The tomb of Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, commissioned in 1381 and completed after his death in 1410, presented a reclining statue of the duke placed upon a sculpted base. The latter, in the form of an elaborate gothic arcade, housed a series of diminutive figures of mourners, forming a procession around the base of the tomb as if in a cloister.

Musée des Beaux-Arts, Dijon (April 2012, photos SB).

The Majorelle Garden in Marrakech was created in the 1920s-1930s by French painter Jacques Majorelle as a botanical garden and oasis surrounding his studio.

Majorelle garden, Marrakech (February 2012).

The lively and colourful Rahba Kedima market square, Marrakech (February 2012).

The Ben Youssef medersa (or madrasah) in Marrakech was founded in the 14th century, under the Marinid dynasty, as an islamic school attached to the neighbouring mosque. It was named after the 12th-century Almoravid sultan Ali ben Youssef (Ali ibn Yusuf), who had largely contributed to the expansion of Marrakech and its development as a religious and cultural centre.

The buildings, as they are now, date from the second half of the 16th century, when the school was reconstructed under the Saadian dynasty.

Ben Youssef medersa, Marrakech (February 2012).

O-Bon festival at Higashi Otani in Kyoto, Japan (August 2010).

Zen Buddhist temple Ryoan-ji in Kyoto, Japan (August 2010).

Zen Buddhist temple of the Silver Pavilion (Ginkaku-ji) in Kyoto, Japan (August 2010).

Zen Buddhist temple of the Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji) in Kyoto, Japan (August 2010).

Zen Buddhist temple Koto-in (sub-temple of Daitoku-ji) in Kyoto, Japan (August 2010).

Zen Buddhist temple Daitoku-ji in Kyoto, Japan (August 2010).