The Taj Mahal
Situated in India about 200 km south of New Delhi and located at the city of Agra, the Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful masterpieces of architecture in the world.
An Emperor of the Mughal dynasty, Shah Jehan ordered the building of the Taj, in honor of his wife, Mumtaz.
Mumtaz and Shah Jehan were married in 1612 and, over the next 18 years, had 14 children together.
It was in 1630, in Burhanpur, that she gave birth to her last child; she died in childbirth.
So great was the Emperor's love for his wife that he ordered the building of the most beautiful mausoleum on Earth for her.
As soon as construction began in 1630, masons, craftsmen, sculptors, and calligraphers were summoned from Persia, the Ottoman Empire, and Europe to work on the masterpiece.
The architectural complex is comprised of five main elements. 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 corners of the structure, and the majestic dome in the middle.
The level of sophistication in the interior artwork becomes obvious when one realizes that a 3 cm decorative element contains more than 50 inlaid gemstones.
The Great Temple Of
Abu Simbel
This is the great temple of Abu Simbel,commissioned to be built about 1250BC by the pharaoh Ramses II.
Though the temple is officially dedicated to the triad Amon-Ra, Ptah and Ra-Harakhte, its front is dominated by four gigantic statues of the great pharaoh himself.
He had this temple built in this otherwise desolate area on the actual site of a much older shrine of a local personification of the god Horus.
The colossi of the king, wearing the characteristic nemes headcloth and double crown (of upper and lower Egypt), are each 20 metres high, while the facade is more than 35 metres wide and 30 metres high.
The king is accompanied by some of his wives, sons and daughters who appear in much smaller size beside his legs.
Right above the entrance stands a figure of the god Re-Harakhte in a small niche. The top of the facade is crowned by a row of baboons.
The central entrance leads into a large hall with massive pillars fronted by Osiris figures of the king.
The temple's orientation is arranged in such a way that twice every year on 22 February and 22 October the earliest sun-rays shine on the back wall of the innermost chamber, thus illuminating the statues of the four gods seated there.
In 1988 after the Aswan High Dam was built there was danger of flooding the temple. It was sliced into pieces and moved to safer ground.
Hoover Dam
The dam builders came in 1931. A handful of men did the planning and designing of the dam. There were another 16,000 workers who did the actual building. Many of these men had families, wives and children, who came with them.
People came from every part of the country to work at Hoover Dam.
The way of life so many people had to endure -- camping out in tents or shacks along the Colorado River, some for as long as three years, without clean drinking water, toilets, or protection from the extreme weather -- makes these "common" people
96 men were killed in industrial accidents while building the dam. Several dozen others died from the heat or carbon monoxide poisoning while on the job, and hundreds of other people, wives and children of the workers, died from heat, polluted water or disease.
Because of Hoover Dam, the Colorado River was controlled for the first time in history. Farmers received a dependable supply of water in Nevada, California and Arizona. Los Angeles, San Diego and Phoenix and a dozen other towns and cities were given an inexpensive source of electricity, permitting population growth and industrial development.
The Clock Tower
(Big Ben)
Possibly the most famous clock face and chimes in the world, Big Ben is actually the name of the biggest bell (13.5 tons) inside The Clock Tower (320ft) which forms part of the Houses Of Parliament.
Built in 1858/9 the bell was named after one Sir Benjamin Hall and when it was cast it was Britain's heaviest bell.
The clock's four dials each have a diameter of 23ft.
The minute hands are 14ft long and the numerals on each face are nearly 2 feet high.
The accuracy of the clock movement is controlled by the placing of old pennies in the mechanism.
The tower which houses Big Ben has been called by many names but the Clock Tower is simply called the Clock Tower.
The subject of John Buchan's "39 Steps", the Clock Tower is unfortunately not open to the public so you won't be able to check how many steps actually lead to the belfry.
Since I was in fifth grade I've wanted to see The Taj Mahal. My teacher described it so realistically; she'd been there and was able to make the students in the class feel the same way.
I remember when The Great Temple Of Abu Simbel was moved back to protect it from being ruined by the waters. Ramses II lived to the age of 96 and fathered about 100 children.
I never knew of the hardships encountered by the builders of Hoover Dam and their families during the construction or the vast benefits it brings to so many people.
Big Ben really blew me away. It's something recognizable on sight and has always been there but I never thought of the huge size of the face of the clock and to think the timing mechanism is controlled by something as simple as old pennies is hard to believe.
