There are some buildings in this world
that were meant to stay put for quite a number of years. By quite a
number of years I actually mean more than two thousand years even. Not
like the buildings that fall over with a strong gust of wind, but
buildings that were made to withstand roughness of decades and
centuries. This lists brings to you ten of the most beautiful and the
oldest buildings in the world. The listing is not necessarily based on
how many years ago it was built, it is actually based on my personal
liking for old buildings. Enjoy!
10. The Great Wall Of China – China (2410 years)
We have all heard a lot about the The
Great Wall of China and some of us have even been lucky enough to visit
it personally. Even looking at it in the pictures, it is quite evident
that the journey to building this great monument to history would have
been a long one (which it actually was since the construction started in
5th Century BC and ended in the 16th Century BC). The wall itself is
around 5500 miles long which makes nearly 8852 kilometers. To date this
wall is touted to be the biggest structure created for defense purposes.
A hoard of different have ruled over the wall over the past years
but now it is just a tourist destination. The wall has a low altitude
and is barely visible from a low orbit around earth.
9. The Pantheon – Rome, Italy (1884 years)
Rome is beautiful as it and is also home
a great many historically iconic places. The Pantheon is a huge example
to that. Built in 126 AD, being 190 foot tall and around 276 foot in
width, it was primarily built-in honor of all the gods of Ancient Rome.
The Pantheon has an opening in the center through which the light enters
and it is called the Oculus. I forgot to mention that the Rotunda which
weighs around 4535 tons is the most impressive feature of the building,
pretty attractive to tourists as well. Another way for the lights
is the entrance in the dome. There lies an arched vault right int he
interior which is known as the representation of the vault of heaven.
Many buildings have been made based on the inspiration from this
structure ( a total of around 34 buildings actually!).
8. Todaji – Nara, Japan (1250 years)
The building is a landmark in the city
of Nora and is one of the most famous temples of Japan. The name
translates to mean “The Great Eastern Temple” (Tdaji being a japanese
word) is made entirely of wood and was constructed in 754 AD. It is
widely known (and one of the reasons of the popularity of the temple)
that the statue of Buddha that is placed inside the temple consumed all
of Japans production of Bronze which nearly led Japan to bankruptcy. It
is rumored that more than 2.6 million people helped in the construction
itself. The temple has seen many fires and mishaps and what stands today
is one-third of the actual size.
7. Borobudur – Magelang, Indonesia (1210 years)
Borobudur is a Buddhist shrine and
although the purpose of this construction remains a mystery, as time
passed this spot became and important pilgrimage spot for the Buddhists
from around the world. It has been built on nine platforms and the
construction completed in 800 AD. There are thousands of Buddha statues
on it. 14th Century saw it abandoned but it was rediscovered and major
reconstruction and renovation took place from 1975 to 1982. A total
investment on $7 million was made on its restoration and it now is a
hugely popular tourist destination in Indonesia.
6. Cathedral of St. Nishan – Haghpat, Armenia (1019 years)
We come to yet another building whose
strong structure is still in tact despite being more than a thousand
years old. There were only two small restorations that took place in the
11th and the 12th century, otherwise it is completely untouched. It is
now a World Heritage site and was built as a monastic humility to God.
Despite seeing many sufferings it is still standing.
5. Hohensalzburg Castle – Salzburg, Austria (548-933 years)
Standing strong at a length of 820 foot
and a width of 492 foot, Hohensalzburg Castle has the honor of being one
of the biggest medieval castles of Europe. Initial construction began
in 1077 and the coming centuries saw an expansion in the size which was
initially a barley surrounded by wooden walls. If you like visiting
medieval places than this is a must see. It is now a major tourist
attraction in Salzburg.
4.Leaning Tower of Pisa – Pisa, Italy (638 years)
The Leaning Tower of Pisa actually a
bell tower of Duomo di Pisa. It was not built to be leaning but it
actually leaned this low over time. If it hadn’t however, it wouldn’t
have gotten such attention from the world to actually make a wonder. The
construction work on it began in the year 1172 AD and it took a
complete 199 years to build it. Since its construction, the tower had
started sinking into the floor. It was initially at an angle of 5.5 but
later leaned onto 3.99 degree. It has been a wonder for architects from
all over the world.
3. Keszthely Church – Keszthely, Hungary (620 years)
This is a Gothic Parish church which is a
signature building for Keszthely, which has to the Hungary’s oldest
towns. Nothing but the church was renovated after the turkish rule over
hungary in the 19th century. The renovation gave it a neo-gothic tower
and windows that rose. The old frescoes that were discovered quite late
actually are now available to a large audience for the pure pleasure of
viewing.
2. Notre Dame Cathedral – Paris, France (665 years)
Notre Dame has to be the most impressive
example of French Gothic architecture, one of its kind in Europe. It
suffered a lot during the French Revolution but is still standing rock
hard after 600 years. It is currently home to the archbishop of Paris.
The story “The Hunch Back of Notre Dame” takes its inspiration from this
building.
1. Amphitheater of El Djem El Djem, Tunisia (1711-1809 years)
The Amphitheatre is the one featured in
Gladiator, the movie. It has to be the third largest amphitheater of the
Roman empire and is still under its hold. It was known to hold around
30000 people in the prime of its freshly constructed period. There was a
hidden basement that was discovered later which was known to hold wild
beasts and gladiators. The amphitheater is severely beat up but still a
sight to behold. My personal favorite oldest building in the world.
source : http://www.thelisticles.com/art-history/most-beautiful-old-buildings/
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