Famous Monuments

In

India , Egypt

And

Jordan

The Taj Mahal, a beautiful white

marble Monument located in the city

of Agra on the banks of the holy river

Yamuna in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Taj Mahal is the finest example of

combines elements of

Mughal,Persian, Ottoman Turkish and

Indian architectural styles. It is one of

the eight wonders of the world and

the jewel of Muslim art in India.

Fatehpur Sikri is another historic site

in the state, the first planned city of

the Mughals.

The Golden Temple is known as Harmandir Sahib is a Sikh Gurdwara located in the Amritsar, Punjab. Shri DarbarShaib is the holiest shrine and most famous pilgrimage place for Sikhs. HarmandirSahib is one of the most sacred places in India, a Holy Granth Sahib is always

present inside the temple.

The Mahabodhi Temple or Great Awakening Temple is a Buddhist temple located in the Gaya district of Bihar state. MahabodhiMahavihara Bodhgaya Temple is one of the ancient and most important shrines of Buddhist in India. The site contains a Mahabodhi Tree,Lord Buddha stupa and the monastery called Bodhimanda Vihara. MahabodhiTemple is count on one of the 7 wonders of India.Nalanda is another Historic Monuments site in

the state.

Ghats in Varanasi are the most holiest places of the city situated along with the banks of holy river Ganges. There are around 85 Ghat in the holiest city and used for Ganges Aarti,bathing,cremation and morning meditation. The burning Ghats of Varanasi are the most popular tourist attraction, during the Aarti of river Ganges at Dashashwamedh Ghat. Varanasi also known as Banaras and Kashi is one of the oldest living city of

India as well as in the world.

The Shore Temple is situated on the shore of the Bay of Bengal at Mahabalipuram,in the state of Tamil Nadu. Shore Temple is the oldest structural rock cut temple in south India built with blocks of granite. The shrines are dedicated to great God Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. Mahabalipuram is world famous for number of Monuments, which are

UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Lotus Temple of Delhi is called Bahai Temples, situated near kalkaJi.Lotus Temple is a house of Worship for every religion and best place for meditation and peace. Bahai Faith is spiritual unity of all humankind, there are eight continental Houses of Worship have been built around the world. Lotus Temple is one of them and

the prominent attraction in Delhi.

The great monuments of the royal Rajputs of Rajasthan, Hawa Mahalalso Palace of Winds is situated in the heart of pink city and the capital of Rajasthan,Jaipur. The pyramid shape five-story palace is constructed by red and pink sandstone by Maharaja SawaiPratap Singh for women’s of royal families. Hawa Mahal is one of the major tourist attraction of Jaipur as

well as in the royal state Rajasthan.

The Victoria Memorial Hall is located in the capital of West Bengal, Kolkata and dedicated to Queen Victoria. Victoria Memorial is one of the major tourist attraction of Kolkata and serves as a museum with great collection of manuscripts,paintings and sculptures of the British period. Victoria Memorial was declared as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in India.

The charminar Hyderabad’s best known landmark was built 1591 by Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah to appease the force of evil savaging his new city with epidemic and plague. Standing in the heart of the old walled city and surround by lively bazaars, the charminar (‘four tower’) is a 56m high triumphal arch. The arch is notable for its elegant balconies, stucco decorations and the small mosque, Hyderabad’s oldest, on the 2nd floor. An image of the grace every packet of charminar cigarettes, one of India’s most

popular brand.

The majestic Gateway of India is a glorious historical memorial built during British rule. This magnificent monument has been built in Indo-Sarcenic style to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay. Gateway of India is one of the finest example of colonial architectural heritage in India. This grand structure stands at the Apollo Bunder, a popular meeting place in Mumbai. The gateway of India was designed by the British architect George Wittet and was opened for

general public in the year 1924.

The Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt from around 1479 BC until her death in 1458 BC, is situated beneath the cliffs at Deir el Bahari on the west bank of the Nile. It is a colonnaded structure, which was designed and implemented by Senemut, the royal architect of Hatshepsut, to serve for her posthumous worship and to honor the glory of Amun. The temple is built into a cliff face that rises sharply above it and consists of three layered terraces reaching 30 meters (97 ft ) in height. These terraces are connected by long ramps which were once surrounded by gardens.

The Bent Pyramid located at Dahshurwas the second pyramid built by pharaoh Sneferu. Mysteriously, the pyramid rises from the desert at an angle of 55 degrees and then suddenly changes to a more gradual angle of 43 degrees. One theory holds that due to the steepness of the original angle the weight to be added above the inner chambers and passageways became to large, forcing the builders to adopt a shallower angle. It is the only pyramid in Egypt of which the outer casing of polished limestone is still largely intact.

The Step Pyramid of Djoser at the Saqqara necropolis was the very first pyramid built by the ancient Egyptians. It was constructed during the 27th century BC for the burial of Pharaoh Djoser by his Vizier Imhotep. The ancient monument began as a traditional, flat-roofed mastaba but by the end of Djoser’s reign it had risen to a six stepped layer Pyramid and stood 204 feet (62 meters) high. As in earlier mastaba tombs, the burial chambers of the Step Pyramid are underground, hidden in a maze of tunnels.

The Luxor Temple is located on the east bank of the River Nile in the ancient city of Thebes and was founded in 1400 BC during the New Kingdom. The temple was dedicated to the three Egyptian gods Amun, Mut, and Chons. The ancient temple was the center of the festival of Opet, Thebes’ most important festival. During the annual festival the statues of the three Gods were escorted to the temple of Luxor along the avenue of sphinxes that connect the 2 temples.

Located at the Giza Plateau, The Great Sphinx is one of the largest and oldest monuments in the world, but basic facts about it, such as who was the model for the face, when it was built, and by whom, are still debated. It is the largest monolith statue in the world although it is considerably smaller than the Pyramids around it. Despite conflicting evidence and viewpoints over the years, the traditional view held by modern Egyptologists at large remains that the Great Sphinx was built in approximately 2500 BC by the pharaoh Khafre, the supposed builder of the second pyramid at Giza.

Built by Pharaoh Sneferu, the Red Pyramid is the world’s first successful attempt at constructing a “true” smooth-sided pyramid. At 104 meters it is the 4th highest pyramid ever built in Egypt. What really makes the Red Pyramid special today is the lack of crowds that plagues the Giza Plateau and the comparatively unregulated interior access..

The Valley of the Kings is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the kings and privileged nobles of the New Kingdom. The valley contains 63 tombs and chambers, ranging in size from a simple pit to a complex tomb with over 120 chambers. The royal tombs are decorated with scenes from Egyptian mythology and give clues to the beliefs and funerary rituals of the period. All of the tombs seem to have been opened and robbed in antiquity. Only the famous tomb of Tutankhamun was spared from the worst of the tomb depredations.

The Giza necropolis, situated in the immediate vicinity of the southwestern suburbs of Cairo is home to the most famous ancient Egyptian monuments. The pyramids in Giza were built over the span of three generations – by Khufu, his second reigning son Khafre, and Menkaure. The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the oldest and sole remnant of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Over 2 million blocks of stone were used to construct the pyramid, during a 20 year period concluding around 2560 BC. The pyramid is an awe-inspiring 139 meters (455 feet) high making it the largest pyramid in Egypt, although nearby Khafre’s Pyramid appears to be larger as it is build at a higher elevation.

Jordan has been a hub for humanity since the

dawn of civilisation. The Sumerians, Akkadians,

Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians and

Mesopotamians came in from the east. From the

south came the Nabateans, while from the west,

Pharonic Egyptians, Greeks and Romans,

Byzantines and Crusaders. They left behind

archaeological sites, historical towns and

monuments scattered all across the country.

During the Ottoman Empire, Al Salt was the capital city of Jordan but was passed over in favour of Amman when the modern state of Jordan was created. Al Salt, a place of human settlement since at least the Iron Age, still retains the charm and pace of a different century

The history of Madaba dates back at least 3,500 years and is mentioned in the old Testament several times. Yet it is most famous for its intricate 5th and 6th century mosaics, prolifically laid throughout the town.

Sitting on a small plateau above the Jordan Valley, the small rural village of Pella seems like a sleepy backwater, yet the town has been a home to human communities dating back to the Stone Age, 10,000 years ago. There is even evidence of human activity in the as far back as Palaeolithic times, 100,000 years ago

Jarash, 48 miles north of Amman, is the one of the best-preserved provincial Roman cities in the world. A huge triumphal arch marks the entry to the site, erected by the residents in 129 BC to honour a visit to Jarash by the Emperor Hadrian and there are hilltop temples, baths, a hippodrome, fountains and a large oval forum fringed by another colonnade.

Karak's towering position, perched on a hill-top almost 1000 metres above sea level, surrounded on three sides by valleys and with commanding views over the Dead Sea makes it a perfect spot for a castle.

"The red-rose city half as old as time", described in the poem by John William Burgon needs no introduction: enough has already been written. It is, simply, Petra. For generations, many Bedouin families lived in the caves of Petra.

Before the Middle Ages, Umm Qaiswas known as Gadara. It was probably founded by the Greeks in the 4th century BC, but reached prominence as a Roman city during the 1st century AD. There are remains of a mausoleum and public baths, a colonnaded street and the Basilica of Gadara. Most impressive of all is the imposing and well-preserved Roman amphitheatre.