Pyramids of Egypt

The Giza Pyramids, built to endure an eternity, have done just that. The monumental tombs are relics of Egypt's Old Kingdom era and were constructed some 4,500 years ago. Enlarge Pyramids of Giza, Egypt Photograph by James Stanfield Egypt's pharaohs expected to become gods in the afterlife. To prepare for the next world they erected temples to the gods and massive pyramid tombs for themselves—filled with all the things each ruler would need to guide and sustain himself in the next world.

Pharaoh Khufu began the first Giza pyramid project, circa 2550 B.C. His Great Pyramid is the largest in Giza and towers some 481 feet (147 meters) above the plateau. Its estimated 2.3 million stone blocks each weigh an average of 2.5 to 15 tons. Khufu's son, Pharaoh Khafre, built the second pyramid at Giza, circa 2520 B.C. His necropolis also included the Sphinx, a mysterious limestone monument with the body of a lion and a pharaoh's head. The Sphinx may stand sentinel for the pharaoh's entire tomb complex.



The third of the Giza Pyramids is considerably smaller than the first two. Built by Pharaoh Menkaure circa 2490 B.C., it featured a much more complex mortuary temple. Each massive pyramid is but one part of a larger complex, including a palace, temples, solar boat pits, and other features. Building Boom The ancient engineering feats at Giza were so impressive that even today scientists can't be sure how the pyramids were built. Yet they have learned much about the people who built them and the political power necessary to make it happen. The builders were skilled, well-fed Egyptian workers who lived in a nearby temporary city. Archaeological digs on the fascinating site have revealed a highly organized community, rich with resources, that must have been backed by strong central authority. It's likely that communities across Egypt contributed workers, as well as food and other essentials, for what became in some ways a national project to display the wealth and control of the ancient pharaohs. Such revelations have led Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities and a National Geographic explorer-in-residence, to note that in one sense it was the Pyramids that built Egypt—rather than the other way around.

The Story of Leaning Tower of Pisa

Everyone makes mistakes. It"s a simple fact of life. But, unlike, the architect who designed the Leaning tower of Pisa Italy, most people"s mistakes does not weigh 14,500 tonnes. History is a fickle judge, however, and the people of Pisa don"t just like the leaning tower, they adore it. Strange that such a colossal miscalculation has instead been embraced as a symbol of civic pride. But perhaps it"s just a front for the tourist trade - you can purchase a ceramic leaning tower of Pisa of your very own at nearly every souvenir shop in the city.

Located in Campo dei Miracoli (the aptly-named field of Miracles) The history of the leaning tower of Pisa is equally strange. Beginning in 1173 as a bell tower for Pisa"s cathedral, it wasn"t until five years later that began to tilt downward, just after the third floor was completed. As it turned out, the tower was built upon a dense clay mixture that was not nearly strong enough to hold the bell tower, and construction was halted for nearly 100 years. Architects hoped that allowing the soil to settle would stabilize the leaning tower of Pisa Italy. Plus, the city decided to refocus its energy into the war with nearby Genoa that they had become embroiled in.

A hundred years later the crooked history of the leaning tower of Pisa took another step forward, as architect Giovanni di Simone completed four more floors. These rose into the sky at an angle, too, in a misguided attempt to compensate for the original lean. Finally, in 1372, the bell chamber was attached to the top and the tower was gratefully left alone until the 19th century, giving it the shape that is memorialized in so many ceramic leaning tower of Pisa souvenirs across the world.

In 1838, the architect Alessandro Della Gherardesca decided it was a perfectly good idea to dig out a walkway around the tower so that visitors could see its carefully crafted base. Predictably, this only exacerbated the tower"s lean. Benito Mussolini was the next to try his hand at straightening the tower. He ordered the foundation to be filled in with concrete, but the concrete sunk into the wet clay and the leaning tower continued its prolonged descent towards the ground.

There was almost a tragic twist in the history of the leaning tower of Pisa Italy, when during World War II, the invading American army ordered all the towers in the city destroyed to protect against the threat of enemy snipers. Only a last-minute retreat spared the tower from destruction.

Thankfully, combinations of counterweights, excavated soil and slings have finally stabilized one of the most famous buildings in the world - it was reopened in 2001 for tourists to view. Climbing to the top of the tower is one of the most popular activities in Italy, and for good reason. It"s not often you get to climb up the most referenced architectural peculiarity in the world. The panoramic view of the city is not too bad, either, and you can purchase a ceramic leaning tower of Pisa in the gift shop to tilt with you forever.

The Story of Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal " crown of palaces", is a white marble mausoleum located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage".

Taj Mahal is regarded by many as the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Indian architectural styles.

In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the white domed marble mausoleum is the most familiar component of the Taj Mahal, it is actually an integrated complex of structures. The construction began around 1632 and was completed around 1653, employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen. The construction of the Taj Mahal was entrusted to a board of architects under imperial supervision, including Abd ul-Karim Ma'mur Khan, Makramat Khan, and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. Lahauri is generally considered to be the principal designer.