Street Sign In The Jewish Quarter, Kochi, India, 2008 (photo)

Kochi or Cochin known as the ‘Queen of Arabian Sea’ is a port city located in Kerala and also a important naval base; Kochi, a cluster of islands and peninsulas, is a former spice trading centre of the Arabian Sea and was the first European colony established in India by Portuguese Seafarers; then the city was conquered by the Dutch and the British; Kochi was a commercial capital which explains its cosmopolitan characters and the several communities living in town (Jewish, Arab, Chinese); this rich merchant past can be found in the myriad influences that can be seen in architecture and culture in Kochi; religious building are a major attraction in town with the 16th century Synagogue, the Saint-Francis Church where Vasco de Gama was first buried, and the numerous Hindu temples; another focus in town is the Mattancherry Palace built by the Portuguese with its murals friezes depicting scenes from the Hindu Epics; Kochi is also famous for its district of markets and its old building, its backwaters, its beaches, in particular in Fort Kochi and its walkway ideal to watch the sunset over the harbour and the renowned Chinese Fishing Nets, one of the marvel this place