower of Pisa, by comparison, tilts just 4 degrees. The 35-story structure, designed by the British architecture firm Robert Matthew Johnson Marshall, holds office space and a 5-star Hyatt hotel.

Also included is the new Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan Mosque and the over-the-top Emirates Palace.  I will write more about these in coming posts.

a model of the Performing Arts Center designed by Zaha Hadid, to be built on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi

a model of the Maritime Museum by Tadao Ando, to be built as part of the Saadiyat Island Cultural Project in Abu Dhabi

Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi

the leaning tower of Abu Dhabi: the 35-story Capital Gate Tower

the model of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, designed by Frank Gehry, to be built on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

skyscrapers in Abu Dhabi

a model of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, designed by Jean Nouvel, to be built on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

The Capital Gate Tower in Abu Dhabi

the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan Mosque in Abu Dhabi

residential towers in Abu Dhabi

new construction in Abu Dhabi, in front of Emirates Palace

inside of the Central Market Souq in Abu Dhabi

weekly photo challenge: green

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postaweek2012, Travel, weekly photo challenge

Friday, November 16: The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is Green. For some of you, in the northern hemisphere, you may not be seeing green for a while. Let’s celebrate all things green!

For a full-sized slide show, click on any image in the gallery below.

more greenery near Geoje-do, South Korea

a green garden at one of the Meteora monasteries in Greece

Misfat Al Abriyyen, Oman

Misfat Al Abriyyen, Oman

green island near Geoje-do, South Korea

Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, USA

flowers in Wekan, Oman

a green niche at the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan Mosque in Abu Dhabi, UAE

green bananas at Misfat al Abriyyen, Oman

topiary at Geoje-do, South Korea

the green lawn at the Taj Mahal, Agra, India

green pomegranate at Wekan, Oman

limes at BidBid, Oman

near Geoje-do, South Korea

a privately owned island covered in gardens near Geoje-do, South Korea

a green door in Misfat Al Abriyyen, Oman

gardens near Geoje-do, South Korea

desert safari outside of abu dhabi: camels, dune-bashing and arabic music

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Travel

Friday, November 16:  This afternoon, we get picked up at our hotel by a guide driving a gleaming white Land Cruiser. We’re going on an afternoon desert safari.  Some Aussie and Brit expats who work in Abu Dhabi are part of our group.  One of the men works as a paramedic and the other works in construction.  Their wives, who enjoy their lives of leisure, are with them.  Apparently they are paid quite well as they live in one of four new gleaming residential towers across from Emirates Palace.

About an hour outside of the city, we turn into the desert and drive along a dirt track, where a line of vehicles joins us.  All the guides get out of their cars to deflate their tires a bit for driving over the desert sands.

First stop, a camel station, where camels are fed and watered and kept for tourist viewing.  We stop and mingle with the fuzzy camels, who are eating straw out of a trough, sharing a communal meal. The baby camels are in a playgroup of their own, having a frolicking time while their parents finish their dinner.  We wander amongst them.

Click on any of the pictures below for a full-sized slide show.

Then the fun begins.  The vehicles, maybe 20-30 in all, go dune-bashing.  Our driver takes us on a roller coaster ride up and down the dunes, as we yelp and holler.  At times we drive sideways along the slope of the dunes, feeling like we will go tumbling down the sides.  I keep thinking of the scene in The English Patient, when some vehicles in a caravan topple off a dune and then endure a sandstorm while some of their party go to get help.

We stop on sand dunes a couple of times for sunset views over the desert.  It’s beautiful, and as the sun goes down, coolness descends over the dunes.  Breezy and brisk, a whole different experience than the daytime heat.

We then arrive at the desert “camp,” which is just a big nondescript open stage, surrounded by low tables.  Camel rides are offered, but there are only a couple of camels for maybe 200-250 people!  We can drink alcoholic beverages here, so I order a glass of red wine and my friend Tony has a beer.  Around the perimeter, the dinner buffet is set up and a woman does henna painting.  In one stall, people can put on dishdashas and abayas and pose for pictures. It’s quite a commercial enterprise and, I have to say, not nearly as nice as Camp Al Areesh Desert Camp in Oman, which I’ve been to many times.

The dinner is quite good, with some excellent ground lamb kebabs, grilled chicken, hummus, rice, baba ghanoush, tabouleh and other typical Arab fare. Then some Arabic music comes on over a loudspeaker and a bunch of random men, dressed in Western clothes, get up and dance in a big circle.  After a bit of this, some Emiratis in dishdasha dance with thin canes in their hands.   Finally, a belly dancer does her performance, inviting the audience on to the stage.

All in all, it seems much more commercial than the desert camps in Oman. The dune-bashing was definitely the highlight.  Next time, I think I will just stay close to home.

abu dhabi: emirates palace & the saadiyat island cultural district exhibition

Friday, November 16:  The Emirates Palace is an enormous luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi that opened in 2005, with 400 rooms and suites, 114 domes, and a 1.3km private beach.  It is reported to have cost 3.9 billion British pounds, or 6.3 million U.S. dollars, making it the second most expensive hotel ever built, after the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.  Many of the suites offered are furnished in gold and marble. The main central lobby houses an expansive marble floor, balconies and a large patterned dome above, decked out in gold. The hotel boasts 1,002 Swarovski crystal chandeliers. The topmost floor has six Rulers’ Suites which are reserved solely for Emirati royalty and dignitaries.  If you’d like to stay in this super-expensive hotel, please see Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi.

Emirates Palace

The nice thing is that visitors are allowed to walk all around most of the ground floor at any time of day, at no charge.

In addition to all the glitz and glamor, the hotel houses the Saadiyat Island Cultural District Exhibition, which showcases models and background information about the five key cultural institutions which will be built on a nearby island: The Guggenheim, Louvre, Maritime Museum, Sheikh Zayed National Museum and Performing Arts Centre.

Click on any of the images below for a full-sized slide show.

our lunch at the Automatic

window at Emirate Palace

up close and personal to Emirates Palace

the central dome in the lobby

staircase at Emirates Palace

looking out the window to the beach (we weren’t allowed on the beach grounds)…

Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, UAE

close-up of the perforated lace-designed roof

an Arts & Craft-designed seating area

fountains in front of Emirates Palace

the lobby of Emirates Palace

the Maritime Museum model

the Performing Arts Center design

the model for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi

fountains galore at Emirates Palace

centerpiece in the hotel lobby

the model for Saadiyat Island Cultural District

some famous sheikhs?

looking down the stepped fountain

model for Louvre Abu Dhabi

Construction on the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, created by Frank Gehry, is already underway.  This museum, which will showcase international modern art, looks like a jumbled pile of geometrical shapes, including cylinders, prisms, cones and rectangular blocks.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi, designed by Frenchman Jean Nouvel, will have a white dome perforated by lacy designs, allowing light to filter through like sunlight through a canopy of leaves.  The galleries will include paintings, drawings, sculptures and decorative arts drawn from the Paris Louvre’s collection.

The Maritime Museum, designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, has a Zen-like, pared down quality.

And finally, the Performing Arts Centre has a fluid, futuristic design by Iraq-born Zaha Hadid.

A later phase will include the Sheikh Zayed National Museum, a local branch of New York University, art pavilions and parks.  For more information, you can visit Saadiyat Cultural District: Master Plan.

After leaving Emirates Palace, which we can’t imagine ever spending the money to stay in, we take a drive out to Yas Island to see the 5.5km Yas Marina Circuit, a Formula One racetrack.  We see it, but, as neither of us are all that interested, we don’t stay long or even make a stop for photos.

Instead, we have a nice lunch at the Automatic, and then we head back to the hotel to relax a bit before the next exciting event on our trip: a desert safari planned for the afternoon and evening.

abu dhabi heritage village, the marina mall and marina

Thursday, November 15:  We have our Big Bus Tour drop us off at Abu Dhabi Heritage Village, which is supposed to give a glimpse of Abu Dhabi in its pre-oil days.  A sign at the entrance says “(Closed) ON Tursday – Islamic new year holiday,” which we first take to mean TUESDAY, since the door is open and people are milling about.

the entrance to Abu Dhabi Heritage Village

However, it becomes apparent as we wander around that in fact it is closed today, THURSDAY, as all the exhibits are closed.  This doesn’t stop people from making their way past the police barricades into the village.  The village boasts a re-creation of a souq (closed), a traditional mosque (closed) and a Bedouin encampment with goat-hair tents and a barasti house (closed).  The place is also supposed to have craftsmen making pots, blowing glass, and weaving on a traditional loom, but of course all these artisans are absent today.  There is also a museum on site, but needless to say, we can’t visit that either.

inside the entrance to the Heritage Village

the only inhabitant of Heritage Village today, other than tourists….

Hello, mister.

We do wander down to the beach in the village, where we see some traditional boats. An Emirati boy on a jet ski is showing off and spraying water on some Chinese girls standing on the beach, to their obvious delight.  Across the water, we can see the modern skyline of Abu Dhabi.  Of course, modernity is what Abu Dhabi is all about these days, and it’s really hard to find much of tradition here.

a traditional boat at Abu Dhabi Heritage Village with the modern Abu Dhabi skyline in the background

another traditional boat and skyline

Yes, the Heritage Village is closed today, but it actually looks quite shabby and we are under-impressed. I don’t think it would have made any difference if it had been open.  I tell my friend Tony that we can see more of tradition, and the real thing (not a tourist trap like this) in Oman.

Khanjar and incense burner (??) at Heritage Village

Abu Dhabiis the largest and wealthiest of the emirates.  It makes up nearly 87% of the UAE’s total area.  In 1966, soon after oil was discovered here in 1958, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan took over from his brother who had ruled Abu Dhabi since 1928.  A visionary diplomat, he used the oil revenue to build up the infrastructure in Abu Dhabi and the other emirates, gaining respect and great influence.  He helped create the UAE in 1971 and became its first president.  When he died in 2004, his eldest son, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, became ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of UAE.  The country’s oil wealth is predicted to run out sometime after 2100.

a cultural hall near the Heritage Village

We leave the Village and wander past the marina, where we see some nice boats but not the super yachts I have heard about.  We have asked a number of people where these super yachts are, but we are never able to find them.

the marina with Marina Mall behind it

Then we go into the sprawling Marina Mall and I have to say I’m disappointed.  Everyone has told me there is great shopping in Abu Dhabi, but I don’t see any stores different than what I have found in Muscat City Center.  The mall in fact doesn’t look that much different inside than Muscat City Center.

boats in the Abu Dhabi marina

We have another day here tomorrow, but I have no idea what we will do except go to see Emirates Palace and go on a desert safari in the late afternoon.  I’m afraid we’ve done most of what there is to do in this city in one day.

the Marina Mall and marina

out and about in abu dhabi

Thursday, November 15:  Riding around on The Big Bus Abu Dhabi, we see quite a variety of architecture and interesting sights.

We are saving Emirates Palace for tomorrow, so this is just a passing glimpse.  More photos will be forthcoming. We find the Iranian souq very disappointing, as vendors sell mostly plastic housewares you can buy at any Lulu Hypermarket or Carrefour.  The Central Market Souq, which we thought would be a traditional souq, is actually a modern and high-class shopping mall, with beautiful woodwork inside and out.  We find some interesting sculptures near the Central Market Souq, contained within a median strip “park,” but they look neglected and shabby.  However, these sculptures do provide some interesting subject matter for photos.

Here is a gallery of what we see… (Click on any of the photos below for a full-sized slide show).

what I want to buy but can’t afford at the Iranian souq

Emirates Palace

modern and super-modern

mirrored windows on skyscrapers

the entrance to the Central Market Souq (another name for a shopping mall)…

more modern skyscrapers

interesting towers along the road

I dream of genies

textiles at the Iranian souq

residential court across from Emirates Palace

interesting sculptures in the median strip

more interesting sculptures, looking slightly shabby

fountain and streets of the city

another mosque near the Central Market souq, dwarfed by skyscrapers

sign to City Center

a mosque near the Central Marked souq in the midst of modernity