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A guard stone with a figure of one of the great king gods named Dvutharasta, Viruda, Virupaksha and Vaishravana. These four great king gods are believed to be the guardians of Buddhism in Sri Lanka
Black areas on the shield of Piton de la Fournaise ("Peak of the Furnace") are recent lava flows. It is one of the most active volcanoes in the world today.
This monumental [1708] baroque altar with rich multicolored marble and sculptures is the masterpiece by Venetian sculptor Francesco Cabianca [1760s-1737].
The two reconstructed pyramids are 29 (Takideamani: 150-167 CE) and 30 (K?: 167-184 CE), with the pylon of pyramid 28 (Teqerideamani: 246-266 CE) to the right. In the distance are pyramids 21 and 22.
Part of the site: Monasteries of Daphni, Hosios Loukas and Nea Moni of Chios
Description: "Although geographically distant from each other, these three monasteries (the first is in Attica, near Athens, the second in Phocida near Delphi, and the third on an island in the Aegean Sea, near Asia Minor) belong to the same typological series and share the same aesthetic characteristics. The churches are built on a cross-in-square plan with a large dome supported by squinches defining an octagonal space. In the 11th and 12th centuries they were decorated with superb marble works as well as mosaics on a gold background, all characteristic of the 'second golden age of Byzantine art'."
Year of inscription: 1990
Reference: whc.unesco.org/en/list/537
Nuri is an active archaeological site, with archaeologists spending a few weeks here each year (Ref: Nuri Archaeological Expedition). The remains of a temple, including a pillar and a wall with paint remnants on it, have been recently discovered. (Ref: Cleveland Museum of Natural History / Nuri Archaeological Expedition)
Enjoy cruising Halong Bay on Emeraude Classic Cruise, a classy replica of a paddle steamer. Halong Bay has been hailed as a must visit corner of Vietnam, also been recognized from UNESCO as world heritage site. www.emeraude-cruises.com
The Khajuraho group of monuments is located in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, these medieval Hindu and Jain temples are famous for their erotic sculpture.
Credits: Chaostrohy
Riomaggiore (Rimazùu in the local Ligurian language) is a village and comune in the province of La Spezia, situated in a small valley in the Liguria region of Italy. It is the first of the Cinque Terre one meets when traveling north from La Spezia.
The village, dating from the early thirteenth century, is known for its historic character and its wine, produced by the town's vineyards. Riomaggiore is in the Riviera di Levante region and has shoreline on the Mediterranean's Gulf of Genoa, with a small beach and a wharf framed by tower houses. Riomaggiore's main street is Via Colombo and numerous restaurants, bars & shops can be found on this street.
The Via dell'Amore is a path connecting Riomaggiore to its frazione Manarola, also part of the Cinque Terre.
Riomaggiore is the most southern village of the five Cinque Terre, all connected by trail. The water and mountainside have been declared national parks.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to simply as Kew Gardens, are 121 hectares[1] of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England. Kew is also the name of the organisation that runs Kew Gardens and Wakehurst Place gardens in Sussex. It is an internationally important botanical research and education institution with 700 staff and an income of £56 million for the year ended 31 March 2008, as well as a visitor attraction receiving almost 2 million visits in that year.[2] The gardens are a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Created in 1759,[3] the gardens celebrated their 250th anniversary in 2009.
The Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is responsible for the world's largest collection of living plants. The organisation employs more than 650 scientists and other staff. The living collections include more than 30,000 different kinds of plants, while the herbarium, which is the one of the largest in the world, has over 7 million preserved plant specimens. The library contains more than 750,000 volumes, and the illustrations collection contains more than 175,000 prints and drawings of plants. The Kew site includes four Grade I listed buildings and 36 Grade II listed structures in an internationally significant landscape.[4]
In July 2003, the gardens were put on the list of World Heritage Sites[3] by UNESCO.
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Kew Gardens, London's largest UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Home to the world's most diverse collection of living plants and a scientific research centre of international renown, it's the perfect day out.
Discover beautiful glasshouses including the iconic Palm House and its exotic rainforest; the Princess of Wales Conservatory which invites you to explore 10 of the world's climatic zones; and the Waterlily House with its amazing, giant lily pads.
Visitors of all ages love the 59ft (18m) high Treetop Walkway, which soars into the tree canopy offering a bird's-eye view of the gardens. Enjoy a stroll along the Great Broad Walk Borders, home to more than 60,000 plants, and step into history at Kew Palace, the former summer residence of King George III.
Kew Gardens is less than 30 minutes from central London, and easily reached by road, rail, and London Underground.
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The Sackler Crossing is part of a new
route through the 120 hectares of the
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Set low
to the surface of the lake, its serpentine
form seems to float across the water,
allowing people to experience the
surrounding landscape from new
vantage points. The walkway is
fabricated in only two visible materials,
each chosen for their hardwearing
qualities. The deck is formed of granite
treads, laid like railway sleepers between
bronze uprights that serve as a balustrade.
The bronze alloy is of a grade used to
manufacture military submarine propellers.
The Mausoleum.
The second stop on our tour of Rabat, Morocco, was the complex of the modern Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the 12th century Hassan Tower. Construction of the Hassan Tower stopped with the commissioning caliph died, and all that stands is the minaret and some traces of the walls. The modern columns mark the area that the mosque would have filled, and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V occupies the other end of the space.
The current keep was constructed in the 14th century by Bishop Hatfield, replacing the original Norman structure. Its octagonal shape was a development from earlier keeps, which were square or rectangular. The advantages of an octagon were that its corners were much harder to destroy, and that there were no 'blind spots' for those trying to defend it. Blind spots were often a problem with square keeps. Round keeps were another effective design that was frequently used.
The keep was as much a symbol of power as it was a utilitarian feature of a castle, especially in the 14th century when Hatfield built this one.
With time, as the Bishop of Durham's residence evolved from a fortress into a palace, the keep's importance declined. It feel into disuse, and, eventually, ruin.
As many as 30 kings may have been buried in the North Cemetery. Like Nuri, these pyramids are fairly standardised. They are all steep-sided pyramids built of sandstone, with a height between ten and thirty metres. They are stepped and built on a plinth (as at Nuri), with each triangular face was framed by smooth bands of raised masonry along the edges where the faces meet (as at Jebel Barkal).