Showing posts with label Wonders of the World. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wonders of the World. Show all posts

Monday, October 8, 2012

World of Wonders Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu
 
Temple of the Sun Machu Picchu, Peru
Temple of the Sun
 
Room of the three windows, Machu Picchu, Peru
Room of the three windows
 
Intihuatana Stone Machu Picchu Peru
Intihuatana Stone
 
The "City of the Incas" Machu Picchu is located in the Cusco Region of Peru, South America.  Archaelogists believe construction began around 1400 at the height of the Inca empire, however the site was abandoned as the official home of the Inca rulers a century later.

Known only to locals until 1911 when Hiram Bingham brought it to the World's attention, Machu Picchu was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

3D Tour of Macchu Picchu
UNESCO Machu Picchu page
Wiki Travel Guide

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Sunday, July 8, 2012

Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa

Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa

Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa Wall Relief

Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa Photo

Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa

Tunneled into the bedrock during the age of the Antonine emperors (2nd century AD), the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa ("Mound of shards") are located in Alexandria, Egypt and considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages.
 
The Necropolis consists of a series of Alexandrian tombs, statues and archaeological objects of the Pharaonic funeral cult.  Because of the time period, many of the features of the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa merge Roman, Greek and Egyptian styles.

According to lore the Hall of Caracalla is a mass burial chamber for the humans and animals massacred by order of the most notorious Roman Emperor Caracalla (188-217).

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Friday, April 6, 2012

Wonders of the World Bagan Temples Myanmar






An ancient city located in the Mandalay Region of Burma (Myanmar). From 1044 to 1287, Bagan was the capital as well as the political, economic and cultural nerve center of the Pagan Empire. At the peak of the empire's power over 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries were constructed in the Bagan plains alone, of which the remains of over 2200 temples and pagodas still survive to the present day.

The Pagan Empire collapsed in 1287 due to repeated Mongol invasions, the city, once home to some 50,000 to 200,000 people, had been reduced to a small town, never to regain its preeminence

Significant temples and architectural images from marlandc.com
Bagan on Wikipedia

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Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Chauvet Cave, Wonders of the World





The Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave located in the Ardèche department of southern France contains the world's earliest known cave paintings.  Hundreds of animal paintings depicting at least 13 different species date back some 30,000 years. 

Found accidentally by three local cavers - Christian Hillaire, Eliette Brunel-Deschamps and Jean-Marie Chauvet after whom the cave was named.  It has more recently been the subject of Werner Herzog's new film 'Cave of Forgotten Dreams 3D'.

Chauvet Caves Official Website