Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza was a major regional focal point in the northern Maya lowlands from the Late Classic through the Terminal Classic and into the early portion of the Early Postclassic period. The sacred city of the Itza, called Chichen-Itza in Maya,Their castle looks like a pyramid, is called El Castillo. is located 75 miles east of Merida, the Capital of the State of Yucatan, Mexico.This archaeological site is rated among the most important of the Maya culture and covers an area of approximately six square miles where hundreds of buildings once stood.


Now most are mounds, but about thirty may still be seen by tourists. Deep within the jungles of Mexico and Guatemala and extending into the limestone shelf of the Yucatan peninsula lie the mysterious temples and pyramids of the Maya.The Mayan communities near Chichen Itza have developed many wonderful sites for travelers to rejoice in the Maya Cultural heritage. It is recommended you avoid a day-trip visit to Chichen Itza and schedule a night or two to enjoy all the activities nearby. This allows time to see more than just a portion of this large site.

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Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire. Stonehenge is surely Britain's greatest national icon, symbolizing mystery, power and endurance. Its original purpose is unclear to us, but some have speculated that it was a temple made for the worship of ancient earth deities. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones and sits at the centre of the densest complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds.

The two sanctuaries consist of circles of menhirs arranged in a pattern whose astronomical significance is still being explored. These holy places and the nearby Neolithic sites are an incomparable testimony to prehistoric times. It is spectacular, but what survives is but the ruin of the final phase of a structure dating from c.4000 to c.1500 BC. The monument was orientated to mark sunrise at the midsummer solstice (and sunset at the midwinter solstice), but whether it has further astronomical significance is debatable.

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The Acropolis

The Acropolis of Athens is the best known acropolis in the world. The Acropolis of Athens and its monuments are universal symbols of the classical spirit and civilization and form the greatest architectural and artistic complex bequeathed by Greek Antiquity to the world. Although there are many other acropolises in Greece, the significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is commonly known as The Acropolis without qualification. The Acropolis was both the fortified citadel and state sanctuary of the ancient city of Athens.

Although the great building programs of the 5th century B.C. have disturbed or covered many of the earlier remains, there is still a great deal of archaeological evidence attesting to the importance of the Acropolis in all periods of time.The most important monuments were built during that time: the Parthenon, built by Ictinus, the Erechtheon, the Propylaea, the monumental entrance to the Acropolis, designed by Mnesicles and the small temple Athena Nike.

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Bora Bora

Bora Bora - Unquestionably the most mythical of the Pacific islands remains the island of all dreams. Honeymooners and romantics from around the world have laid claim to this island where the castle-like Mount Otemanu pierces the sky. Lush tropical slopes and valleys blossom with hibiscus, while palm-covered motu circle the lagoon like a delicate necklace. Perfect white-sand beaches give way to emerald waters where impossibly colored fish animate the coral gardens.

Perfect white-sand beaches give way to emerald waters where impossibly colored fish animate the coral gardens. So much has been written about Bora Bora, and yet it is hard to find the right words to describe the magic that emanates from this island. The original name of the island in the Tahitian language might be better rendered as Pora Pora, meaning "First Born"; an early transcription found in 18th- and 19th century accounts, is Bolabolla

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Leaning Tower of Pisa

The leaning tower of Pisa is more accurately referred to simply as the bell tower, or campanile. The tower is over 800 years old, and started leaning from the time it was first constructed. In fact, if you look closely, you can see that the tower isn’t completely straight. Why not? Because it started leaning during construction, they started to build the top stories at an angle, to counteract the leaning! medieval structure in Pisa, Italy, that is famous for the settling of its foundations, which caused it to lean 5.5 degrees (about 15 feet [4.5 metres]) from the perpendicular by the late 20th century.


Piazza dei Miracoli of Pisa is the most splendiferous assemblage of Romanesque architecture in Italy. Faced in gray-and-white striped marble and bristling with columns and arches, the cathedral, with its curiously Islamic dome and matching domed baptistery, rises from an emerald green lawn. It took some 200 years to complete the tower. With a lean that continued to progress even after its completion, the tower underwent thorough repairs from 1990 through 2001, which are intended to keep it from falling over for the next 200 years.

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Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

The Temple of Artemis, also known less precisely as Temple of Diana, was a Greek temple dedicated to Artemis completed— in its most famous phase— around 550 BC at Ephesus (in present-day Turkey). Though the monument was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, only foundations and sculptural fragments of the temple remain. There were previous temples on its site, where evidence of a sanctuary dates as early as the Bronze Age. It aroused the admiration of even Alexander the Great who would have liked to have taken charge - at his own expense - of the continuation of the work. Among others, Scopas and Praxiteles worked there, while the design is attributed to Chirocratus.

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The foundation of the temple was rectangular in form, similar to most temples at the time. Unlike other sanctuaries, however, the building was made of marble, with a decorated facade overlooking a spacious courtyard.On July 21, 356 B.C., the day Alexander the Great was born, a man named Herostratus burned down the temple. A new temple of Artemis, designed by Dinocrates, was built in its place.The great temple was eventually destroyed successively by invading Gothic hordes, earthquakes, and plunderers. Today, only a solitary column remains of this once-glorious structure.

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The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, also known as the Hanging Gardens of Semiramis, near present-day Al Hillah, Babil in Iraq, are considered to be one of the original Seven Wonders of the World. In antiquity the city profited from its location extending across the main overland trade route connecting the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean. Although the site was settled in prehistoric times, Babylon is first mentioned in documents only in the late 3rd millennium BC. About 2200 BC it was known as the site of a temple, and during the 21st century BC it was subject to the nearby city of Ur. Babylon became an independent city-state by 1894 BC, when the Amorite Sumu-abum founded a dynasty there.

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This dynasty reached its high point under Hammurabi. In 1595 BC the city was captured by Hittites, and shortly thereafter it came under the control of the Kassite dynasty (circa 1590-1155 BC). The Hanging Garden has plants cultivated above ground level, and the roots of the trees are embedded in an upper terrace rather than in the earth.This is a work of art of royal luxury and its most striking feature is that the labor of cultivation is suspended above the heads of the spectators.

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The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall was originally built in the Spring, Autumn, and Warring States Periods as a defensive fortification by the three states: Yan, Zhao and Qin.The Great Wall is the world's longest human-made structure, stretching over approximately 6,400 km (4,000 miles) from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Nur in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia, but stretches to over 6,700 km (4,160 miles) in total.The Great Wall of China was built mainly to protect the Chinese Empire from the Mongolians and other invaders.

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The Great Wall was first built in the 7th century B.C. when China was still divided into many small states. great wall is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance. The Great Wall of China made the country of China itself into a fortress. It is built out of a simple structure of bricks, stone, and dirt. Slabs of stone were used for the base and sides of the wall, and it is filled in with dirt, rocks, and rubble.

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Pyramids

The Egyptian pyramids are ancient pyramid-shaped masonry structures located in Egypt. The ancient Egyptians built pyramids as tombs for the pharaohs and their queens.Ancient Egyptians believed that when the pharaoh died, he became Osiris, king of the dead. The new pharaoh became Horus, god of the heavens and protector of the sun god. This cycle was symbolized by the rising and setting of the sun.There are about 110 pyramids currently known in Egypt, many in a state of great disrepair and almost unrecognisable.

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The largest and most famous of all the pyramids, the Great Pyramid at Giza, was built by Snefru's son, Khufu, known also as Cheops, the later Greek form of his name. Originally about 480 feet tall, the Great Pyramid's base has sides that are longer than 754 feet and are oriented in the direction of the four cardinal points of the compass. Pyramid building was at its height from the Fourth through the Sixth Dynasties. Smaller pyramids continued to be built for more than one thousand years.

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Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal (also "the Taj") is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, Taj Mahal means "Crown Palace" and is in fact the most well preserved and architecturally beautiful tomb in the world. a style that combines elements from Persian, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. Taj Mahal is regarded as one of the eight wonders of the world, and some Western historians have noted that its architectural beauty has never been surpassed . The beauty of this magnificent monument is such that it is beyond the scope of words. It is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.

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Taj Mahal was constructed over a period of twenty-two years, employing twenty thousand workers. It was completed in 1648 C.E. at a cost of 32 Million Rupees. At its centre lies a square garden area bounded by two smaller, oblong sections, one comprising the mausoleum and the other an entrance gateway. The "symbol of eternal love", Taj at Agra is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular marvel of the world. it considered among man's proudest creations and is constantly included in the list of the world's topmost wonders.

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Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided gorge carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona.he Grand Canyon is a natural formation that made its home in one of the few places that could match its majesty. it cuts across the Grand Canyon National Park. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park one of the first national parks in the United States. The Grand Canyon cuts steeply through an arid plateau region that lies between about 1,500 and 2,700 m (about 5,000 and 9,000 ft) above sea level. This region, Its horizontal strata retrace the geological history of the past 2 billion years.

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Veteran of Grand Canyon will tell you that the best part of a Colorado River trip is the hiking. Slot canyons beckon around every bend, many of which hide springs, fern grottoes, and travertine waterfalls.This is one of the few places on Earth where such a large portion of the planet's geological history can be viewed first-hand. It rock strata are like the pages of a book, each one detailing a different chapter in the formation of the planet as we know it.

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