5 Must See Monuments and Memorials in Paris

Paris, the capital and the largest city in France is home for nearly 3,500 historical monuments and four UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Here are some of monuments and memorials in Paris that you must not miss when visiting Paris.

Arc de Triomphe

Arc de Triomphe with the French Flag (Best example for Neoclassical architecture)

Arc de Triomphe is a 164 feet high monument and one among Paris’s most famous monuments. This monument is one of the finest examples of Neoclassical architecture style. The commissioning of Arc de Triomphe began in 1806; however, the entire construction was completed only in 1836 as the construction was halted for various reasons. The masterminds behind this famous monument are Jean Chalgrin, Louis-Etienne Hericart de Thury. Arc de Triomphe holds a lot of sculptures, reliefs, details about some of the great battles, etc. With the help of a lift, visitors can reach the top of the monument and can get a panoramic view of the Paris city (one has to climb the last 46 steps).

Cleopatra’s Needle

Cleopatra's Needle or Luxor Obelisk

Cleopatra’s Needle is an ancient Egyptian obelisk and is re-erected in three cities, namely, London, Paris and New York. If you think this has any connection with Queen Cleopatra of Egypt, it is not so. They were already more than thousand years old when Queen Cleopatra was alive. Cleopatra’s Needle at Paris once served as the entrance to the Luxor Temple. Cleopatra’s Needle is also sometimes referred as “Luxor Obelisk.” It is 23 meters high and is made of red granite. The total weight of the obelisk is believed to be 250 tonnes.

Flame of Liberty

Flame of Liberty, above the tunnel of Pont de l'Alma where Princess Diana died in an accident

One can notice a torch with flame in the hands of Statue of Liberty, one of the wonders of the world at the New York City; Flame of Liberty is a gold leaf covered replica of the flame in the torch. This monument is 3.5 meters high and is located in the 8^th arrondissement. International Herald Tribune offered this to represent the celebration of 100 years (completed in 1987) of publishing an English language newspaper in Paris in 1989. This also served as a token of friendship when the restoration work in the Statue of Liberty took place. This is one of the major tourist attractions for Diana followers after she died in an accident in a tunnel beneath Pont de l’Alma.

July Column

Colonne de Juillet with the three glorious (Trois Glorieuses) dates of July

July Column (Colonne de Juillet) is yet another famous monument in Paris that commemorates “Trois Glorieuses” or the “Three Glorious” days in the month of July during the Revolution of 1830 when the “July Monarchy” of Louis-Philippe commenced with the fall of Charles X of France. this project actually started to commemorate the “Fall of the Bastille” in the year 1792; however, the project did not get past the foundation laying stage. It is 154 feet high and weighs 74,000 kilograms.

Pantheon, Paris

Pantheon de Paris, a church converted as a mausoleum

When said Paris, can anyone forget Pantheon? Yes, Pantheon (located in the 5^th arrondissement) is one of the must see mausoleum in Paris; this was initially built as a church that was dedicated to St. Genevieve and for her relics. This is yet another best example for Neoclassical architecture styles. The masterminds behind this famous mausoleum are architects Jacques-Germain Soufflot and Jean-Baptiste Rondelet.

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Architectural Wonders – 5 Splendid Step Pyramids

I always awe at the sight of old buildings for the way they have been constructed without using any modern machinery or equipment; have you? One such architectural wonder is the “Brihadeeswarar Temple” or “Big Temple” in India that does not cast a shadow on the ground. There are so many such architectural wonders and one among them is the pyramids. Step pyramids are large structures and are made of several layers of stone. Here are some of the fabulous and impressive step pyramids just for you.

5. Pyramid of Djoser, Memphis, Egypt

Pyramid of Djoser, first step pyramid in Egypt

Image courtesty

Pyramid of Djoser is the first step pyramid built in Egypt by the architect Imhotep during 27^th century BC. It has six mastabs, meaning flat roof rectangular surfaces that are built on top of one another. It is made of white polished limestone. The total height of the pyramid is 62 meters. The complex is surrounded by 10.5 meters high Tura limestone walls. Pyramid of Djoser has six steps and the entire structure was built in two stages.

4. Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacan, Mexico

Pyramid of the Moon, Mexico 

This is the second largest pyramid in Teotihuacan and was believed to be constructed between 200 and 450 AD. There is a platform on top of the pyramid; this is where the ceremonies are conducted for the Great Goddess of Teotihuacan. She is the goddess of water, fertility, earth and creation. To the opposite of this platform, one can find Plaza of the Moon; this contains the central altar and the bodies are positioned to form a cross known as the “Teotihuacan Cross.”

3. Borobudur, Magelang, Indonesia

Borobudur, UNESCO World Heritage Site in Indonesia

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This is a 9^th century Mahayana Buddhist monument with six square platforms that are topped by three circular platforms. This is decorated with 2,672 relief panels (a sculpture created using relief panels gives an impression that the sculpture is raised above the background) and 504 Buddha statues. Borobudur was constructed during Sailendra Dynasty during the 9^th century. Borobudur is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most visited tourist attractions in Indonesia.

2. Ziggurat of Ur, Dhi Qar Province, Iraq

Ziggurat of Ur (house whose foundation creates terror)

Ziggurat of Ur, also called as the Great Ziggurat of Ur means “house whose foundation creates terror” and was built during 21^st century BC (Early Bronze Age). This was later restored by King Nabonidus as the ziggurat crumbled during 6^th century BC. This is a gigantic step pyramid and is 100 feet high and 210 feet in length.

1. El Castillo, Chichen Itza, Yucatan

The famous equinox at El Castillo, Yucatan

Castillo means “castle” in Spanish; this is also called as the “Temple of Kukulkan” and was built somewhere between 9^th and 12^th centuries CE. This temple was built for the God Kukulkan; he is the Yucatec Maya Feathered Serpent deity. There are a series of square terraces on all four sides of the temple; each side has 91 steps when all these steps added with the top step, the total is 365. During spring and autumn equinoxes, sun rays fall on the northwest corner of the pyramid; this casts a triangular shadow and it is believed that an illusion of the feathered serpent crawling is formed. National Institute of Anthropology and History is maintaining this site recently.

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10 Must See World Famous Towers

A tower is in general a tall structure that can either stand alone or be a part of a large structure. The oldest tower known is a circular stone tower constructed in 8000 BC. There are lots of world famous towers; find a short list of 10 famous and must see towers of the world.

10. Himalayan Towers, Tibet

Himalayan Towers, the stone star-shaped towers, Tibet

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Himalayan Towers is also referred as “Stone star-shaped tower.” These are a series of stone towers where the major part of the tower is located in Kham with minor parts in various cities like Changthang, Miniak, Kongpo and Gyalrong. It is believed that this tower is very old and may have been built anywhere between 500 and 1800 years ago. The star shape was constructed to strengthen the towers.

9. Shukhov Tower, Moscow

Shukhov Tower, the first hyperboloid structure

Shukhov Tower is a radio tower in Moscow; it is also called as the Shabolovka Tower. This is a free-standing structure designed by Vladimir Shukhov. It is 160 meter high and is built of steel. Shukhov Tower was built during the Russian Civil War. This tower has a hyperboloid structure and features in the list of Endangered Buildings of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

8. Zizkov Television Tower, Prague

Zizkov Tower, an example of high-tech architecture

An example of high-tech architecture, this tower was designed by the architect Vaclav Aulicky and the construction took place between 1985 and 1992. This tower dominates the skyline of Prague. This tower has a nickname called “Baikonur” due to its rock shape. It is sad to say, but the truth is that the Czechs have voted this tower as “the second ugliest building in the world.” despite this fact of ugliest building, the management of the tower is trying to woo visitors by showing the technological innovations.

7. El Faro Towers, Argentina

El Faro Towers, the two, twin interconnected towers

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El Faro Towers was designed by the architect Torres El Faro; these are two, twin interconnected towers. The total height of the tower is 160 meter and has 160 apartments. These have a gym, sauna, spa, outdoor pool, underground parking for both the occupants and the guests. Initially, it was decided to construct a 170 meter high tower, but later was reduced to 160 meter. There are aerial bridges connecting these two towers at 4 levels; the construction of the first tower got over in 2003 and the second tower in 2005.

6. Sky Tower, New Zealand

Sky Tower, the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere

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Sky Tower, designed by Craig Craig Moller Ltd. is an observation and telecommunications tower. It is 328 meters tall and the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere. It is believed that on an average around 50,000 visitors visit this iconic tower of New Zealand every year. There is a feature called “Skyjump” in the observation deck for jumpers; they are controlled by guide-cable-control to prevent collision of jumpers with the tower. Due to the extensive illumination, various projects were promoted by displaying various light colors from Sky Tower.

5. Big Ben, United Kingdom

Big Ben, world's largest four-faced chiming clock

Big Ben, the most popular landmark and a tourist attraction of United Kingdom is a clock tower and is the world’s largest four-faced chiming clock. The construction of Big Ben was completed in the year 1859; the year 2009 marked the 150^th year of this iconic structure. The tower is 96.3 meters high, where the bottom 61 meter of the structure is constructed using brickwork and the remaining tower is made of cast iron. Due to various changes in the ground conditions, Big Ben has started to tilt a little to the north-west and sometimes oscillates between east and west. It is a good idea to visit this iconic structure before any severe damage is done.

4. CN Tower, Canada

CN Tower, the largest free-standing structure in the world

CN Tower was the world’s largest free-standing structure before the construction of Burj Khalifa and attracts nearly 2 million international visitors every year. CN refers to “Canadian National,” which is the railway company of Canada that built this free-standing structure in the year 1976. CN Tower is one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World. The lighting scheme of the tower is changed to celebrate major events; incandescent lights were used to light the tower earlier, but not anymore. It has the famous 360 revolving restaurant.

3. Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy, a free-standing bell tower

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Leaning Tower of Pisa a free-standing bell tower of a cathedral; it is a very popular tourist attraction and a landmark of Italy. The total height of the tower from the low side is 56.70 meter and from the ground is 55.86 meter. It is tough to believe that the entire construction of the tower took in phased manner and the time frame taken to complete the construction was 177 years. There is a speculation about the architect behind this powerful landmark; therefore, not sure on whose idea it is.

2. Eiffel Tower, France

Eiffel Tower, the tallest building in Paris and a popular tourist destination

Eiffel Tower is the tallest building in Paris and a famous tourist place; this was constructed in the year 1889 as an arch at the entrance of the 1889 World’s Fair. The architect of the Eiffel Tower is Gustave Eiffel and therefore named as Eiffel Tower in his remembrance. The total height of the tower is 320 meters. If the broadcast antennas are not included, this is the second tallest structure in France. There are totally three levels in the tower and tickets are sold to visit the first and second levels; one can also have tasty food in these levels as there are lots of restaurants. Each year, Eiffel Tower receives close to million visitors.

1. Petronas Tower, Malaysia

Petronas Towers, Malaysia, the tallest twin building ever built

Can anybody forget or leave Petronas Towers when talking about world’s famous towers? Petronas Tower, also called as the Petronas Twin Towers is the tallest twin building ever built; it was designed by the architect Cesar Phil and Deejay Cerico with consultations from J.C. Guinto and Dominic Minick Saibo. This tower has 88 floors; it was the second tower that was completed first. Tower 1 is exclusively for Petronas and their subsidiaries; however, Tower 2 has a lot of offices for many giant companies like Huawei Technologies, TCS, HCL, Accenture, Bloomberg, etc.

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Australia: 10 Major Tourist Attractions in Sydney

Sydney is not only a big city in Australia, but also a great place for scenic views, nightlife, aquariums, parks, and much more. It was found that in the year 2008, Sydney received close to 2.7 visitors from all over the world. When talking about Australia or Sydney, the first point of visitor attraction that comes to our mind is the Sydney Opera House. It is definitely one of the major attractions, but there are other tourist attractions too. Discover some of the major points of tourist attractions in Sydney here.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Panoramic view of Sydney Harbour Bridge from the north shore of Kirribillli

Image courtesy: Wikipedia

Sydney harbour is one of the world’s most beautiful natural harbours and the Sydney Harbour Bridge carries almost all modes of transportation between Sydney Central Business District and the North Shore; it is a steel bridge. Sydney Harbour Bridge holds a Guinness World Record for the widest long-span bridge in the world. One of the major tourist attractions of the Sydney Harbour Bridge is the south-east pylon; one can access this through a pedestrian walkway. It is a major tourist attraction almost all through the year, but it is at its best during the New Year Eve.

Sydney Opera House

View of Sydney Opera House at night

When talking about Australia can anyone forget the famous Opera House? Sydney Opera House is the one of the most distinctive buildings of the 20^th century that was conceived by a Danish Architect named Jorn Ultzon. This building entered the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the year 2007. There are multiple performing avenues in this building and is a chief tourist attraction in Sydney. One can find a lot of recording studios, cafes, retail outlets, restaurants, and much more in this distinguishing building.

Royal Botanical Gardens

A pond at the Royal Botanical Gardens

Image courtesy: wikipedia

The total area of the Royal Botanical gardens is 30 hectares and is the most central of the three botanical gardens present in Sydney and maintained by the trust of “The Domain.” It is situated east of Sydney Opera House. If you wish to see fruitbats and grey-headed flying foxes, the best place to visit is the Royal Botanical Gardens; however, for the past couple of years, huge recorded sounds are played to drive away the fruitbats as they destroy the trees in the garden. The garden is opened on all days throughout the year.

Luna Park

The current face at the entrance of Luna Park

Luna Park is an amusement park located at Milsons Point, the northern shore of Sydney Harbour. This amusement park was opened in the year 1935, which was then opened to the public only for nine months a year; however, after 1972, this park is opened all year-round. This park was closed often for repair works and renovations, but is now functional till date from 2004. This amusement park holds a place in the New South Wales State Heritage Register. The main point of attraction is the Luna Park’s face; it is 30 feet wide. There are a list of rides like Rotor, Flying Saucer, Tango Train, Wild Mouse, and Tumblebug to name a few. There are also separate rides for kids like Whirly Wheel, U-Drive, etc.

Sydney Tower

Sydney Tower, tallest free standing structure in Sydney

Sydney Tower is the tallest free-standing structure in Sydney and the second tallest in Australia; it is called by various names such as Sydney Tower Eye, AMP Tower, Centrepoint, etc. This is one of the major tourist attractions of Sydney and can be seen from various vantage points across the city. The construction of the tower was over in the year 1975; public access was given only in the year 1981. The shopping center was connected to other areas of the tower in the year 2009; this is when the large illuminated “Westfield” logo came into place. Four sections of the tower are opened to public; this includes restaurants, observation deck, etc. The famous 360 revolving restaurant is at Level 1, Sydney Tower Buffet and Level 2 and Sky Venue, the highest event space in the entire southern hemisphere is at Level 3.

Taronga Zoo

Rustic Bridge at Taronga Zoo, designed with reminiscent of Italian grottoes

Taronga Zoo is yet another tourist attraction situated in the shores of Sydney Harbour and was officially opened in the year 1916. Taronga means “beautiful view” in the aboriginal word. This is one of the largest zoos in the world with over 2,600 animals spread across an area of 52 acres. The rustic bridge of the zoo was designed with reminiscent of Italian grottoes. There is a taronga ferry wharf available for the tourists to go around the zoo and is one of the preferred modes of transport.

Sydney Aquarium

Sharks at Sydney Aquarium

Image courtesy: Wikipedia

Sydney Aquarium is opened to public and is situated on the east side of Darling Harbour. This aquarium holds the largest collection of aquatic species of Australia with nearly 6,000 fishes. How will it be if sharks swim above your head? Does that sound terrifying? Don’t worry…this aquarium has acrylic glass tunnels and this is where the sharks move; this gives the visitors an impact of sharks moving above their head. Sydney Aquarium also holds a miniature or a recreation of “The Great Barrier Reef.”

Bondi Beach

Panoramic View of Bondi Beach

Image courtesy: Wikipedia

Bondi Beach is a popular name in the area and one of the main points of tourist attraction. In the aboriginal word, bondi mean “water breaking over rocks” and according to the Australian Museum, bondi mean “place where a flight of nullas took place.” This beach holds a place in the Australian National Heritage List. Surfing is a major sport in this beach. Surf Live Saving Australia has given a rating of 4 to the northern end and 7 to the southern side in a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 mean safe and 10 mean hazardous.

Darling Harbour

Panoramic View of the Darling Harbour

Image courtesy: Wikipedia

Darling harbour is situated very close to Sydney city center and one of the largest recreational areas on the outskirts of Sydney Central Business District. There are lots of tourist attractions near Darling harbour; some of them include: 

• Harbourside Shopping Centre
• Tumbalong Park
• Powerhouse Museum
• Sydney Aquarium

Blue Mountains

Panoramic view of the Blue Mountains with Three Sisters on the far left

Image courtesy: Wikipedia

The foot hills of these Blue Mountains starts roughly around 50 km west of the state capital and extends towards the west of Coxs River. At different elevations, one can experience different climatic conditions; the weather ranges from subzero to 22 degrees centigrade. At the higher ridges, major vegetation is eucalyptus plants and on the sheltered gorges, one can witness rainforests. Blue Mountains became a part of UNESCO World Heritage list on November 2000. What is there for tourists at Blue Mountains? There are a number of tourist attractions like: 

• The Giant Staircase; this provide natural walk along the valley and passes very close to Three Sisters, the natural sandstone rock formation.
• Limestone caves called the Jenolan Caves.
• Toy museum
• Apple orchards at Shipley Plateau.
• The Zig Zag Railway

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10 Most Celebrated Domes of the World

talking about architecture domes have a significant place. Domes are structural elements of architecture and they resemble a hollow upper half of a sphere. One can also call a dome as an arch that is rotated around its central vertical axis. The tradition of constructing multiple domes first started when church architecture started in Russia.

There are various types of domes such as onion domes, corbel domes, oval domes, parabolic domes, polygonal domes, umbrella domes, and much more. Find out some of the most celebrated domes around the world. This is just a list of 10 most celebrated domes from a very huge list of domes. Domes are indeed one of the most famous tourist attractions in the world.

Pantheon, Rome, Italy

Pantheon, Largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world

In Greek language, Pantheon means “to every god;” as the name suggests this was commissioned by Marcus Agrippa to all the gods of Ancient Rome, which was later completed by Emperor Hadrian around 126 AD. Pantheon in Rome is one of the most preserved Roman buildings.

This is a circular building with a granite portico and large Corinthian columns. There is a vestibule that links the porch and the rotunda (rotunda is any building that has a circular ground plan). Pantheon has a concrete dome and was built close to 2,000 years ago; this is still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world.

Suleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey

Suleymaniye Mosque, the second largest mosque in the world

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Suleymaniye Mosque is the second largest mosque in Istanbul; it took nearly 8 years to complete the construction. This mosque was built under the orders of Sultan Suleyman. This structure combines tall and slender minarets with large domed buildings that are supported by half domes.

Suleymaniye Mosque was designed as a kulliye, which means a complex where there are adjacent structures for both religious and cultural needs. Initially, this complex had hospital, a primary school, public bath, a roadside inn or a Caravanserai, Qur’an schools, school for learning hadith, medical college, and a public kitchen. Even though many of these structures are still in place, some of them have changed; the former imaret has been changed to a well-known restaurant and the hospital to a printing factory that is owned by the Turkish Army.

St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow, Russia

Night view of "The Cathedral of the Protection of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat"

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St. Basil’s Cathedral is the popular name of “The Cathedral of the Protection of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat;” this is a Russian orthodox church. This was originally called the “Trinity Church” or the “Trinity Cathedral.” There are a total of nine churches where the eight churches surround the ninth church that is in the middle in a symmetrical floor plan.

St. Basil’s Cathedral was erected on the Red Square of Moscow between the years 1555-61. The shape of the cathedral is a flame out of a bonfire rising into the sky. Many mislabel this as the Kremlin due to its close proximity. This cathedral is famous for its onion domes.

St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Italy

St. Peter's Basilica, the largest dome in the world - Wide angle view of the altar inside

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The official name of St. Peter’s Basilica in Italian is “Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano.” This is Late Renaissance church that is located within the Vatican City and is one of the holiest Catholic sites. The construction of St. Peter’s Basilica started in the year 1506 and was completed in the year 1626.

The skyline of Rome is dominated by the central dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. The total height of the dome is 136.57 meters from the floor of the basilica to the top of the external cross making it the largest dome in the world.

Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar, India

Harmandir Sahib

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The best-known or the popular name of Harmandir Sahib is the “Golden Temple.” It is a Sikh gurudwara and the construction began when Guru Ram Das (4^th guru) was the guru; the construction got completed during the period when the guru was Guru Arjan Dev (5^th guru).

It was during the 19^th century, the upper floors were covered by gold by Maharaja Ranjit Singh who took over Punjab and protected it from outside attack. This is when Harmandir Sahib got its present name, “Golden Temple.”

Taj Mahal, Agra, India

Taj Mahal, yellowish color during dusk. This monument is famous for its color changing properties as the day passes.

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Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan, a Mughal Emperor in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The entire structure was constructed using white marble. Taj Mahal is considered as “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.” Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 1983.

The shape of the main dome is onion; therefore, one of the best examples of onion domes. The height of the marble dome is 35 meters which is about the same length as the base; the height of the dome is highlighted by a lotus design.

St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, England

St. Paul's Cathedral - looking up at the dome, first ever triple dome constructed

 St. Paul’s Cathedral is the seat of Bishop of London; the present church was built during the late 17^th century when a rebuilding program took place after the “Great Fire of London.” This was the tallest building in the London for close to 300 years with a total height of 365 feet.

The dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral is one of the world’s highest domes and the church is the second largest church building in the United Kingdom; the first one being the Liverpool Cathedral. There are totally three layers in the large crossing dome and is the first ever triple dome constructed. There are 12 bells, 3 clocks, and one bourdon and a communion.

Ericsson Globe, Stockholm, Sweden

Ericsson Globe, the largest hemispherical building in the world and the world's largest scale model of Solar System

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Ericsson Globe was originally called as the “Stockholm Global Arena” and is currently the world’s largest hemispherical building. It is the national indoor arena of Sweden. The total volume of Ericsson Globe is 605,000 cubic meters. This indoor arena has another feather in its cap; it represents the Sun of the Sweden Solar System and is the largest scale model of Solar System in the world.

How it got its name as the Ericsson Globe? The naming rights of the building was officially acquired by Ericsson in the year 2009 and therefore became to be known as the “Ericsson Globe.” In the year 2010, a funicular railway was opened outside this indoor arena; each of these 2 gondolas can accommodate 16 people. This will take them to a height of 130 meters from where they get a unobstructed virtual view of entire Stockholm; one cannot see such an arrangement anywhere in the world.

Global Pagoda, Mumbai, India

Global Pagoda, the world's largest stone dome and the largest structure in the world that contains relics of Buddha

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The Global Pagoda or the Global Vipassana Pagoda is one of the notable monuments of Mumbai and was inaugurated in the year 2009. This Pagoda was built in gratitude to Buddha and his teachings. The pagoda’s shape was copied from the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon.

This pagoda holds the world record for the largest stone dome built without any supporting pillars; the height of the dome is 29 meters. There are three sub-domes and each of these domes was constructed at different periods. Global Pagoda has one more crown; it is the largest structure in the world that contains relics of Buddha. The construction of the Global Pagoda is still on as they wish to incorporate a museum that will depict both the life as well as the teachings of the Great Gautama Buddha.

The Eden Project, Cornwall, United Kingdom

Eden Project, a modern botanical garden

Eden Project at Cornwall, United Kingdom is famous for its largest greenhouse in the world; it contains almost all plants of the world. There are two huge enclosures with adjoining domes. These domes consist of hundreds and thousands of hexagonal and pentagonal inflated plastic cells; these are supported by steel frames.

This is one of the major tourist attractions of Cornwall. One can witness planted landscapes and vegetable gardens. This site is also famous for a giant bee and a towering robot made from old electrical appliances.

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5 Record Holding Caves of the World

In the early days, primitive people used caves as place of dwellings; they used them for various other purposes like burial or sites for religious practices. These caves are formed due to various geological processes like water erosion, pressure, atmospheric influences, digging, etc. Here is a list of six of the record holding caves of the world; this includes greatest total length, deepest, largest passage and much more…

1.      Greatest Total Length Cave - Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, USA

Mammoth Cave, the greatest total length cave in the world

Image courtesy: Wikipedia

The total length of Mammoth Cave is 628 kilometers and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. Mammoth Cave is inside the Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky, USA; the total area of the park is 52,830 acres. This cave system is very stable as they are made of limestone strata that are capped by sandstone. The national park was established mainly to preserve this cave system, Mammoth Cave. One can witness the endangered Kentucky cave shrimp, an eyeless shrimp at Mammoth Cave.

2.      Longest Surveyed Underwater Cave – Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Sistema Ox Bel Ha cave, longest surveyed underwater cave

Ox Bel Ha means “Three Paths of Water” in the Mayan language. In the last week of March 2011, Sistema Naranjal was connected to Sistema Ox Bel Ha to make it the longest surveyed underwater cave; before this connection, it was Sistema Sac Actun that was the longest surveyed underwater cave system. The total length of Ox Bel Ha is 233.43 km.

3.      Deepest Known Cave - Krubera Cave, Abkhazia, Georgia

Krubera Cave or Voronya Cave, meaning "Crows' Cave"

Image source: nationalgeographic

Krubera Cave, also known as Voronya Cave or Voronja Cave is believed to be the deepest known cave; it was measured from the highest entrance to the lowest point of the cave. This cave is close to 2,000 meters deep. In Russian, Voronya Cave means Crows’ Cave; it was called so as one can see a large number of crows nesting at the entrance pit.

4.      Deepest Vertical Shaft or Vertical Drop Cave – Vrtoglavica Cave, Slovenia, Italy

Vrtoglavica Cave, the deepest vertical shaft cave.

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Vrtoglavica Cave is located inside a mountain called Kanin Mountain; this mountain lies in the Slovenian part of the Julian Alps. What is a vertical shaft? A vertical shaft is a place in the cave where the caver has to abseil, meaning, he/she has to descend using controls like a rope. The total depth of the cave is 603 m. Vrtoglavica means vertigo; there are no documented proofs to know why the cave was called the Vrtoglavica cave.

5.      Largest Passage – Son Doong Cave, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam

Hang Son Doong Cave, the largest passage cave famous for fast-flowing underground river

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In Vietnamese language, Hang Son Doong mean “Mountain River Cave”; this is a cave in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in the Quang Binh Province of Vietnam. This cave is famous for its largest fast-flowing underground river. It was in the year 1991 this cave was found by a local man named Ho-Khanh; earlier to its discovery, people were afraid to cross the cave due to the whistling sound or noise made by the underground river.

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10 Famous Defensive Walls around the World

Defensive Walls is a fortification and are constructed to protect a city or settlement from invaders. These defensive walls are also termed either as city walls or town walls. When said defensive walls or city walls the first wall that comes to our mind is “The Great Wall of China.” Are there other famous city walls? If yes, where are these defensive walls?

10. York City Walls, England, United Kingdom

The wall walk at York City Walls, England

York City walls are in the city of English city of York and this place is known for its city walls right from the times of Romans. York City Walls are also referred to as Bar Walls or Roman Walls. York city in England has more miles of intact walls than any other city in England. It was the Romans who first defensive city walls in York city; this was followed by Danes. It was the Danes who restored the walls built by Romans. York City walls are a scheduled ancient monument and a Grade 1 listed building.

9. Hadrian’s Wall, England-Scotland border

Hadrian's Wall, England-Scotland Border is a UNESCO World Heritage Site 

Hadrian’s Wall is yet another masterpiece of Roman Britain; it was called as Hadrian’s Wall as this city wall was constructed during the rule of Emperor Hadrian. It is believed that many of the gates through the wall have served as customs posts, but not much of evidence is found. Hadrian’s Walls is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This wall is 120 m long, which is 80 Roman miles. It is believed that this wall was built to safeguard the empire and was imposed by divine instruction.

8. Roman Walls of Lugo, Galicia, Spain

An original Roman Gate among the five, Roman Walls of Lugo, Spain

Roman Walls of Lugo was constructed in the 3^rd century and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Majority of the wall is still intact and this wall is at the historic center of Lugo in Spain. Roman walls of Lugo is stated as “the finest example of late Roman fortifications in western Europe.” The length of the walls is 2,120 meters and is 4.2 m wide. There were initially 5 gates, which then became ten as the population of the city increased.

7. Chester city walls, England, United Kingdom

Chester City Walls made of sandstone in England

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Romans started the construction of Chester city walls to protect Chester city in Cheshire, England between 70 and 80 AD. In 100 AD, the wall was reconstructed using sandstone, but the sad part is that the construction didn’t get over for nearly 100 years. It was very difficult to maintain the city walls and therefore, was converted into a major tourist attraction. Many of the medieval structures like Bonewaldesthorne’s Tower, Pemberton’s Parlour, Morgan’s Mount, Phoenix Tower, Barnaby’s Tower, etc., have been incorporated in this major tourist attraction.

6. Moscow Kremlin Wall, Moscow, Russia

Moscow Kremlin Wall by the side of Moskva River, Moscow

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Kremlin wall is considered as one of the symbolic constructions in the history of Russia; this wall was constructed to protect the city of Moscow Kremlin. During the course of time, Russian borders expanded and the canons placed in the wall were removed. The outer perimeter of the Kremlin wall is close to 2200 meters and therefore would look like a loose triangle.

5. Kano City Wall, Kano, Nigeria

Kano City Walls, the most impressive monument in West Africa

Kano City walls is believed to be “the most impressive monument in West Africa.” Majority of the portions of the wall is damaged; this site is submitted to UNESCO World Heritage Site to be a part of it. It is said that the best part of the Kano city wall is the western section. People in Nigeria believe this wall has to be restored.

4. Walls of Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Walls of Dubrovnik along with Mincenta Tower

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Walls of Dubrovnik are one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These defensive walls are considered as great fortification during the Middle Ages as any hostile army was unable to breach the wall and get inside; this stone wall was constructed to protect the people of Dubrovnik city.

3. Fortifications of Xi’an, Shaanxi province, China

Fortifications of Xi'an, oldest and best preserved city walls in China

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These are definitely one among the best preserved and oldest Chinese city walls. These walls were constructed in the year 194 BCE; however, the existing walls were constructed during the rule of Ming Dynasty in 1370. The base layer of the fortifications of Xi’an was done by earth, quick lime and glutinous rice extract.

2. Visby Rigmur, Gotland, Sweden

Visby Rigmur or City Walls of Visby, part of World Heritage City 731.

Image via Wikipedia

This wall is 11 feet high and was constructed in two phases; Rigmur means ringwall in Sweden. Visby Rigmur or the City walls of Visby was constructed during the Medieval period; the oldest defensive tower is called the “Powder Tower.” This wall is part of World Heritage City 731. During the time of construction, there were 29 towers; however, currently there are only 27 towers.

1. Intramuros Walls, Manila, Philippines

Intramuros Walls mean "within the walls" in Latin

Image via manila.gov

Intramuros in Latin means “within the walls” and the seat of the government during the Spanish Colonial Period were the Intramuros Walls. This wall was identified as “On the Verge” of irreparable loss and destruction by the Global Heritage Fund.

Make sure to see these famous walls when you visit these spectacular places.

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