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Fo Guang Shan is situated in the suburbs of Kaoshiung. It is the largest Buddhist sanctuary in Kaoshiung County. Founded by Venerable Master Hsing Yun in 1967, Fo Guang Shan is the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan. Besides the main shrine at Fo Guang Shan, its biggest attraction would be the Great Buddha Land, surrounded by 480 golden Buddha statues, a sight worth visiting. The Buddhist Cultural Museum has a collection of thousands of modern and ancient Buddhist works of arts. Buddhist works of art are invaluable skillful means for attracting people to Buddhism. Visiting this museum has helped many people to believe.

Around 5,000 people, including hundreds of monks and lay followers from overseas, sit listening in a newly-built meditation hall. Some have spent the night sleeping on mats, waking in the cold dawn to join the morning rituals. There are dzen meditation classes from their organization in Taipei, so they were excited to have us to the HQ and planned a gala affair (for which we were terribly under dressed). And for 2 days, we were followed around by an entourage – cellphone nuns, photographer monks, video camera monks, elevator door-holding nuns. No talk of compassion, ending suffering, or enlightenment. It was, “Enter, bow to the Buddha, soundlessly go to your seat, be seated without your chair making noise, join your palms for the chanting and with each bite recite inside your head: do all good, stop all evil, deliver all sentient beings”. Other attractions include a lantern festival showcasing 60 lanterns with Buddhist characteristics and an Artistic Exhibition featuring art works such as stone collections, carvings, paintings and pottery by over 100 local artists.

Today there are over 200 branches of Fo Guang Shan throughout the five continents. Together, Fo Guang Shan strives to serve the congregations and communities by providing educational opportunities, sponsoring cultural events, engaging in charity work, and conducting worship and meditation services. Guided by the principles of Humanistic Buddhism and the ideals of the Buddhist Pure Land, its ultimate goal is to foster peace and harmony among all people of the world. Humanistic Buddhism recognizes the compatibility of the eight schools of Mahayana, with Ch’an and Pure Land being the most prevalent at the Monastery.

The Lima Cathedral is a Roman Catholic temple and is located in the Main Plaza of downtown Lima, Peru. It started its construction in 1535. It has been transformed many times, but it still conserves its colonial composition and facade. Lima’s cathedral is big, though not necessarily spectacular. Still, it is worth a visit due to its historical significance. It does have some interesting side chapels where we could watch the nuns maintaining the displays.

Lima’s cathedral is immense and ornate. The dominant structure on Lima’s central plaza, this is a must-see for the first-timer. Inside is the tomb of conquistador Francisco Pizarro, along with many pieces of art dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. There is an entrance fee, but the sight is well worth the 5 soles. Lima Cathedral has been affected by many earthquakes throughout its history. In 1609, its vaults were destroyed, and were rebuilt in 1615, at a lower height with a Gothic style. Again in 1746, it was almost entirely destroyed by a severe earthquake, and was rebuilt in 1758. In 1687, another earthquake destroyed the vaults of the Cathedral, followed by an earthquake in 1746, which destroyed its vaults and pillars. Almost after 200 years, another earthquake in 1940 damaged it a limited way, and restoration work was done in the same year.

The interior of Lima cathedral is attractive, with a delicate vaulted ceiling and a checkerboard floor. It is embellished with some impressive baroque furnishings, the most notable of which are the intricately carved choir stalls. The interior is remarkable for the intricate carving work of the wooden seats of the choir, the heavily ornamented “Inmaculada” chapel of Baroque style and an ivory Christ carved by Martinez Montaez, a splendid gift from King Charles V Entering the church and to the fight there is a chapel which holds the remains of the conqueror Francisco Pizarro. In the sacristy there is a museum of religious art. Inside are found colorful tiles from Seville, Spain (the largest collection in Lima), marble columns, and intricately carved cedar doors, cupolas, choir stalls, and stairways. A peaceful courtyard surrounded by arched passageways is found inside. You can see the five main rooms, the big hall and the dinning room on a guided tour. The visits are free, but it is necessary to make an arrangement two days before.
Under the nocturnal sky the cathedral beacons with much lights. Incredible is for the tourists.

Detailed and comprehensive tourist information and guides for the Kingdom of Bahrain covering historic sites as Bahrain Portugese, Arad, Riffa forts, Khamis Mosque, Barbar and Diraz Temples, Houses and Burial Mounds. As a result, there are several recognized world recognized sites of historical antiquity for the visitor and tourist to view, and be given the opportunity to see and appreciate the Kingdom’s glorious past.

The Khamis Mosque is believed to be the first mosque in Bahrain, built during the era of the Umayyad caliph Umar II. The identical twin minarets of this ancient Islamic monument make it easily noticeable as one drives along the Shaikh Salman Road in Khamis. The Khamis Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in the Arab world. Believed to be built in 692 AD, it was restored in the 11th century.

Local narrators say that it was built during the reign of the 8th Omayyad Caliph Omar bin Abdul Aziz (99-101 Hijra) (717-720 A.D.). Bahrain continued to play its cultural and economic role throughout the different Islamic eras until it became the target of foreign ambitions. The physique of east minaret, that was constructed from the same knife edge for writing by worsening dated minaret, from the period between promotion-1400-1600.

The diameter of the western minaret is a little bigger than that of the eastern minaret. The staircases of the two minarets are inside in the form of a screw-like column on which there is a spiral staircase which stretch 91 steps upwards in the western minaret and 72 steps in the eastern minaret, both of which lead to the minaret balcony. The Kufic inscriptions on its walls and the ancient arches which frame its twin minarets make the Khamis Mosque popular with photographers, historians and religious alike.

“The patron of this project is not in a hurry”. Gaudí.

The history of the Temple de la Sagrada Família is the history of a lifetime built stone after stone. Discover here its evolution, from its birth, childhood and youth, until the maturity of the present time. Sagrada Família is the unfinished and most expensive project by Antoni Gaudí, the great architect. This unique exhibit includes plans, drawings, photographs and models related to the construction of the temple, and pieces made from wrought iron, bronze and wood as well. Visitors can also see how the temple was devised and its origins. The museum is located in the crypt of the basilica and you enter from the side of the Passió façade (Carrer Sardenya). There is also a lift that takes visitors to one of the towers, from which there is an excellent view over this unfinished though magnificent construction. Admission:(EUR 9); groups, pensioners & students:(EUR 7); schools:(EUR 2); children under 10: free; guided tours (11.30am-1pm Mon-Fri):(EUR 3); lift: (EUR 1).

Padua is a walled city situated along the Bachiglione River, between Verona and Venice. This city is one of the cultural and economic centers in the Northeast of Italy. Padua is a pilgrimage city, millions of pilgrims come here every year to visit the “Basilica di Sant’Antonio”, where the grave of “Sant’Antonio” is preserved. The other reason to visit this city is Giotto. In Padua you will find the most complete collection of works by Giotto. Set amongst the historic Euganaean Hills, Padua boasts a picturesque network of arcaded streets, numerous bridges, and large communal plazas. The historical center has maintained its medieval system with the characteristic interlaces of decorticate alleys that open themselves in wide public squares. In the public squares is concentrated the life of the city: Palazzo della Ragione, Palazzo Moroni, center of the Town Hall, Caffè Pedrocchi, historical coffee bar between the most famous of Italy, the ancient Università del Bo, they are in the vicinities of the three more famous public squares of the city: Piazza delle Erbe, Piazza della Frutta and Piazza dei Signori. Not to leave for the art lovers, the cycle of frescoes, work of Giusto de Menabuoi inside the Battistero del Duomo.Scrovegni Chapel holds the most complete cycle of entirely preserved frescoes produced by Giotto(1302-1305). They have maintained all their marvellous beauty! Palazzo della Ragione was built in 1218 by the Commune of Padua as the seat of the Podestà and the Law Courts. The upper floor is occupied by a single hall of exceptional dimensions entirely frescoed with astrological and religious subjects. Basilica of S. Anthony called by the Paduans simply “Santo” is an imposing construction built in the 13th century in Romanesque-Gothic style, with eight domes and belfries of eastern inspiration. It contains the body of St. Anthony. There are works by famous artists from the 13th to the 20th century, including those of Altichiero, Giusto de’ Menabuoi and Donatello. Galileo taught in Padua from 1592 to 1610. His chair can be seen in the “Room of the Forty”. The famous Anatomy Theatre, where Vesalius taught, is the oldest in the world (1594).

The world’s first botanical garden was created in Padua. The botanical garden, Orto Botanico di Padova, was founded in 1545. “The Botanical Garden of Padua is the original of all botanical gardens throughout the world, and represents the birth of science, of scientific exchanges, and understanding of the relationship between nature and culture.” — inscription on UNESCO World Heritage List.

Frescoes by Titian can be seen at the Scuola di S. Antonio the Prato della Valle, a 90,000 m² elliptical square has a wide garden surrounded by a trench which is lined by 78 statues portraying famous citizens. Santa Sofia is probably Padova’s most ancient church, the crypt being initiated in the late 10th century by Venetian craftsmen.

In addition to its remarkable natural features, Stara Planina is also rich in valuable cultural and historical landmarks, which it has preserved during the centuries. One of its greatest wealth are the dozens monasteries nestled in its bosom. During the hard years of foreign rule the Bulgarian people looked for more concealed and secret places to create in them their Christian sanctuaries and keep the national spirit alive. There is no other mountain in Bulgaria, which has housed so many Christian temples and which has given so much to its people in its struggles for survival and spiritual rise!
The monastery is built in the style of the Bulgarian Renaissance. The chapel of St Nikolay the Miracle-Worker is the oldest but best preserved religious building in the area, though it lies outside the present-day monastery complex, at about half an hour walk south of it. The monastery’s church, “Assumption of Virgin Mary”, was built in 1835 by a master from the village of Peshtera, named Konstantin. The church was built of porous limestone and large bricks in alternating layters, and impressed foreign visitors with its architecture. The ornate interior and exterior of the church were painted between 1847 and 1849 by Zahari Zograph, a popular Bulgarian painter of the time, who also painted the central church of the Rila Monastery, the largest monastery in Bulgaria.
The Holy Virgin Troyan Monastery is situated in the northern folds of the Troyan Balkan – this is Central Stara Planina. On the left – Cherni Osum River. It is 10km south-east of Troyan, between the village of Oreshak and Cherni Osum. There is a marked tourist route from the town of Troyan to the Monastery – about 4 hours. The Monastery is famous for its miracle-working icon ”Holy Virgin’.’ It was a renowned literary centre, too and valuable library. During the time of the struggles for national freedom Troyan Monastery was a genuine revolutionary nest. All the monks took part in the revolutionary committee headed by the well-known Father Makarii. The Apostle of Freedom -Vasil Levski often came here, too. The working house of the Monastery – from 7.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. All the regular buses running between the town of Troyan and the village of Cherni Osum stop at the Monastery, around which a little tourist settlement of shops, restaurants, coffee bars developed. There are accommodation facilities in the Monastery itself – 2 suites and 10 double rooms with their own sanitary facilities and shower. Low prices. Romantic atmosphere, silence and calm.
The rude tourism catches everybody that searches peace ad peace among the nature. The bit manner of the hotels, matched to the mount-watering Bulgarian eating will make you to the Troyan Balkan. But the inspiration of beautiful murales of the Troyan religions residence cannot compare with a thing-other. Built at about 400 meters above sea level, the biggest monastery in the Balkan mountains is surrounded by beautiful forests and the Cherni Osum river, which gives a particular charm to the place. The monastery’s complex is quite developed as a tourist site with plenty of shopping outlets, restaurants and entertainment facilities in the neighbourhood.

Based on the God statue and the reliefs, could be known that Prambanan complex was the place of Hindust worshingBuilt in the 10th century, this is the largest temple compound dedicated to Shiva in Indonesia. Rising above the centre of the last of these concentric squares are three temples decorated with reliefs illustrating the epic of the Ramayana, dedicated to the three great Hindu divinities (Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma) and three temples dedicated to the animals who serve them. Perhaps one of the most majestic temples in the South-East Asia, Prambanan attracts many admirers each year from abroad. Situated about 15 kilometers from Yogyakarta, the top of the main shrine is visible from a great distance and rises high above the scattered ruins of the former temples.

There is a area where you can conduct a special occasion together with your family, particular society or an organization(camping). Public facilities are available her just to support your need. While you activities you also enjoy the most beautiful elegant Hindus Temple in Indonesia, it means that this could be a memorable one.

Prambanan is the best seen shortly after dawn or in the late afternoon. However it is still beautiful at any time.
Archeological Museum:
The museum where you can learn about the ancient history of Prambanan and all the surrounding temples and Wanabaya’s discoveries.

Tinos is one of the biggest Greek islands of the Cyclades. It is the third Cycladic Island in size and it is 195 square kilometers. The perimeter of its coast line is 114 kilometers and it is located south-eastern of Andros and north- western of Myconos. Tinos is basically an island with religious and worshipping tourists. Four major festival days are: January 30- the anniversary of the finding of the icon; March 25- the Annunciation of Mary; July 23- the anniversary of the vision of the nun Pelagia and August 15- the Assumption of Mary. The finding of the icon, the erection of the temple, the improvement of the transportation had a great impact to the social and economic evolution of the island.

Every visitor is amazed by the beauty and calm of the beaches of Tinos Greece. Long beaches with golden sand, pebble and rocky beaches and little coves are offering their crystalline waters and their deserted landscapes. A few of these beaches have sun beds, umbrellas, water sports facilities, accommodation, restaurants and snack bars. It highest mountain is named Tsiknias and is 725 meters high. According to mythology Aelos, the god of the winds lived at the channel of Tsiknias. This explains the fact that the area is very windy.

The architecture of Tinos is a traditional folk art. Most of those exceptional buildings can be found in the central and eastern part of Tinos. They dating from the 18th and 19th century and are more than six hundred decorating the island’s landscape. A broad paved street leads from the harbor to the low hill on which stands the Church of Our Lady. Tinos is famous for the Church of Panagia which has a miraculous icon and is attracting thousands of pilgrims from all over the country on the 15th of August, feast day of the Virgin. The icon, called Our Lady of Good Tidings, is a beautiful portrayal of Mary kneeling with her head bent in prayer. Regarded by scholars as being older than the Byzantine period, it may perhaps be the work of the Apostle and Evangelist St. Luke. Numerous reports of miracles of healing rapidly increased the fame of the Church of the Megolohari. The results of the sacred icon are the most venerated pilgrimage item of the Greek nation. Built in marble the church stands overlooking the town on the site where a miraculous icon of Our Lady was discovered.

Next to the church is the Gallery of Tiniot Artists and Modern Greek Painters, which has a very interesting collection. Close by is the Archaeological Museum of Tinos. It houses finds from the temple of Poseidon and Amphitrite and from the Geometric marble of Exo Meria. Tinos is an island for those who appreciate the old ways and lifestyle of the islanders, the authentic picturesque villages that one hopes to find on a Greek island, and the simple Greek cuisine that Greece itself is famous for. Here on Tinos, it’s back to basics.

La Sagrada Familia is a large Roman Catholic basilica under construction in Barcelona, Spain. La Sagrada Familia is one of Gaudi’s most famous works in Barcelona and one of Barcelona’s most characteristic buildings. Antoni Gaudí worked on the project for over 40 years. The first stone was placed on 1882, on the festival of St. Joseph. After Gaudi’s death in 1926, work continued under the direction of Dominick Sugranyes until interrupted by the Spanish Civil War in 1935.When you visit the building you will see the contrast in the stone colour between the front and back of the building. The building is still under construction so be prepared to see a lot of work continuing when you visit. However this in itself is interesting, especially if you visit the museum inside the building.
The three portals of this facade are related to the Christian themes of faith, hope, and charity. The pinnacles at the tops of the towers are decorated with colorful mosaics with various textures. High up on the Nativity facade a spire with a cypress tree symbolizes the tree of life. A pelican at the foot of the tree symbolizes the Host and angels at the bottom hold chalices. At the top of the tree stands for God. A dove at the top with outspread wings represents the Holy Spirit. The three persons of the Trinity are represented at the top of the tree of life.

Currently construction is mainly focusing on the nave and the main southern facade known as the Glory Facade. This facade will picture life and death of men. A total of 18 tall towers are called for, representing in ascending order of height the twelve Apostles. The Evangelists’ towers will be surmounted by sculptures of their traditional symbols: a bull, an angel, an eagle and a lion. Another four towers represent the 4 evangelists. The last tower above the Nativity scene in the central section are the incarnation when the Word was made flesh and a scene in heaven when Jesus crowns Mary queen of Heaven. They are so strange that they inspire only looking; one becomes dumb before them. La Sadrada Familia will be able to accommodate 13,000 people. A lift and a long walk will lead you to the top of a tower from where you have a magnificent view over Barcelona. From this level the works a bird’s-eye view can be seen on the works.

Borobudur, the great Buddhist stupa on Java, Indonesia. The Borobudur Temple is considered as one of the seven wonders of the world. Constructed out of an estimated 1,600,000 blocks of volcanic stone, dredged from the river and assembled solely by human labor. Following in the footsteps of various discoverers, let us visit this unique and magnificent monument. Built and decorated perhaps before 800ad, should be on any body’s list of the ten greatest art – complexes in the world for its size, quality, sophistication and excellent state of preservation.The Borobodur Temple complex is one of the greatest monuments in the world. The structure, composed of 55,000 square meters of lava-rock is erected on a hill in the form of a stepped-pyramid of six rectangular storeys, three circular terraces and a central stupa forming the summit. The walls and balustrades are decorated with fine low reliefs, covering a total surface area of 2,500 sq. m. The whole structure is in the form of a lotus, the sacred flower of Buddha. Besides being the highest symbol of Buddhism, the Borobodur stupa is also a replica of the universe.
The journey for pilgrims begins at the base of the monument and follows a path circumambulating the monument while ascending to the top through the three levels namely Kamadhatu, Rupadhatu and Arupadhatu. The 1300 bas-reliefs along the balustrades corridors of the square galleries forming the next five levels of terraces.Upon the upper three terraces are 72 small stupas, each containing a statue of the Buddha. It symbolises the micro-cosmos in which man’s world of desire is influenced by negative impulses, the middle level, the world in which man has control of his negative impulses and uses his positive impulses. The peak of the structure is a central stupa. The two chambers inside the stupa are empty and it is unclear whether they were empty from the beginning as a representation of nirvana.

The excavation of the monument, known as Borobudur has been ordered by Sir Thomas Stanford Raffles in 1814. He found the temple in wined condition and ordered that the site be cleared of undergrowth and thoroughly surveyed. The massive restoration project began from 1905. It’s takes eight years of labor and unprecedented international cooperation to complete. The second restoration to rescue Borobudur was carried out from August 1968 to 1983 with the help of UNESCO. Souvenir hunters decapitate many of the Buddhas and ship them to mansions and museums throughout the world. For the weary tourist, a tea house is built high on the crumbling central stupa. Representing Nirvana.

Wat Arun is one of the few Bangkok temples predating the Chakri dynasty, the current rulers of Thailand. When general Phya Taksin crowned himself king in 1769, he moved the capital across the Chao Phraya river to Thonburi.

Wat Makok temple fell within the area intended for the king’s new palace along the riverbank. The young king designated it the royal temple and changed its name to Wat Jaeng—the Temple of Dawn, a name thought to commemorate the founding of the new dynasty. King Taksin treated the monks badly, expelling them so that he could worship privately in the temple.

Monks were allowed to return during the rule of Rama I, the first King of the Chakri dynasty, who disestablished Wat Jaeng as the royal temple when he moved the capital across the river to what it today downtown Bangkok. His successor, Rama II, renamed it Wat Arun Rajtharam and renovated the temple. He planned to raise the central spire (called a prang) beyond its original 16 meters, but he died before the project was realized. His successor, Rama III, completed the project in the years 1842-1847. The prang was raised to an astonishing 67 meters, making it the highest one in Thailand even today.

The temple is an architectural reproduction of Mount Meru, the center of the world in Buddhist cosmology. The four corner prang, which house images of the guardian gods of the four directions, reinforce the symbolism.

With a long history involving everyone from the Greeks and apostles to the Crusaders and Ottoman Turks, Cyprus is positively brimming with fascinating and historical religious sites. Paphos is a coastal town in the southwest of Cyprus. In Antiquity two locations denoted Paphos (Old Paphos and New Paphos) which left its mark in history with number of houses excavated and several beautiful mosaics revealed.
Paphos is the mythical birthplace of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, sexual intercourse, and beauty, and the founding myth is interwoven with the goddess at every level. In Greco-Roman times Paphos was the island’s capital, and it is famous for the remains of the Roman Governor’s palace, where extensive, fine mosaics are a major tourist attraction. The Apostle Paul visited the town during the first century. The town of Paphos is included in the official UNESCO list of cultural and natural treasures of the world’s heritage.In the founding myth, even the town’s name is linked to the goddess, as the eponymous Paphos was the son of Pygmalion and his ivory cult image of Aprodite, which was brought to life by the Goddess as “milk-white” Galatea. The author of Bibliotheke, the Hellenistic encyclopedia of myth long attributed to Apollodorus, gives the genealogy. Pygmalion was so devoted to the cult of Aphrodite that he removed the statue to his palace and kept it on his couch. The daimon of the goddess entered into the cult image, and the living Galatea bore Pygmalion a son Paphos and a daughter Metharme. Cinyras, perhaps the son of Paphus, but perhaps the successful suitor of Metharme, founded the city under the patronage of Aphrodite and built the great temple to the goddess there. According to another legend preserved by Strabo (xi. p. 505), whose text, however, varies, it was founded by the Amazons.

Place to see at Paphos:

* Aphrodite’s Sanctuary – The Greeks agreed that Aphrodite had landed at the site of Paphos when she rose from the sea. According to Pausanias (i. 14), her worship was introduced at Paphos from Syria; but it is much more probable that it was of Phoenician origin. Before archaeology commenced it was understood that the cult of Aphrodite had been established before the time of Homer (ca 700 BC), as the grove and altar of Aphrodite at Paphos are mentioned in Odyssey (viii. 362). Archaeology has established that Cypriots venerated a fertility goddess before the arrival of the Greeks, in cult that combined Aegean with Eastern mainland aspects. Female figurines and charms found in the immediate vicinity date as far back as the early third millennium. The temenos was well established before the first structures were erected in the Late Bronze Age: “There was unbroken continuity of cult from that time until 391 AD when the Roman Emperor Theodosius I outlawed all pagan religions and the sanctuary fell into the ruins in which we find it today.”

Here the worship of the goddess centred, not for Cyprus alone, but for the whole Aegean world. The Cinyradae, or descendants of Cinyras, Greek by name, but of Phoenician origin, were the chief priests. Their power and authority were very great; but it may be inferred from certain inscriptions that they were controlled by a senate and an assembly of the people. There was also an oracle here. Few cities have ever been so much sung and glorified by the poets. The remains of the vast temple of Aphrodite are still discernible, its circumference being marked by huge foundation walls. After its overthrow by an earthquake, it was rebuilt by Vespasian, on whose coins it is represented, as well as on earlier and later ones, and especially in the style on those of Septimius Severus. (Engel, vol. i. p. 130.) From these representations, and from the existing remains, Hetsch, an architect of Copenhagen, has attempted to restore the building.

* Byzantine Museum of Arsinoe – The Byzantine Museum of Paphos is housed in a building owned by the Bishopric of Paphos next to the Bishopric itself and to the Church of Saint Theodoros. It was founded on the initiative of Bishop Chrysostomos II of Paphos in 1983, with the aim of preserving, protecting and projecting treasures of Byzantine art of the Paphos diocese. The greatest part of the exhibition space is taken up by representative icons from the entire diocese, dating from the 12th to the 19th centuries. Two double-panelled icons stand out, one of the Virgin Theoskepasti and Saint James Perse from the end of the 12th century, and the other of Saint Marina and Saint George from Filousa Kelokedaron, dating from 13th century. In the Museum there are also on exhibit detached wall frescoes from the Church of St. Theodoros in Choulou from the beginnings of the 12th century, sacred heirlooms, sacerdotal vestments, manuscripts and old printed books.

* Catacombs – The city contains many catacomb sites dating back to the early Christian period. The most famous is Saint Solomoni Church, originally a Christian catacomb retaining some of its twelfth century frescoes. A sacred tree at the entrance is believed to cure the ailments of those who hang a personal offering on its branches.

* Church of St. Paul’s Pillar (Hrysopolitissa) – This extensive site, which is still being excavated, was home to one of Pafos’ largest religious structures. What’s left are the foundations of a Christian basilica (built in AD 4), which demonstrate the size and magnificence of the original church. Green-marble columns lie scattered around the site and mosaics are still visible. The overall area is loosely roped off, so you can’t get a total picture of the remains.

* Nea Paphos Archaeological Site – The remains of villas, palaces, theatres, fortresses and tombs give the site its exceptional architectural and historic value. The mosaics of Nea Paphos are among the most beautiful in the world.

* Tombs of the Kings – The Tombs of the Kings is a large necropolis lying a little over a mile (two kilometres) north-west of Paphos harbour in Cyprus. The underground tombs, many of which date back to the 4th century BCE, are carved out of the solid rock, and are thought to have been the burial sites of Paphitic aristocrats and high officials up to 3 CE (the name comes from the magnificence of the tombs; no kings were in fact buried here). Some of the tombs feature Doric columns and frescoed walls. Archaeological excavations are still being carried out at the site. The tombs are cut into the native rock, and at times imitated the houses of the living.

* Agios Neophytos Monastery Palea – North-east of Paphos lies Ayios Neophytos Monastery, famous for its `Encleistra’, Enclosure, carved out of the mountain by the hermit himself, which boasts some of the finest Byzantine frescoes of the 12th and 15th centuries. Near by too is the painted village church of Emba (Empa).

The best weather is in the summer months, though it can get uncomfortably hot – 33C/91F in August. If you’re prepared to take a slight risk with the weather and go in late May or early September, temperatures should still be good, you’ll save money and avoid the crowds. Google Earth Placemark – Visit the Sacred and Religious sites of Paphos

Here i will present you the Islam’s fourth most holiest city (after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem) Great Mosque. It is located in Tunisia and is called Kairouan. The Sidi Oqba Mosque, or Great Mosque, stands at the northeast corner of the Medina in Kairouan, its massive minaret incorporated in the town walls.

Some History

The oldest and most important Islamic building in North Africa and the model for all later Moorish sacred architecture, it was originally built by Uqba ibn Nafi, the Arab commander who founded Kairouan, in 672. After being pulled down, rebuilt, altered and enlarged on various occasions it was given its present form about 836, in the reign of the Aghlabid ruler Ziyadet Allah. Since then it has been frequently renovated, notably in 1025, 1294, 1618 and 1968-73. It originally stood in the center of the town, but, as can be seen from the town plan, this has moved steadily southwestward.

By 698, following several more military campaigns in the Maghreb, the Arabs had driven the Byzantines from their garrisons in Carthage and become masters of the provinces of North Africa, called by them Ifriqiya. The town of Kairouan became the capital of this vast province. Governors were appointed to the province by the Ommayyad and Abassid caliphs (ruling from Damascus and Baghdad), and they exercised their rule from Kairouan. This tradition was continued over the centuries by the Aghlabid emirs (9th century), the Fatamid caliphs (10th century), and the Zirid emirs (11th century). During these centuries, the city became one of the most important cultural centers in the Arab world, witnessing a flowering of sciences, literature and the arts. Agriculture was favored by the execution of sizable irrigation projects and an active increase in trade with the surrounding regions added to the general prosperity. Kairouan grew in size and beauty and no where was this more evident than in the construction and continuing elaboration of its Great Mosque.

From the 11th century onward, however, Kairouan ceased to be the capital of Arab Ifriqiya. Tunis, Tlemcen, Fez, Marrakech and other North African cities usurped its political and economic prominence. Slowly the ancient city shrunk in size until it covered scarcely a third of the area occupied by the metropolis of the Aghlabids, the Fatamids, and the Zirids. Yet, as a holy city, Kairouan grew in importance with the passing centuries and its splendid mosque became a magnet for pilgrims from Muslim territories throughout Northern and Saharan Africa.

The Great Mosque, also known as the Sidi Oqba mosque, had its simple beginnings in 670 AD, during the time of Uqba ibn Nafi, the original founder of Kairouan. As the city expanded during the following three hundred years, the original mosque was torn down and rebuilt in 703, again in 774, and then significantly enlarged by rulers of the Aghlabid dynasty in 836 and 863. By the end of the 9th century the mosque had attained the size and proportions that it exhibits today, though numerous renovations and ornamentations were conducted during the 13th and 14th centuries by the Hafsid dynasty rulers and during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries (when the region was controlled by the Turks) by the Mouradite and Husseinite rulers.

Some Facts

The mosque covers an area 135m/443ft long by 80m/262ft wide. The entrance, on the west side, with the midha (room for ablutions), leads into the inner courtyard, off which open a number of doorways. In the form of a slightly irregular rectangle, it is surrounded on three sides by double- aisled colonnades of antique columns. Under the marble-paved courtyard, which slopes down gradually towards the center, are cisterns for the storage of rainwater. At the north end is the minaret, at the south end the magnificent facade of the prayer hall. The vestibule, two bays deep, with a ribbed dome, dates from the ninth century.

Seventeen carved wooden doors give admission to the seventeen-aisled prayer hall. The central aisle, which is wider than the others, leads straight to the mihrab (prayer niche) on the qibla wall, along which extends a wide aisle. The bay in front of the mihrab is crowned by a dome, one of the oldest stone-built domes in North Africa. The prayer hall, measuring 80m/260ft by 40m/130ft, is a forest of columns with beautiful shafts and capitals from ancient buildings, some from as far afield as Carthage and Hadrumetum (Sousse). Including those in the courtyard, the mosque contains a total of 414 columns.

The mihrab marking the direction of Mecca (though later measurements have shown that it is 30° off the true line) is faced with fine faience tiles, given a metallic sheen by the addition of metal oxides to the glaze – a process not known in the west when the tiles were imported from Baghdad in 862. The rear wall is clad with 28 decorated marble slabs measuring 60cm/2ft by 45cm/18in. The round-headed arch over the mihrab is borne on marble columns. To the right of the mihrab is the wooden minbar (pulpit), decorated with the finest intarsia work, which also dates from the ninth century and is thus the oldest surviving minbar in the whole Islamic world. (There are a reproduction and photographs of it in the Islamic Museum: see below.) The maqsura (the screen behind which the ruler could participate in worship) is a masterpiece of carving (1022).

Although non-Muslims have since 1972 been banned from entering the prayer hall, it may be possible to get a glimpse of the interior through an open door.

Google Earth Placemark – The Great Sidi Oqba Mosque of Kairouan Tunisia

The origins of Shwedagon are lost in antiquity, its age unknown. Long before the pagoda was built, its location on Singuttara hill was already an ancient sacred site because of the buried relics of the three previous Buddhas. According to one legend, nearly 5000 years had passed since the last Buddha walked the Earth, and Singuttara hill would soon lose its blessedness unless it was reconsecrated with relics of a new Buddha. In order that such new relics might be obtained, King Okkalapa of Suvannabhumi spent much time atop the hill, meditating and praying. A series of miracles ensued and eight hairs of the historical Buddha were, somewhat magically, brought to the hill. To enshrine the relics, multiple pagodas of silver, tin, copper, lead, marble, iron and gold where built one on top of the other to a height of twenty meters. During the following centuries, passing from myth to historical fact, the pagoda grew to its present height of ninety-eight meters. Much of the continued construction of Shwedagon was actually reconstruction following disastrous earthquakes. During the 17th century the pagoda suffered earthquake damage on at least eight occasions. A particularly bad quake in 1786 brought the entire top half of the pagoda to the ground and its current shape and height date from the reconstruction of that time.

While much of the pagoda’s beauty derives from the complex geometry of its shape and surrounding structures, equally mesmerizing is its golden glow. The lower stupa is plated with 8,688 solid gold bars, an upper part with another 13,153. The tip of the stupa, far too high for the human eye to discern in any detail, is set with 5448 diamonds, 2317 rubies, sapphires, and other gems, 1065 golden bells and, at the very top, a single 76-carat diamond. Surrounding the pagoda are a plentitude of smaller shrines housing pre-Buddhist spirits called Nats, miracle working images, and even a wish granting stone. The entire temple complex radiates a palpable sense of beauty and serenity.

The perimeter of the base of the Pagoda is 1,420 fee and its height 326 feet above the platform. The base is surrounded by 64 small pagodas with four larger, one in the center of each side. There also are 4 sphinxes, one at each corner with 6 leogryphs, 3 on each side of them. Projecting beyond the base of the Pagoda, one on the center of each side are Tazaungs in which are images of the Buddha and where offerings are made.

There are also figures of elephants crouching and men kneeling, and pedestals for offerings all around the base. In front of the 72 shrines surrounding the base of the Pagoda, you will find in several places images of lions, serpents, ogres, yogis, spirits, or Wathundari (Recording Secretary Angel).

On the wall below the first terrace of the Pagoda at the WSW and WNW corners, you will see embossed figures. The former represents King Okkalapa who first built the Pagoda. The latter is a pair of figures; the one above represents Sakka who assisted in foundation of the Pagoda, and the one below, Me Lamu, consort of Sakka and mother of Okkalapa.

In order to make the gilding stand the weather, the Trustees after the year 1900, decided to cover the bulbous spire, called the plantain bud with gold plates, each plate measuring 1 foot square and weighing 5 ticals of gold (0.18 pound). Subscriptions were called for and the work commenced in 1903, when the whole plantain bud was covered. It is on record that 4 such gold plates were donated by the late King George, V (then Prince of Wales) and Queen Mary when they visited Myanmar in 1906.

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With its huge dome and immense dimensions, Hagia Sophia was a surpassed. Sinan accomplished this difficult task. He reached to an excellence far-surpassed Hagia Sophia’s heavy monumentality (see Suleymaniye and Selimiye Mosques). The achievement of Anthemios real challenge for the Ottoman architects. It was an inspiration source and also a representative of a conquered culture, which was to be and Isidoros was the placement of a huge dome (32.5 m.) over an oblong basilica. Entrance vestibules (narthex) lead to a breathtaking central space. Four exedrae, apse and two semidomes on the east and west, the gallery arcades on the north and south, and the dome above circumscribe this lofty space. Four huge pillars and bulky buttresses attached to them on the outside support the dome. The use of a basilica that stretch below the dome with narthexes, a nave, aisles and galleries causes the fragmentation of the interior space. Aside the nave, the components of this basilica are dark and secondary spaces without direct interrelationship with the domed central piece. However, the building is really imposing from the centre. Its dome is like a shell soaring in the sky. The windows at its edges (clerestory windows) and the enormous height and width of the dome create this impression. The dome of Hagia Sophia substantiates a cosmological notion: heavenly dome. It is configurated as a disjunct segment of the structure. Together with all other subsidiary sections attached to the nave it participates in the “detached space” of the building. Contrastingly, the dome of a monumental Ottoman mosque limits and fixes an interior space. It is an inseparable part of the architectural composition. Unlike the dome of Hagia Sophia, Ottoman dome intermingles with the lower structure. Sinan’s Selimiye is a very good example to illustrate this. In Sinan’s structures, the subsidiary spaces are diminished and amalgamated to the central space. Even in Suleymaniye, which is the closest mosque to Hagia Sophia, the fragmented space understanding is suppressed (see Suleymaniye Mosque). It is erroneous to say that classical Ottoman mosques copied Hagia Sophia. But, it is true to say that Hagia Sophia’s monumentality was a source of inspiration. Hagia Sophia is a summation of Roman and Early Christian architecture in a huge scale. There are also some decorative elements borrowed from Sassanian art. But, its architecture is essentially Roman in style. Ottoman architecture of the sixteenth century created a style of its own, which is called “classical”. The Ottoman architect of this period employed almost every architectural and decorative element flourished in the lands along the Mediterranean Sea. His main sources were Roman, Early Islamic, Seljukid and early Ottoman inventions. The architects of Hagia Sophia and Ottoman Classical mosques had distinct aspirations, which helped the accomplishment of two different types of monumentality. Therefore, in a single city, we have an unbelievably rich heritage of local traditions expressed in such gigantic dimensions.