There are
many acropoleis in the world. Rome, Jerusalem, Athens, Thebes, Corinth etc all
have acropoleis, but the word if plainly used; means the Acropolis of Athens;
because it is that much associated to decisive historical events that shaped
the destiny of Europe.
Giza
Necropolis – Giza, Egypt
The Giza
pyramid complex is an archaeological site on the Giza Plateau, on the outskirts
of Cairo, Egypt. It includes the three Great Pyramids, the Great Sphinx,
several cemeteries, a workers' village and an industrial complex.
Taj Mahal
– Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
The Taj
Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river
in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor,
Shah Jahan, to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
Petra
– Al-Batrā Ma’an Governorate, Jordan
Petra is a
famous archaeological site in Jordan's southwestern desert. Dating to around
300 B.C., it was the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom. Accessed via a narrow
canyon called Al Siq, it contains tombs and temples carved into pink sandstone
cliffs, earning its nickname, the "Rose City." Perhaps its most
famous structure is 45m-high Al Khazneh, a temple with an ornate, Greek-style
facade, and known as The Treasury.
Colosseum
– Rome, Italy
The
Colosseum or Coliseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is an oval
amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy. Built of travertine,
tuff, and brick-faced concrete, it is the largest amphitheatre ever built. The
Colosseum is situated just east of the Roman Forum.
Chichen
Itza – Yucatán, Mexico
Chichén Itzá
is a complex of Mayan ruins on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. A massive step
pyramid, known as El Castillo or Temple of Kukulcan, dominates the ancient
city, which thrived from around 600 A.D. to the 1200s. Graphic stone carvings
survive at structures like the ball court, Temple of the Warriors and the Wall
of the Skulls. Nightly sound-and-light shows illuminate the buildings'
sophisticated geometry.
The Great
Wall of China – China
The Great
Wall of China is one of the greatest sights in the world — the longest
wall in the world, an awe-inspiring feat of ancient defensive architecture.
Machu Picchu
– Cuzco, Peru
Machu Picchu
is an Incan citadel set high in the Andes Mountains in Peru, above the Urubamba
River valley. Built in the 15th century and later abandoned, it’s renowned for
its sophisticated dry-stone walls that fuse huge blocks without the use of
mortar, intriguing buildings that play on astronomical alignments and panoramic
views. Its exact former use remains a mystery.
Christ
the Redeemer – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Christ the
Redeemer is an Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
created by French sculptor Paul Landowski and built by Brazilian engineer
Heitor da Silva Costa, in collaboration with French engineer Albert Caquot.
Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida fashioned the face.
Acropolis
of Athens – Athens, Greece
The
Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the
city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great
architectural and historic significance, the most famous being the Parthenon.
Alhambra
– Granada, Spain
The Alhambra
is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It was
originally constructed as a small fortress in AD 889 on the remains of Roman
fortifications, and then largely ignored until its ruins were renovated and rebuilt
in the mid-13th century by the Nasrid emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar of
the Emirate of Granada, who built its current palace and walls. It was
converted into a royal palace in 1333 by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada.
Angkor
Wat – Angkor, Cambodia
Angkor Wat
is a temple complex in Cambodia and one of the largest religious monuments in
the world, on a site measuring 162.6 hectares. It was originally constructed as
a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire, gradually
transforming into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century.
Eiffel
Tower – Paris, France
The Eiffel
Tower is a wrought iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It
is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built
the tower.
Hagia
Sophia – Istanbul, Turkey
Hagia Sophia
is the former Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal cathedral, later an Ottoman
imperial mosque and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. Built in 537 AD at the
beginning of the Middle Ages, it was famous in particular for its massive dome.
Kiyomizu-dera
– Kyoto, Japan
Kiyomizu-dera,
officially Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera, is an independent Buddhist temple in
eastern Kyoto. The temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto
UNESCO World Heritage site.
Moai –
Easter Island, Chile
Moai, or
mo‘ai, are monolithic human figures carved by the Rapa Nui people on Easter
Island in eastern Polynesia between the years 1250 and 1500. Nearly half are
still at Rano Raraku, the main moai quarry, but hundreds were transported from
there and set on stone platforms called ahu around the island's perimeter.
Neuschwanstein
– Füssen, Germany
Neuschwanstein
Castle is a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the
village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace
was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and in honour of Richard
Wagner.
Red
Square – Moscow, Russia
Red Square
is a city square in Moscow, Russia. It separates the Kremlin, the former royal
citadel and now the official residence of the President of Russia, from a
historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod.
Statue of
Liberty – New York, United States
The Statue
of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York
Harbor in New York City, in the United States. The copper statue, a gift from
the people of France to the people of the United States, was designed by French
sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel.
Stonehenge
– Amesbury, United Kingdom
Stonehenge
is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England, 2 miles west of Amesbury. It
consists of a ring of standing stones, with each standing stone around 13 feet
high, 7 feet wide and weighing around 25 tons.
Sydney
Opera House – Sydney, Australia
The Sydney
Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales,
Australia. It is one of the 20th century's most famous and distinctive
buildings.
Timbuktu
– Mali
Timbuktu,
also spelled Tinbuktu, Timbuctoo and Timbuktoo, is an ancient city in Mali,
situated 20 km north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the
Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali. It had a
population of 54,453 in the 2009 census.
No comments:
Post a Comment