In the second century BC. e. Greek scientists compiled a list of the greatest achievements of mankind, known today as the seven wonders of the world. This list includes such architectural achievements as the Egyptian pyramids, the gardens of Babylon and the Colossus of Rhodes. Since then, many candidates have emerged for an expanded version of the list, such as Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu, the Terracotta Army and other famous architectural wonders of the Ancient World. However, many buildings have been left without due attention, which also have every right to the title of "wonder of the world."
Gebekli Tepe
Located in Turkish Anatolia, the world's oldest megalithic temple consists of several rectangular rooms, stone circles and columns decorated with drawings of animals, insects, reptiles, as well as human and abstract figures. This temple complex is unique not only in its complexity and mystery, but also in its historical prescription. Gebekli Tepe was built in the X-IX millennia BC, six and a half thousand years before the pyramids and even before people began to use metal tools for the first time, burn clay and cultivate the earth.
Sigiriya
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The amazing fortress is located on a rocky plateau in the heart of Sri Lanka. In the 5th century AD, King Kasapa moved his capital deep into the jungle, seeking to avoid court strife. Around a gigantic granite plateau, he built a city called Sigiriya, and on the top of the plateau itself, called the Lion's Stone, Kasapa built his palace. The Lion Stone was surrounded by gardens, pavilions and fountains. It was possible to climb to the palace by a huge, gorgeous stone staircase, the top of which was guarded by a statue of a lion, of which today only paws remained. The palace was decorated with frescoes, porcelain slabs and paintings. At the very end of the fifth century, Kasapa was defeated in battle and committed suicide. Its beautiful capital and palace atop a granite plateau have been converted into a Buddhist monastery. Europeans first learned about Sigiriya at the beginning of the 20th century.
Hawara, or Egyptian labyrinth
The ancient necropolis was built by Amenemhat III in the 19th century BC next to his unfinished pyramid. Unfortunately, today there is practically nothing left of the complex labyrinth, it is likely that the necropolis was dismantled for the construction of other buildings. The first descriptions of the famous labyrinth are found in the books of Greek and Roman historians. The necropolis was a two-story labyrinth with complex passages and thousands of individual rooms that were connected by ornate corridors. Judging by the descriptions, the labyrinth was so complicated that it was impossible not to get lost there without a guide. The description of Herodotus calls the Khavarian labyrinth an architectural achievement that cannot be described in words, and puts it above the pyramids of Giza.
The Great Ziggurat of Ur
This grand ziggurat was built in the 21st century BC by the Sumerian kings Ur-Nammu and Shulga - father and son. The ziggurat was the religious and architectural center of Ur - one of the most ancient Sumerian city-states located in the southern Mesopotamia. Like most such structures, the Great Ziggurat at Ur is made in the form of a multi-stage tower built of mud bricks. The main attraction of the ziggurat in Ur was several huge stepped staircases that led to the top of the structure, where the altar of the patron saint of the city of Nunn, the god of the moon, towered. Today only the base of the ziggurat has survived, without the top and altar, but still the structure rises 30 meters. During its rich history, the building has undergone reconstruction twice - in the sixth century AD,when the Babylonian king Nabonidus replaced the outdated foundation and the upper steps of the ziggurat, and in the 80s of the last century, when Saddam Hussein restored the facade and rebuilt the three main staircases.
Longmen
Longmen Cave Temple Complex in China consists of 2,300 limestone caves of various sizes, in which more than one hundred thousand elegant sculptures have been carved. The first caves and sculptures of the temple complex date back to the 5th century AD, but the construction of the temple continued until the 10th century. Most of the figures belong to Buddhist deities. In the huge Fingxian grotto there is a 17-meter statue of Buddha surrounded by disciples, and in the Wang-fo-tun cave, about 15 thousand different statues of Buddha are carved. Some of them do not even reach 10 centimeters. However, Longmen is famous not only for statues and statues of Buddha, there are caves depicting imperial processions, grottoes with inscriptions on the vaults and even a "medical cave" containing recipes for the preparation of 140 ancient medicines and descriptions of medical practices on its vaults.
Tikal
One of the largest and best-preserved sites of the Mayan civilization is located in the jungles of Guatemala. The heyday of the Mutul kingdom, whose capital was Tikal, fell on the classical period from the third to the ninth centuries AD. Today, the central part of the metropolis has preserved several paths, paved squares, stadiums for games and about three hundred buildings of varying complexity. In fact, Tikal is in no way inferior to Machu Picchu and is one of the best-preserved ancient cities in Central America. The most interesting architectural structures of this settlement are undoubtedly the temple pyramids, some of which are the tallest structures of pre-Columbian America. The first temple, known as the "big jaguar", is home to the body of Hasan-Chav-Qavil, ruler of Tikal in the 8th century. During his reign, the population of Tikal grew to 70 thousand people, but by the 10th century the city was completely empty for unknown reasons.
Newgrange
This megalithic mound is often called the Irish Stonehenge. The mound-shaped corridor tomb was built in the third millennium BC by the ancient inhabitants of Ireland. The mound reaches a height of 13.5 meters and its diameter is about 90 meters. The base of the mound is made of huge slabs weighing an average of 30-35 tons. A long corridor leads to a burial chamber with an astronomical "window" in the ceiling. Every year on the winter solstice, the sun's rays fall directly into the opening and flood the main corridor and burial hall with light. Despite the fact that the mound was used as a tomb, scientists do not deny the multipurpose use of this megalithic structure, for example, as a ritual temple, solar calendar or observatory. In mythology, Newgrange is known as the Fairy Barrow. Over time, it was discontinued and it was abandoned for thousands of years. It was discovered at the end of the 17th century and with difficulty prevented attempts to disassemble the megalith for building materials.
Hope Chikanchi