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10 Unknown Architectural Wonders
We all know the great architectural wonders of the world: Petra, Giza, Angkor – but what about the hidden gems that rarely appear on those ubiquitous bucket lists? Here are 10 unknown architectural wonders to add to yours. Göbekli Tepe, Turkey alt=“Unknown Architectural Wonder, Malta”> Six miles from the ancient Turkish city of Urfa lies a series of massive, 11,000-year-old carved stones, crafted and arranged by prehistoric people who supposedly had not yet developed metal tools or even pottery. The site, discovered in the 1960s and later excavated by German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt, is located approximately...
10 Unknown Architectural Wonders
We all know the great architectural wonders of the world: Petra, Giza, Angkor – but what about the hidden gems that rarely appear on those ubiquitous bucket lists? Here are 10 unknown architectural wonders to add to yours.
Gobekli Tepe, Turkey
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Six miles from the ancient Turkish city of Urfa lies a series of massive, 11,000-year-old carved stones, crafted and arranged by prehistoric people who supposedly had not yet developed metal tools or even pottery.
The site, discovered in the 1960s and later excavated by German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt, predates Stonehenge by some 6,000 years and challenges what we think we know about the evolution of hunter-gatherers.
Simply put, Göbekli Tepe, with its intricate carvings and sophisticated engineering, was not the work of simple cavemen.
Hal-Saflieni Hypogeum, Malta
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The Hypogeum is an underground structure that dates back to 3300-3000 BC. BC. Originally intended as a sanctuary, in prehistoric times it became a necropolis with more than 7,000 individuals found in its chambers.
The strange thing about the Hypogeum is that when the source is in a certain place, men's voices can echo throughout the entire complex. However, this only works if the voice is in the 95-120 Hz range, so women's voices typically don't resonate in the same way.
Bukhara Fortress, Uzbekistan
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The Bukhara Fortress, commonly known as the “Ark,” was originally built and occupied around the 5th century AD. It served not only as a military structure, but also as a “city within a city” that housed various royal courts that ruled over the Bukhara region. The Ark was occupied until it fell to Russia in 1920.
Today, 80% of it lies in ruins amidst some remaining royal quarters and several museums.
Giant Buddha of Leshan, China
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At 233 feet tall, this giant Buddha's fingernails are larger than those of an average human. The statue was built during the Tang Dynasty around 713 AD and was carved into a rock face at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan Province.
It is the largest stone Buddha in the world and by far the tallest pre-modern statue in the world.
Chand Baori, India
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Located about 100 kilometers from Jaipur on the road to Agra, this incredible stepwell was built around 800 AD by King Chanda of the Nikumbha Dynasty.
It comprises 3,500 narrow steps over 13 floors and extends approximately 100 feet into the ground, making it one of the deepest and largest stepwells in India. Once completed, it was dedicated to Hashat Mata, the goddess of joy and happiness.
Chan Chan, Peru
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Chan Chan is an archaeological site in the La Libertad region of Peru. Built around 1300, it covers 20 square kilometers, making it the largest pre-Columbian city in South America and the largest adobe city in the world.
At the height of the Chimú Empire, the city's 10 walled citadels housed an estimated 60,000 residents and contained enormous wealth of gold, silver and ceramics.
Derawar Fort, Pakistan
alt=“unknown-architectural-miracles-post7″>(Image: Muhammad Ashar, Creative Commons)
Rising from the Cholistan Desert in Pakistan's Punjab region, Derawar is made up of 40 stunning bastions arranged in a huge square formation. The walls have a circumference of 1,500 meters and are up to 30 meters high.
The fort as it stands today was built in 1733 and is located next to a mosque modeled on the Moti Masjid in the Red Fort of Delhi in India.
Great Mosque of Djenné, Mali
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Mali's Great Mosque of Djenné, built in 1907, is the largest mud-brick building in the world. It is one of Africa's biggest attractions, but far less well known on the world stage.
The mosque walls, built almost entirely from sun-baked mud bricks, sand- and mud-based mortar and plaster, are prone to cracking during the long African summers. However, the local community takes an active role in maintaining the mosque and even holds an annual festival dedicated to its re-plastering.
Las Pozas, Mexico
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Las Pozas, near the Mexican village of Xilitla, is a surreal but stunning series of temples, pagodas, bridges, pavilions, sculptures and staircases built next to a series of idyllic waterfalls.
Commissioned by British poet Edward James in the 1960s, the complex was built as his very own version of the Garden of Eden. The construction cost more than $5 million, which James financed by auctioning his collection of surrealist art.
Bibi Ka Maqbara, India
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No, this is not the Taj Mahal. However, the similarity can be explained by the fact that it was built by the sixth Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, the son of the emperor who built the Taj Mahal.
Commissioned in the late 17th century, Bibi Ka Maqbara was built in memory of Aurangzeb's first wife, Dilras Banu Begum. Unfortunately, it will always remain in the shadow of the mausoleum built for his mother.
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Additional Photography:Dreamtime
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