Famous places of the for their Wonderful sceneries.
Located at the city of Agra in the State of Uttar Pradesh, the Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful masterpieces of the architecture in the world. Agra, situated about 200 km south of New Delhi, was the capital of the Mughals (Moguls), the Muslim Emperors who ruled Northern India between the 16th and 19th centuries. The Mughals were the descendents of two of the most skilled warriors in history : the Turks and the Mongols. The Mughal dynasty reached its highest Strength and fame during the reign of their early Emperors, Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahaan.
It was Shah Jahan who ordered the building of the Taj Mahal, in honor of his wife Arjumand Banu who later became known as Mumtaz Mahal, the Distinguished of the Palace. Mumtaz and Shahjahaan were married in 1612 and over the next 18 years had 14 children together. The Empress died to accompany her husband in his military compaigns, and it was in 1630, in Burhanpur, that she gave birth to her Last Child, for she died in childbirth. So great was the Emperor love to his wife that he ordered the building of the most beautiful mausoleum on Earth for her.
Although it is not known for sure hope planned the Taj, the name of an Indian architect of Fenian descent, Ustad Ahrnad Lahori, has cited in many sources. As soon as construction begin in 1630 Masons, craftsmen, sculptors and calligraphers were summoned from Persia the Ottoman Empire, and Europe to work on the masterpiece. This site was chosen near the Capital, Agra on the Southwest bank of River Yamuna. The architectural complex is comprised of five main elements: the Darwaza or main gateway , the Bageeeha or garden, the Masjid or mosque, Naqqar Khanna or house, and the Rauza or the Taj Mahal mausoleum. The actual Tomb is situated inside the Taj.
The unique Mughal style combines elements of Persian , Central Asian, and Islamic architecture. Most impressive are the black and white chessboard marble floor, the four tall minarets ( 40 m high) at the comers of the structure, and the majestic dome in the middle. On closer look, the lettering of the Quran verse around the archways appears to be uniform, regardless of their height. The lettering spacing and destiny has been customized to give this impression to the beholder. Other illusionary effects have been accounted for in the geometric of the tomb and the tall minarets. The impressive pietra dura art work includes a geometric elements, plants and flowers mostly common in Islamic architecture. The level of sophistication in artwork becomes obvious when one realize that a 3 cm big decorative element contains more than 50 inlaid gemstones.
The ancient city of Ephesus near the modern town of selcuk, about 50 km. south of Izmir(Smyrna) in Turkey.
History
Although the foundation of the temple dates back to the 7th century BC, the structure that earned a spot in the list of Wonders was built around 550 BC. Referred to as the great marble temple or temple D, it was sponsored by the Lydian King Croesus and was designed by the Greek architect Chersiphron. It was decorated with bronze statues sculpted by the most skilled artists of their time: Pheidias, Polycleitus, Kresilas and Phradmon.
The temple served as both a marketplace and a religious institution. For years, the century was visited by merchants, tourists, artisans and kings who paid homage to the Goddess by sharing their profits with her. Recent archaeological excavations at the site revealed gifts from pilgrims including statuettes of Artemis made of gold and Ivory....earrings, bracelets, and necklaces....artifacts from as far as Persia and India.
On the night of 21 July 356 BC, a man named Herostratus burned the temple to ground in an attempt to immortalize his name. He did indeed. Strangely enough, Alexander the Great was born the same night. The historian Plutarch later wrote that the Goddess was "too busy taking care of the birth of Alexander to send help to her threatened Temple". Over the next two decades, the temple was restored and is labelled "temple E" by archaeologists. And when Alexander the Great canquered Asia Minor, he helped rebuild the destroyed temple.
When St Paul visited Ephesus to preach Christianity in the first century AD, he was confronted by the Artemis' Cult who had no plans to abandon their goddess. And when the temple was again destroyed by the Goths in AD 262, the Ephesians vowed to rebuild. By the 4th century AD, most Ephesians had converted to Christianity and the temple lost its religious glamour. The final chapter carte when in AD 401 the Temple of Artemis was torn down by St John Chrysostom. Ephesus was later deserted, and only in the late 19th century has the site been excavated. The digging revealed the temple's foundation and the road to the now swampy site. Attempts were recently made to rebuilt the temple, but only a few columns have been re-erected.
Description :
The foundation of the temple was rectangular in form, Similar to most temples at the time. Unlike other sanctuaries, however, the building was made of marble, with a decorated facade overlooking a spacious courtyard. Marble steps surrounding the building platform led to the high terrace which was approximately 80m (260ft) by 130m (430ft) in plan. The columns were 20m (16 feet) high with Ionic capitals and carved and circular sides. There were 127 columns in total, aligned orthogonally over the whole platform area, except for The Central cella or house of the Goddess.
The temple housed many works of art, including four ancient bronze statues of Amazons sculpted by the finest artists at the time. When St Paul visited the city, the temple was adorned with golden pillars and silver statuettes, and was decorated with paintings. There is no evidence that a statue of the Goddess herself was placed at the centre of the sanctuary, but there is no reason not to believe so.
The early detailed descriptions of the temple helped archaeologists reconstruct the building. Many reconstructions such as that by H.F. von Erlach depicted the fa9ade with a four- column porch which never existed. More accurate reconstructions may give us an idea about the general layout of the temple. However, its true beauty lies in the architectural and artists details which will forever remain unknown.
The Pharos of Alexandria ( circa 280 BC), located on an island in the harbor of AAlexandria, Egypt, was a famous ancient Lighthouse standing more than 134 m (440ft) tall; it was destroyed in the 14th century. The Pharos of Alexandria, in Egypt, was the forerunner of modern lighthouse. The name belonged originally to an island lying oof the coast. When Alexander the Great laid out the city he connected the island of Pharos with the mainland by means of a moal, or causeway.
On the eastern point of the island his succesors, Ptolemy 1 and Ptolemy 2, erected a great lighthouse made of white marble. It was this structure, said to have been 400 feet high, that came to be known as the Pharos of Alexandria.
For more than 1,000 years the lighthouse known as Pharos of Alexandria guided Mediterranean ships to harbor. Built for Ptolemy 2 of Egypt in about 280 BC, the lighthouse was severely damaged by an earthquake in AD 955 and disappeared completely by 1500.
The pyramids of Egypt, built at Giza during the fourth dynasty (circa2680-C.2544 BC) are the oldest of the seven wonders and the only ones remaining intact today.
The great pyramids of Egypt still stand. They were built between 2650 and 2500 BC. Except for parts of the Mausoleum and of the temple of Artemis, they are the only one of the seven ancient world still standing.
Of the seven wonders of the ancient world, only the pyramids of Egypt have survived in a form that resembles their original condition. The largest of the three, known as the Great Pyramid of Khufu, was made of approximately 2.3 million blocks of stone each weighing an average of 2. 5 tons. Located in Giza on the west bank of the Nile river, near Cairo, the pyramids remain one of the engineering marvels of all time.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon:
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon perhaps built by King Nebuchadnezzar 2 about 600 BC, were a mountain like series of planted terraces.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, have long since disappeared. They were said to have been built by King Nebuchadnezzar in the 6th century BC to please and console his favourite wife, Amytis. Great terraces of masonry were built one on top of the other. These were planted Gardens of tropical flowers and trees and avenues of Palms. They were irrigated by water pumed from the Euphrates river. Nebuchadnezzar and his queen could sit in the shade and look down upon the beauties of the city. The walls of Babylon were often included with the Hanging Gardens among the wonders of Babylon. Built by Nebuchadnezzar, they were faced with glazed tile and pierced by openings fitted with magnificent brass gates. According to tradition, the homesickness of a form favourite wife prompted Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to build the famous Hanging Gardens. Nothing remains of these luxuriantterraces.
Statue of Zeus
The 12 m (40 feet) statue of Zeus (mid - 5th century BC) by the Greek sculpture Phidias was the central feature of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, Greece.
The Statue of Olympian Zeus was erected at Olympia, in the Peloponnesus of Greece, by the great sculptor Phidias in the 5th century BC. It was a towering structure of ivory and gold, 40 feet high, majestic and beautiful.
After about 10 centuries of existence the statue was destroyed. Our only idea of it is gained from coins of Elis which are thought to bear copies of the original.
The ivory and gold statue of Olympian Zeus was perhaps the greatest Masterpiece of the sculptor Phidias. It stood in a shrine on the Olympian plain until the early Middle Ages.
The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus (circa 353 BC) was a monumental marble tomb, decorated by the leading sculptor of the age, for King Mausolus of caria in Asia Minor; only fragments remain.
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, also in Asia Minor, derived its name from King Mausolus of Caria. After his death in the middle of the 4th century BC, his queen, Artemisia, employed Greek Architects to construct superb monument over his remains. It was a great rectangular pile of masonry, surmounted by an Ionic colonnade supporting a roof like pyramid. At the apex stood a four-horsechariot in which were statue of the kind and queen. So famous was this is struct that the world mausoleum came to be applied to any monumental Tomb. some relics of the original Mausoleum are preserved in the British Museum. Only crumbling fragments remain of the Mausoleum at Helicarnassus on the coast of Asia Minor. It was raised to the memory of King Mausolus of Caria by his devoted Queen, Artemisia.
The Colossus of Rhodes was a 30-m (100 feet) bronze Statue of the Greek sungod Helios, erected about 280 BC to gaurd the entrance to the harbor at the Rhodes; it was destroyed about 55 years later.
The Colossus of Rhodes was a great bronze statue, erected in about 280 BC by the citizens of Rhodes, capital of the Greek island of the same name. It represented their sun God Helios and was said to be 105 feet high. According to legend, it straddled the harbor entrance, but it is more likely that it stood to one side. The statue was overthrown by an earthquake in 224 BC. Butits huge fragments long were regarded with wonder. Nearly 1,000 years later, in AD 656, a Muslim dealer bought the fragments as old metal and carried them away to a melted down.
The old engraving of the Colossus of Rhodes is purely imaginary and is based on the Legend that the statue stood astride the harbor entrance.
Thank you.
Do share it with your friends and family.
Although the foundation of the temple dates back to the 7th century BC, the structure that earned a spot in the list of Wonders was built around 550 BC. Referred to as the great marble temple or temple D, it was sponsored by the Lydian King Croesus and was designed by the Greek architect Chersiphron. It was decorated with bronze statues sculpted by the most skilled artists of their time: Pheidias, Polycleitus, Kresilas and Phradmon.
The temple served as both a marketplace and a religious institution. For years, the century was visited by merchants, tourists, artisans and kings who paid homage to the Goddess by sharing their profits with her. Recent archaeological excavations at the site revealed gifts from pilgrims including statuettes of Artemis made of gold and Ivory....earrings, bracelets, and necklaces....artifacts from as far as Persia and India.
On the night of 21 July 356 BC, a man named Herostratus burned the temple to ground in an attempt to immortalize his name. He did indeed. Strangely enough, Alexander the Great was born the same night. The historian Plutarch later wrote that the Goddess was "too busy taking care of the birth of Alexander to send help to her threatened Temple". Over the next two decades, the temple was restored and is labelled "temple E" by archaeologists. And when Alexander the Great canquered Asia Minor, he helped rebuild the destroyed temple.
When St Paul visited Ephesus to preach Christianity in the first century AD, he was confronted by the Artemis' Cult who had no plans to abandon their goddess. And when the temple was again destroyed by the Goths in AD 262, the Ephesians vowed to rebuild. By the 4th century AD, most Ephesians had converted to Christianity and the temple lost its religious glamour. The final chapter carte when in AD 401 the Temple of Artemis was torn down by St John Chrysostom. Ephesus was later deserted, and only in the late 19th century has the site been excavated. The digging revealed the temple's foundation and the road to the now swampy site. Attempts were recently made to rebuilt the temple, but only a few columns have been re-erected.
Description :
The foundation of the temple was rectangular in form, Similar to most temples at the time. Unlike other sanctuaries, however, the building was made of marble, with a decorated facade overlooking a spacious courtyard. Marble steps surrounding the building platform led to the high terrace which was approximately 80m (260ft) by 130m (430ft) in plan. The columns were 20m (16 feet) high with Ionic capitals and carved and circular sides. There were 127 columns in total, aligned orthogonally over the whole platform area, except for The Central cella or house of the Goddess.
The temple housed many works of art, including four ancient bronze statues of Amazons sculpted by the finest artists at the time. When St Paul visited the city, the temple was adorned with golden pillars and silver statuettes, and was decorated with paintings. There is no evidence that a statue of the Goddess herself was placed at the centre of the sanctuary, but there is no reason not to believe so.
The early detailed descriptions of the temple helped archaeologists reconstruct the building. Many reconstructions such as that by H.F. von Erlach depicted the fa9ade with a four- column porch which never existed. More accurate reconstructions may give us an idea about the general layout of the temple. However, its true beauty lies in the architectural and artists details which will forever remain unknown.
Pharos of of Alexandria
The Pharos of Alexandria ( circa 280 BC), located on an island in the harbor of AAlexandria, Egypt, was a famous ancient Lighthouse standing more than 134 m (440ft) tall; it was destroyed in the 14th century. The Pharos of Alexandria, in Egypt, was the forerunner of modern lighthouse. The name belonged originally to an island lying oof the coast. When Alexander the Great laid out the city he connected the island of Pharos with the mainland by means of a moal, or causeway.
On the eastern point of the island his succesors, Ptolemy 1 and Ptolemy 2, erected a great lighthouse made of white marble. It was this structure, said to have been 400 feet high, that came to be known as the Pharos of Alexandria.
For more than 1,000 years the lighthouse known as Pharos of Alexandria guided Mediterranean ships to harbor. Built for Ptolemy 2 of Egypt in about 280 BC, the lighthouse was severely damaged by an earthquake in AD 955 and disappeared completely by 1500.
The pyramids of Egypt:
The pyramids of Egypt, built at Giza during the fourth dynasty (circa2680-C.2544 BC) are the oldest of the seven wonders and the only ones remaining intact today.
The great pyramids of Egypt still stand. They were built between 2650 and 2500 BC. Except for parts of the Mausoleum and of the temple of Artemis, they are the only one of the seven ancient world still standing.
Of the seven wonders of the ancient world, only the pyramids of Egypt have survived in a form that resembles their original condition. The largest of the three, known as the Great Pyramid of Khufu, was made of approximately 2.3 million blocks of stone each weighing an average of 2. 5 tons. Located in Giza on the west bank of the Nile river, near Cairo, the pyramids remain one of the engineering marvels of all time.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon:
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon perhaps built by King Nebuchadnezzar 2 about 600 BC, were a mountain like series of planted terraces.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, have long since disappeared. They were said to have been built by King Nebuchadnezzar in the 6th century BC to please and console his favourite wife, Amytis. Great terraces of masonry were built one on top of the other. These were planted Gardens of tropical flowers and trees and avenues of Palms. They were irrigated by water pumed from the Euphrates river. Nebuchadnezzar and his queen could sit in the shade and look down upon the beauties of the city. The walls of Babylon were often included with the Hanging Gardens among the wonders of Babylon. Built by Nebuchadnezzar, they were faced with glazed tile and pierced by openings fitted with magnificent brass gates. According to tradition, the homesickness of a form favourite wife prompted Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to build the famous Hanging Gardens. Nothing remains of these luxuriantterraces.
Statue of Zeus
The 12 m (40 feet) statue of Zeus (mid - 5th century BC) by the Greek sculpture Phidias was the central feature of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, Greece.
The Statue of Olympian Zeus was erected at Olympia, in the Peloponnesus of Greece, by the great sculptor Phidias in the 5th century BC. It was a towering structure of ivory and gold, 40 feet high, majestic and beautiful.
After about 10 centuries of existence the statue was destroyed. Our only idea of it is gained from coins of Elis which are thought to bear copies of the original.
The ivory and gold statue of Olympian Zeus was perhaps the greatest Masterpiece of the sculptor Phidias. It stood in a shrine on the Olympian plain until the early Middle Ages.
The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus (circa 353 BC) was a monumental marble tomb, decorated by the leading sculptor of the age, for King Mausolus of caria in Asia Minor; only fragments remain.
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, also in Asia Minor, derived its name from King Mausolus of Caria. After his death in the middle of the 4th century BC, his queen, Artemisia, employed Greek Architects to construct superb monument over his remains. It was a great rectangular pile of masonry, surmounted by an Ionic colonnade supporting a roof like pyramid. At the apex stood a four-horsechariot in which were statue of the kind and queen. So famous was this is struct that the world mausoleum came to be applied to any monumental Tomb. some relics of the original Mausoleum are preserved in the British Museum. Only crumbling fragments remain of the Mausoleum at Helicarnassus on the coast of Asia Minor. It was raised to the memory of King Mausolus of Caria by his devoted Queen, Artemisia.
The Colossus of Rhodes:
The Colossus of Rhodes was a 30-m (100 feet) bronze Statue of the Greek sungod Helios, erected about 280 BC to gaurd the entrance to the harbor at the Rhodes; it was destroyed about 55 years later.
The Colossus of Rhodes was a great bronze statue, erected in about 280 BC by the citizens of Rhodes, capital of the Greek island of the same name. It represented their sun God Helios and was said to be 105 feet high. According to legend, it straddled the harbor entrance, but it is more likely that it stood to one side. The statue was overthrown by an earthquake in 224 BC. Butits huge fragments long were regarded with wonder. Nearly 1,000 years later, in AD 656, a Muslim dealer bought the fragments as old metal and carried them away to a melted down.
The old engraving of the Colossus of Rhodes is purely imaginary and is based on the Legend that the statue stood astride the harbor entrance.
Thank you.
Do share it with your friends and family.
कोई टिप्पणी नहीं:
एक टिप्पणी भेजें