Archive for May, 2008
Built in the Yuan Dynasty, the Forbidden City was reconstructed during the Ming Dynasty and used as the Chinese imperial palace, serving this purpose until the fall of the Qing Dynasty. Today, it is known as the Palace Museum. The Palace Museum has six gates, including the Tiananmen Gate. Its ancient foundation is the largest in the world in terms of surface area, covering approximately 720,000 square meters. Tiananmen, a center of politics from the Qing Dynasty through the era of Mao Tse-Tung, is where laws were proclaimed.
The Statue of Liberty was given to the United States by France in 1876 as a gesture of international goodwill to celebrate the 100th anniversary of American independence. In her right hand, Lady Liberty holds a torch representing freedom; in her left, a tablet inscribed with the date of the Declaration of Independence. The seven points on her crown represent the dream of freedom spreading to the seven seas and continents of the world. The broken chains at her feet symbolize new-found freedom.
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Formally known as Sultan Ahmed Camii, this mosque was built by Sultan Ahmed I, over seven years between 1609 and 1616, and is known as one of the world’s most beautiful Islamic mosques.
Called ‘camii’ in Turkish, the interior walls of the mosque are decorated with around 21,000 beautiful blue and white Iznik ceramic tiles, giving the mosque its more popular name of ‘Blue Mosque’. Some 260 stained glass windows help create a beautifully mystical atmosphere as light streams through them. The mosque is still in use as a place of worship.
The main dome is approximately 43 meters high, with a diameter of approximately 23 meters, and is supported by four marble columns, each measuring roughly 5 meters in diameter. The only mosque in the world to feature six minarets, the Blue Mosque is one of Turkey’s World Heritage sites.
The traditional gasshozukuri architecture is an architectural style still practiced in Japan in locations like Shirakawa-go in Gifu Prefecture and Gokayama in Toyama Prefecture. This type of construction, seen exclusively in regions that see heavy snowfall, features a steeply pitched roof to prevent snow buildup. Smoke from the sunken hearth at the center of family life rises up along the roof, warming the rooms on all floors.
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The striking silhouette of the Sydney Opera House, completed in 1973, recalls either the broad white sails of a ship or a row of seashells.
This structure contains an opera hall, a concert hall, and four other halls, The greenery behind the Opera House includes the Royal Botanic Gardens and a school of music. This structure has come to symbolize the city of Sydney.
Recognized around the world as a symbol of Paris, the Eiffel Tower was built for the Paris World Exposition, held in 1889 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Named after its designer, Gustave Eiffel, plans for this 320-meter tower and its steel structure and unconventional design encountered initial resistance from devotees of Paris’s historic streetscape. Today, it is a designated World Heritage Site and one of the top sightseeing destinations in Paris.
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Recognized around the world as a symbol of Paris, the Eiffel Tower was built for the Paris World Exposition, held in 1889 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Named after its designer, Gustave Eiffel, plans for this 320-meter tower and its steel structure and unconventional design encountered initial resistance from devotees of Paris’s historic streetscape. Today, it is a designated World Heritage Site and one of the top sightseeing destinations in Paris.
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Located near the center of Osaka Prefecture, Osaka Castle was built on flat land on the Uemachi Plateau, on the former site of the Ishiyama Honganji Temple. In 1583, Toyotomi Hideyoshi completed construction of this magnificent and splendid castle, which took three years in total. The castle fell in 1615 during the fighting known as the winter siege and summer siege of Osaka. Later, Tokugawa Hidetada rebuilt and greatly remodeled the castle. However, most of this remodeled Osaka Castle was destroyed during the Boshin War. Today’s castle was restored in 1931, based on paintings of the original on folding screens. Together with those in Nagoya and Kumamoto, Osaka Castle numbers among Japan’s three most important castles.
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Belem Tower is a fortress constructed over the years 1515 to 1519 in the Belem area of Lisbon. The structure’s official name is Torre de São Vicente (St. Vincent’s Tower). In contrast to its beautiful Manueline exterior, this landmark, also known as “our Lady of the River Tagus,” features a water dungeon constructed underground to hold political prisoners. In 1983, it was placed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, together with the Monastery of the Hieronymites. Today, its interior serves as a museum.
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Constructed as a great circular tower surrounded by castle walls, Castel Sant’Angelo is the only castle located within the city of Rome. Built by Roman Emperor Hadrian XIV as his own mausoleum, the structure later came to be used as a castle. Contrary to its name, which means “Holy Angel,” this castle also had a dark side, serving as a prison for political and ideological criminals. Giordano Bruno, a thinker who espoused the heliocentric theory, was imprisoned here for seven years and then burned at the stake. A secret passage connected the castle to the Vatican, and the castle has been used as a place of refuge for the Pope. Today it serves as a military museum.
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