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The article presents Tibetan contemporary art in Lhasa. The region has become the heart of contemporary art scene with artists working and living there producing works out of fascination of the place. The personal and professional maturity of the place somehow influences the fertile imagination of its artists to create art out of inspiration from the place itself.

Field mapping and remote sensing investigations reveal two new major fault sets cutting through Tertiary rocks, Quaternary terraces and a several-hundred-year-old irrigation canal system in the Hajar Mountains of northern Oman. They extend for tens of kilometres, forming fracture intensification zones several hundred metres wide. WNW- to NW-oriented faults run parallel to the mountain fronts in the plains adjoining the central Hajar range then obliquely crosscut the mountains in the north. Motion along these faults explains how Quaternary marine terraces became elevated 190 m above sea level. A second fault set strikes north to NNE. The associated juvenile topography suggests that they also accommodate recent uplift, subsidiary to the WNW-striking faults, with minor strike-slip and differential movement between various segments of the Hajar Mountains. Both fault systems, and the amount of Quaternary uplift (between 100 and 500 m), are similar to those in other active and ancient forebulge environments. Using the fracture patterns observed, it is proposed here that the Hajar range lies on the active forebulge of a collision zone between the NE margins of the Arabian plate, the Zagros fold belt and the Makran accretionary prism, which resulted in the recent uplift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the restoration of the Kuthu Math, a residence or monastery for Hindu holy men founded during the reign of Ranakita Malla in Kathmandu, Nepal, by Austrian architect Götz Hagmüller. The architect came to Nepal to take over the direction of the Bhaktapur Development Project (BDP). Over the years, he restored the building's most important cultural treasure, a room originally used as the mahant's reception room that is adorned with paintings showing episodes from the story of Krishna and other Hindu themes.

The article discusses a variety of sculptural styles and its association to the Buddhist traditions in Tibet, China. It is explained that the Tibetan genius in art has been expressed through a process of assimilation, adaptation and interpretation of styles from its neighboring countries including India and Nepal and its signifies the respect and admiration for the ancient Buddhist cultures. This style of imitation became popular and creates a trend for images which aims to fulfill the desire for a faithful rendition of a particular and unique sacred image. These kind of sculptures include a group of copies of the Phagpa Lokesvara of the Potala in Lhasa and another group of sculpture which bears the unique workmanship of the ancient artists.

The article focuses on the collection of sculptures and paintings assembled by James and Marilynn Alsdorf, which highlights the Himalayan art. Several artworks from the collection that represent the flowering of a religious art tradition that began in Nepal are provided. These include the fourteenth century miniature image of the elephant-headed god Ganesha, the twelfth century image of the Buddhist deity Vasudhara, and the fifteenth or sixteenth century depictions of Siddhilakshmi.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Tibetan Buddhist Sculptures in the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Gallery," by Amy Heller in the May 2009 issue.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to an article about the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust in the September 2001 issue.