25 ancient architectural wonders hidden on our planet

Coliseum and the Great Wall of China is impressive and everyone knows about them. But in a world where there are plenty of lesser-known architectural monuments of bygone eras. These artifacts are considered to be real miracles and not just because it looks impressive. Even today, we not fully understand how our ancestors were able to build such facilities. < Website published an impressive collection of little-known architectural wonders from all corners of our planet.

1. Temple Minakshi

Source photos: Kulturologia.ruHram Meenakshi in the south-east Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is named after the Hindu goddess Meenakshi Temple - one of the avatars wife of Lord Shiva. The temple, which is decorated with 14 Gopuram (50-meter towers, decorated with religious subjects) and more than 33,000 sculptures inside, not very well known, but without doubt one of the most amazing architectural wonders of the world.

2. Giant Buddha in Leshane



The world's largest carved stone Buddha statue is located near the Chinese city of Leshan at the junction of three rivers. Next to him, people feel ants, because the height of the Giant Buddha is 71 meters. The hair of the statue made in 1021 in the form of braids (this is done so that the water flowed freely from it). Carving statue in the rocks began monk Hai Tong, water to calm the spirits of the rivers, which allegedly overturned boat. Finish the job in 90 years after his death in 803.

3. Sheikh Mosque Lyutfully



One of the best examples of Safavid Iranian architecture stands in the heart of the Iranian city of Isfahan. Sheikh Lyutfully mosque is unique in that it does not have a single minaret and patio. The reason for this is that it was originally built for the women of the harem of the Shah. The prayer hall woman fell through the tortuous underground corridor. Tiles that lined the dome during the day changes its color from cream to pink.

4. Chand Baori



Chand Baori, which is an excellent example of mathematics in architecture, a step well built in the 10th century to provide a stable supply of water in the arid Indian state of Rajasthan. The depth of a unique 13-layer construction - 30 meters. Local legends say that Chand Baori was built in one night by ghosts.

5. Palmira



The sensational in the international press because of the recent capture of the city LIH, Syrian Palmyra - a well-preserved example of ancient ruins, which used several ancient civilizations. Once the inhabitants of Palmyra were legendary traders who have established their colony on the Silk Road.

6. Saksayuaman



On the far outskirts of Cusco in Peru is Sacsayhuaman: the ruins of the huge Inca fortress. Less photogenic and less known as compared to Machu Picchu, Sacsayhuaman is actually a feat of human engineering. Thousands of years later, between the stones, the weight of which reaches up to 120 tons, it is impossible to squeeze even a sheet of paper.

7. Great Mosque Dzhenne



Great Mosque in the Malian town of Jenna - a real architectural marvel. This building is the largest structure of clay and soil in the world and one of the best examples of Sudanese-Sahelian architecture. During the festival in April and May, locals covered mosque new layer of clay to seal cracks arising under the scorching sun severnoafrikanskim.

8. Colossus Rodosskiy



One of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Colossus of Rhodes was one of the tallest man-made structures in the ancient world (and the only structure of this list, which has not survived to the present day). Colossus of the size of two-thirds of the Statue of Liberty was built in honor of the Greek god Helios, the sun on the island of Rhodes in 280 BC. e.

9. Hattusa



The capital of the Hittite Empire, which dominated the southern and eastern parts of Turkey, was the city of Hattusa. Today, these excavations were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Hattusa is known for its two sphinxes and cuneiform tablets, one of which is the earliest known example of a peace treaty.

10. Wat Rong Khun



This is one of the few major Buddhist temples in Thailand that do not charge a fee for entrance, is located near the Thai town of Chiang Rai. It is about Wat Rong Khun, also known as the White Church. Local artist Chalermchai Kositpipat financed the construction of the complex in 1997 in the hope that it will make him immortal.

11. Peyrepertyuz



Peyrepertuse Castle stands on a 800-meter cliff on the border of France and Spain. The ruins of the castle are part of the "Five Sons of Carcassonne" (mountain chain of fortresses).

12. Deravar



This is one of the few places in the world where the need permission of the local leader (amir), to enter into it. Unfortunately, on the Pakistani fortress derawar little known in the world, and it's a real shame. The architectural marvel of the Middle East boasts a 30-meter high walls that look like inverted clay pots. The perimeter of the fortress is 1, 5 km. Visit derawar - not for the faint of heart: to get there, you need to obtain a permit, hire a guide and all-wheel drive SUV, then 4:00 to go across the desert from the city of Bahawalpur

13.. Monte Alban



Monte Alban - the best example of buildings Zapotec civilization, which ruled much of south-western part of Mexico about two thousand years ago. Although Zapotec virtually disappeared around 500 AD. e., Monte Alban has remained until now.

14. Old bridge in Mostare



Initially, pedestrian bridge over the Neretva River in the Bosnian town of Mostar was built in 1566 by the Ottoman architect Mimar Hajredin during the rule of the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. "Old Bridge" is one of the most valuable Bosnia and Herzegovina landmarks. Destroyed during the Bosnian war in the 1990s, the bridge was rebuilt and officially re-opened in 2004.

15. Ziggurat in Ure



The best-preserved temple complex of ancient Mesopotamia was built in the XXI century BC. e. (About 2047 BC. E.) In the city of Ur. This ancient Sumerian ziggurat (stepped pyramid terraced) was built of mud brick in honor of the god Nanna Moon.

16. Knoss



Despite the fact that the former city of Knossos on the Greek island of Crete is considered the oldest city in Europe (1700 BC. E.), It is not well known. Once upon a time this place was a political and ceremonial center of the Minoan civilization. According to legend, it is next to the famous Knossos was a labyrinth of Daedalus, which was awarded the Minotaur.

17. Borobudur



Hardly anyone will be able to immediately call the largest Buddhist temple in the world. It Borobudur in Java, Indonesia, which is used even today by Buddhist pilgrims. In this gigantic temple in the form of a stupa pilgrims ascend to the top of his to symbolically go through three levels of Buddhist cosmology: Kāmadhātu (the world of desires), Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and Arupadhatu (the world of formlessness). Visitors can find here the Buddhas at every step - because their whole Borobudur 504.

18. Great Indian stena



Great Wall of China is famous all over the world, however, is not the only big wall in Asia. The state of Rajasthan is India's Great Wall, which is the second longest wall in the world (36 km), and which surrounds the Kumbalgarh Fort. Within the walls of this fortress is located more than 360 temples and wall construction took almost 100 years.

19. Persepol



Persepolis, literally "city of the Persians," today is the preserved evidence of one of the greatest civilizations of the ancient world. Largely built thanks to Darius I and Xerxes the Great, this architectural wonder in Iran is particularly famous Gate of Nations through which had to go through all future emperors.

20. El Mirador



Spread over an area of ​​2,000 square kilometers in Guatemala, El Mirador less known than Tikal, but is much more impressive. The largest structure of the metropolis - Danta pyramid complex, which is more than even the Egyptian pyramids

21.. Mikeny



The ancient Greek city of Mycenae, located to the southwest of Athens, known for its massive fortress and Tolosa - tombs in the form of hives. The stones used for the construction of the city was so great that later Greeks believed that the city was built by Cyclops.

22. Monument Midasu



During archaeological raskopou in the northwestern Turkish city Yazılıkaya discovered an ancient city built around 600-700 GG BC. e. The most famous monument in the area is a monument to Midas, so named because it was considered the tomb of King Midas. In fact, it is not a grave, and a carved rock with a niche, covered and not deciphered inscriptions Phrygian

23. Baalbek



Lebanese city of Baalbek (known to the Romans as Heliopolis, "city of the sun") was one of the largest sanctuaries in the Roman Empire and survived quite well, especially the Temple of Bacchus. In the ruins of Baalbek hosts an annual festival where performers act ballet, theater, jazz and so on. D.

24. Mohenjo-Daro



One of the largest towns in the ancient world, Moenjodaro was lost in the thousands of years in the floodplain of the Indus River in what is now Pakistan. This city of the Indus Valley civilization emerged about 2600 BC. e. Despite this ancient age, it was built water and sewage at a level which did not dream the West until the 20th century.

25. Underground temples Lalibela

SaytOsnovnoy attraction of a small Ethiopian town of Lalibela, is a complex of churches and tunnels that were built right inside the rocks. Build these underground churches have been more than 800 years ago. The roofs of the churches are on the ground level, and the rest - under the ground

. via www.kulturologia.ru/blogs/060616/29878/