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Có một số tool tổng hợp các bạn xem và dùng thử nhé hi vọng các bạn đạt đc thành công!

http://www.mediafire.com/?di2ruesqmgz

Thuỳ Linh- Vàng Anh

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Update lại 1 số thông tin

1. Đồng chí Viet Dart-nam tài tử trong film Vàng Anh-XXX là admin của trang www.galworld.vn, có mối quan hệ cực kì sâu rộng trong giới ăn chơi tuổi teen Việt Nam. Hiện đang du học tại Mỹ. Đặc biệt phụ thân của đồng chí là bác Nguyễn Đức Nhanh - giám đốc CA TP Hà Nội.

Thế nên đồng chí là một trong nhưng đại thiếu gia tiền tiêu ko hết, gái ném qua cửa sổ vèo vèo như ném rác. Ra đường cứ thấy gái xinh nhổ một bãi nứoc bọt thế nào cũng trúng hàng của bạn Viet Dart. Xin gửi đến quí vị một tấm hình của bạn VIet Dart thân yêu của chúng ta.



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2.Trong khoảng năm 2004 Viet Dart là người yêu của em MiVân-Piano-người hết sức nổi tiếng trong giới ảnh Việt Nam. Cũng trong thời kì này em MiVân là bạn rất thân của em Vàng Anh (thân kiểu "thân ai người ấy lo í mà" ). Như vậy theo điều này chúng ta có thể thấy bạn Viet Dart rất có thể đã đ.. ít nhất là 2 Mĩ Nhân nối tiếng tuổi teen là Vàng Anh và Mi Vân.

Thế nên dư luận hoàn toàn có quyền hi vọng vào việc trong tương lai sắp tới chúng ta sẽ được thưởng thức một clip nữa do chính em MiVân thủ vai nữ nhân vật chính. Mời qúi vị xem vài bức hình thời còn mặn nồng giữa em Mi Vân và bạn Việt Dart










Trước đây trên một bài phỏng vấn của em Vàng Anh, trên đó em Vàng Anh cũng có xác nhận rằng Viet Dart là người yêu cũ của em hồi năm 2005, sau đó đã chia tay và du học ở bên Mĩ (Viet Dart). Và sau đó đến khoảng năm 2006 em yêu anh Khải Anh con dzai bác Khải Hưng - giám đốc hãng phim truyền hình VN người phụ trách chính serie NKVA trên VTV3(thế mà thằng mất dạy nào bảo em ý đến với đồng chí Lê Đắc Lâm, con trai của giám đốc VP Bank Vietnam nhỉ)

Thế nên em Vàng Anh được quyền ưu tiên và tuyển thẳng vào vai chính của nhân vật Vàng Anh. Sự nghiệp của em lúc này lên như "diều gặp gió" . Thế nhưng ko hiểu vì lí do gì , theo thông tin đại chúng nghi ngờ bạn VietDart có vẻ "akay" vụ này nên hè vừa rồi đã về VN làm một cái clip thật là hoành tráng với mục đích rửa hận bác Khải Hưng vì con bác ý đã cướp người yêu của mình. Bằng cách nhằm thẳng vào serie film Vàng Anh đang rất ăn khách trên VTV3. NGoài ra theo nguồn tin đặc biệt cho biết em Vàng Anh còn đã từng ngủ với bạn Lâm con bác tổng VP bankNhư thế ta có thể thấy em Vàng Anh này cũng thuộc dạng cao cấp ~^^~ thượng lưu chuyên ngủ với các thiếu gia, công tử.

4. Trong clip nếu quí vị chịu khó nghe kĩ thì thấy rất rõ, Viet Dart nói những câu như sau : Vàng Anh oi, Vàng Anh, anh đưa lên mạng nhé , em quay đi v..v . Ngay trong đoạn đầu tiên của clip Viet Dart đã nói " em quay đi" , thế là em Vàng Anh ngay lập tức cầm điện thoại lên và dí thẳng vào "khúc thịt" của Việt dart , thật ko bút giấy nào tả xiết cái sự dâ.. loạn này . Giúp anh chị em trong và ngòai nước được dịp "mãn nhãn" vì được chiêm ngưỡng "cái ấy" tuyệt đẹp của.......
Như thế rõ ràng chúng ta có thể kết luận mấy điều như sau :

+ CLip được quay vào hè vừa rồi
+ (90%)Viet Dart cố tình quay rồi up lên mạng để rừa mồi hận tình cho mình
+ Vàng Anh và Viet Dart chả yêu đuơng cái gì hết , chia tay hay ko chia tay thì vẫn cứ fịc như thường , rặt một lũ teen nứt mắt bệnh hoạn đua đòi nhau sống buông thả, đú đởn (nếu em có nói quá các bác nào mà ủng hộ con VA cũng cố mà chịu nhé ) .
+ Cái thể loại mà chủ động cầm điện thoại dí vào lolz của mình (*) để quay film thì chẳng bao giờ có cái chuyện tự tử mới cả hối hận ( sure ). Có treo cổ bằng khăn mặt thì có . Các bạn cứ đọc trả lời phỏng vấn em Vàng Anh trên các báo điện tử thì rõ. Nó nhơn nhơn ra chứ có sợ sệt gì đâu , 1 lời xin lỗi khán giả cũng ko có fu..c fuc..c.
+ Việt Dart có mối quan hệ với các em gái tuổi teen hết sức sâu rộng và rất có thể đã xực rất nhiều em rồi . Xin minh họa thêm một bức ảnh nữa . Trong bức này em Vàng Anh đứng ở bên phải ngoài cùng. Qúi vị đọc giả chú ý cái tay của bạn VIet Dart thò xuống cạp quần của em Vàng Anh hết sức tự nhiên



5. Thái độ nhơn nhởn của em Vàng Anh cho thấy em chả sợ cái mợ gì cả. Đặc biệt trên nhiều diễn đàn như TTVNOL v.v.... , bài viết về em Vàng Anh đều đã bị "thủ tiêu" !

Như thế chúng ta có thể thấy mối quan hệ rất mạnh của em Vàng Anh không những với giới báo chí truyền hình mà cả giới mạng "ngầm" nữa.

Kết luận:

-Em Vàng Anh chả có gì để đáng tội nghiệp cả

- Ai đã đứng sau em Vàng Anh để chống lưng cho em vụ này ??? Câu hỏi cần được giải đáp ?

Ghi chú: Thông tin sưu tầm từ ddth.comĐể em đính chính lại chút thông tin về bạn Viet Dart thân yêu của chúng ta:Viet Dart (1986) một hot boy đến từ trường THPT Kim Liên, admin của galworld.vn, sang Mỹ theo chương trình Giao lưu văn hóa và đang học ở University of Nebraska at Omaha. Nhờ giàu và đẹp trai nên đã cưa đổ và đã have sex với nhiều em gái. Anh hay chơi cả hội diễn viên NKVA, dân chơi Hà Thành, dân chơi VN tại U of Nebraska, và cả mấy em gái của Họa Mi nữa. Đồng chí tên khắc trên bia mộ là Vũ Hoàng Việt , như vậy không phải là con ruột của giám đốc công an Tp.HN Nguyễn Đức Nhanh.

Sau một hồi lục lọi tư liệu bên phía ngành cảnh sát em chỉ biết có 1 bác là thượng tá Vũ Hoàng Kiên là trưởng phòng cảnh sát điều tra (PC16) của công an Hà Nội. Bác Kiên cũng có 1 con trai đang học ở Mỹ, không hiểu có phải tên Việt hay không. (Có lẽ là đúng chứ chẳng lẽ em lại nhầm)

Bác Kiên là cánh tay phải của bác Nguyễn Đức Nhanh, vì bác Nhanh xuất thân từ phòng CSĐT PC16. Hai anh em bác Nhanh, Kiên đã đồng cam cộng khổ từ thời còn là lính trơn, đi lên tổ trưởng - tổ phó rồi trưởng phòng - phó phòng... giờ là giám đốc/chánh văn phòng cơ quan cảnh sát điều tra.

Bác Kiên nổi danh từ vụ đâm xe chết người ở Láng Hóa Lạc. Trong vụ này, bác ý đã giả mạo hồ sơ, cố tình điều tra cẩu thả một cách cực kỳ buồn cười, để bao che cho cậu Quân (con trai đồng chí Phạm Sơn ở phòng CSGT CAHN, cháu đồng chí Phạm Chuyên giám đốc cũ). Kết cục là bác Kiên bị Bộ công an kỷ luật cực kỳ nghiêm khắc là cảnh cáo.

Còn về phía VA

Tối 15/10, bạn xem truyền hình sẽ gặp lại một
-Vàng Anh có lúc bật khóc vì "ở tuổi ấy, với Linh đó là một cú shock quá lớn" (lời mẹ của Linh) nhưng cũng thật dũng cảm đón nhận thách thức với lời tâm sự xuất phát từ trái tim mình:

"Linh mong muốn được đi học bình thường, được gặp gỡ bạn bè và tiếp tục vào vai Vàng Anh. Thật là khó để nói lời chia tay lúc này. Nhưng đó chính là quyết định của Linh...".
Ấy thế mà:Chủ Nhật, 06/05/2007 - 6:05 AM
Thùy Linh: Không vội vàng “dính” vào chuyện yêu đương
Trích dẫn nội dung:“Đúng là tôi còn trẻ, và hiện tại tôi đang dồn sức cho việc học tập và công việc. Nếu vội vàng “dính” vào chuyện tình cảm, có lẽ, tôi sẽ không có đủ thời gian để chăm chút cho nó. Nên trước mắt, tôi tạm gác tình cảm sang một bên”, diễn viên trẻ Thùy Linh chia sẻ.
http://www.dantri.com.vn/giaitri/2007/5/177739.vip
ko yêu đâu nhưng mà "chuyện ấy" thì vẫn vô tư, idol của giới trẻ là như vậy đấy -----> còn gì để mà đồng cảm với chia sẻ hả các bác ^^!
Hot hot: sau 1 thời gian suy đi tính lại em tin chắc đoạn clip này chưa phải là bản full. Nếu để ý thì có thể thấy đoạn clip dài đúng 5p, ko thừa thiếu 1 giây. Hơn nữa, đoạn kết thúc thì hết cái phụt, ko hề thấy tắt máy quay hay có hành động gì gọi là ngừng lại. Có nghĩa là đoạn clip này đuợc cắt ra từ bản full. Vậy có nghĩa như nhiều lời đồn đại, vẫn còn có part 2???? Vì bây giờ vẫn chưa xác định đuợc ai là nguời post clip. Post lên nhằm mục đích gì .Có thể là để phá tan sự nghiệp của 1 dv đang lên hoặc muốn bôi nhọ danh dự của cậu trai kia, vì phần đông ý kiến bây giờ cho rằng chính cậu bạn trai là nguời post lên. Tuy nhiên ko có chứng cứ rõ ràng, hoặc ai đó điên rồ, định...lăng xê cô nàng chăng. Nói chung cũng chưa có gì rõ ràng cả? Nhưng em nghĩ là cả 2 nhân vật chính trong phim này đều ko dại đánh đổi tất cả mọi thứ, từ danh dự đến sự nghiệp để post đoạn clip này. Cho nên phải đợi phần 2 ra thì mới biết đuợc những diễn biến tiếp theo.Về phần ý kiến cá nhân em, em ko ủng hộ cô nàng này. Theo tất cả những gì em nói từ trên kia tới giờ thì cô này ko xứng đáng được ưu ái và bênh vực đến vậy. Theo nguồn tin xác đáng từ bạn bè cô ta thì hiện cô nàng vẫn đang rất thản nhiên và bên phía gia đình cô ta cũng cố tỏ ra ko có chuyện gì xảy ra và ko có động tĩnh gì mấy. Hầu hết là do bên nhà cậu con trai kia can thiệp.
Thật sự mà nói thì em thấy cô gái này rất trơ tráo và là 1 đứa con gái ko có trách nhiệm với bản thân. Với một người con gái bình thường đã không nên có những đoạn clip thế này. Nói gì cô nàng đang là người của công chúng. Vì sao ah ??? Đây nhé cái này cũng là trả lời luôn cho thắc mắc của mọi người , những nghi vấn về mặt thời gian.Đó là thời điểm đoạn phim này bị post lên mạng là vào khoảng tối ngày 11-10. Thế nhưng điều làm em tò mò là ko hiểu đoạn phim đó QUAY vào lúc nào. Bởi vì theo nhiều nguồn tin thì cô này và thằng bạn trai trong đoạn phim này chia tay từ truớc mùa hè, tức là lúc cô nàng chưa đóng NKVA 2, và cô này lập tức có nguời yêu khác (Nghe nói là con trai của giám đốc VP bank gì đó) Bởi vì cậu bạn trai trong cái clip là du học sinh ở bên Mỹ và mỗi năm chỉ về 1,2 lần, thì tức là trưóc khi cậu ta về, 2 nguời đã chia tay. Vậy tại sao trong đoạn clip này lại có đoạn cậu trai kia gọi “Vàng Anh” “Vàng Anh”.!? Phải chăng đoạn phim này đuợc quay vào khi 2 ngưòi này đã chia tay, và cô nàng đang yêu anh chàng khác rồi??? Như thế thì khỏi biện hộ gì nữa nhé. Thôi đó là chuyện riêng tư chỉ để cho mọi người hiểu một chút thôi nhé. Còn về tư cách của cô gái này, thì tùy mọi người nhận định.

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leech y xì ko edit nên hơi !@## chút ẹc min đừng mắng em nhé
chưa dám leech thêm bình luận đó
==================Noi' them^
Thuỳ Linh - Vàng Anh, thông tin bên lề: Cả 2 nhân vật trong clip đều đã từng được ngồi chung cafe vài lần. Em Linh thì hot girl hanoi rồi khỏi fải giới thiệu. Còn partner trong clip thì là Việt dart - cũng nổi tiếng vì toàn yêu hot girl Hanoi như em Linh và cả em Mi Vân nữa. Việt dart ko fải là người làm rò rì clip này. Mà chính là 1 người bạn của Linh đã làm rò rỉ nó, và nguồn lại chính là mobile của Linh. Nói chung Việt dart ko làm việc này, có thể tin được, vì cậu bé nổi tiếng chơi đẹp, sinh năm 87, đang du học ở Mỹ, bố là giám đốc công an TP hanoi, mẹ cũng làm công an. [Do*~ va`o xoong] =))

vụ Thuỳ Linh-Vàng Anh: theo thông tin mật thì cấp trên đã chỉ đạo xuống các báo đài cả n‎ớc ko được phép đưa tin làm rùm beng vụ này. Bằng chứng là sáng nay các báo ko được phép đ‎a tin như Tuoi Tre, Thanh Nien, Vietnamnet, VNExpress...các báo đã lỡ đăng tin và lần l‎ợt phải gỡ tin xuống là Lao Dong, Dan Tri, 24h...Tuy nhiên vẫn còn một vài trang vẫn đăng tải tin như ngoisao, vnmedia...(có thể sẽ phải gỡ xuống trong chốc lát) Vụ này đang có chiều hướng ém nhẹm trên báo đài nh‎ưng lại rất rầm rộ trên khắp các diễn đàn. Theo dự đoán từ 0g sáng đến 12g tr‎ưa nay đã có khoảng 10 triệu cư dân mạng biết tin

Lí do là vì Thuỳ Linh bỏ Việt Dart để cặp con trai tổng giám đốc VIP BANK, khi VIET Dart hận tình, chởi đểu đã tung 1 trong các đoạn video nóng "cây nhà lá vườn" làm Thuỳ Linh tự tử hụt; người yêu mới của Thuỳ Linh là con trai của Director of VIP BANK và cũng làm tại VIP BANK ở VN rất có thế lực đã dàn xếp chuyện này, trước tiên là vnexpress ( thậm chí chưa kip đăng ) rồi đến dân trí, .v..v nhưng nhìn chung theo kiểu "vô tuyến truyền mồm" qua chat thì hầu hết dân mạng đều nghe thông tin mất rồi, từ học sinh cấp II mê chát trốn học cho đến các công chức nhà nước đầu hai thứ tóc, hoặc hói cả đầu đầu đã thưởng thức được!

This epic sculpture links the faces of four exalted American presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Lincoln. South Dakota's Black Hills provide the back-drop for Mount Rushmore, the world's greatest mountain carving. These 60-foot high faces, 500-feet up, look out over a setting of pine, spruce, birch, and aspen in the clear western air.

Sculptor Gutzon Borglum began drilling into the 6,200-foot mountain in 1927. Creation of the Shrine to Democracy took 14 years and cost a mere $1 million, though it's now deemed priceless.

Throughout 1998, Mount Rushmore National Memorial will celebrate the culmination of a multi-million dollar public-private partnership project to improve visitor facilities at the Memorial. Events throughout the year will offer the public exciting opportunities to come enjoy the new facilities at Mount Rushmore.

The park has recently installed the new Avenue of Flags, leading from the Concession Building to the Grandview Terrace. The flags of the 56 states and territories again fly below the Memorial. The Avenue provides direct and easy access to the Grandview Terrace and Presidential Trail, offering spectacular views of the mountain sculpture.

The 1998 summer season will also include an expanded interpretive program that extends through September. In addition to the exhibits and film at the new Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center, rangers will be providing more interpretive walks and talks. Interpretive programs, including the Evening Sculpture Lighting Ceremony, will continue through September. The lighting program will take place at 9 p.m. nightly in the park's amphitheater. This year the amphitheater is fully accessible via the Avenue of Flags to elevators at the new Visitor Center.

Other programs being offered include guided walks to the Sculptor's Studio, Presidential Trail walks, talks on the Grandview Terrace, afternoon children's activities and studio talks. Please check at the park's Visitor Center or call the park at (605) 574-2523 for times of these activities.

The Hoover Dam

Human beings have lived along or near the Colorado River for thousands of years. The evidence for this is the hundreds of habitation sites found throughout the Las Vegas, Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and Lake Mojave area, many of which have been dated with radiocarbon, argon, or by other measures.

Some of the earliest peoples have been called "desert culture" people, basket makers, or pueblo people. It is important to remember that these names are just a convenience for those who study people and their way of life. These are not names that the people have given themselves.

The descendants of the early peoples we know by more familiar names -- Paiutes, Hopi, Mojave, Yuma, Havasupai, Hualapai. These names are the names which the people have given to themselves -- for example, Havasupai means "the people of the blue-green water".

The first non-native people in the Colorado River area were Spanish conquerors (conquistadores), who were looking for gold, silver or other wealth. Ulloa was the first to see the mouth of the Colorado in 1539. Cardenas, who traveled with Coronado from Mexico in 1540, was the first to see the Grand Canyon. Some of these Spanish soldiers stayed or returned to live in the area, which is why the Spanish language is so widely used today in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada.

The sharing of languages was not the only effect of contact between Spanish soldiers and native people. Foods, diseases, tools, horses, and a great blending of cultures was the ultimate result of the initial, sometimes unfriendly, contacts.

Some two hundred years after the conquerors came, Spanish priests, such as Fathers Dominguez and Escalante in 1776, entered and explored parts of the Colorado River basin as they looked for routes of travel between their missions. It was Father Garces, also in 1776, who named the river, Rio Colorado, "river colored red."

Jedediah Smith and other trappers came looking for beavers in 1826, gold miners on the way to California followed in 1849, and Mormon settlers arrived in Las Vegas in 1855. Las Vegas, which is Spanish for "the meadows," did not become a town until 1905.

River explorers and mappers first came in January, 1858, under the leadership of Lt. Joseph Christmas Ives, who came up the Colorado by steamboat from the Gulf of California. He traveled as far upriver as possible to Black Canyon, the eventual site of Hoover Dam. John Wesley Powell and his men floated down the river, starting on the Colorado's main tributary, the Green River. From Green River, Wyoming, he and his men rowed all the way through the Grand Canyon. Powell made a second trip down the Colorado in 1871.

The river explorers were hoping to find that the Colorado could be used as a route of travel and commerce, but because of the wide fluctuations in the amount of water from season to season, they concluded that it could not.

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.

Why would so many people come out to what was, at the time, a raw, undeveloped and dangerous place to live? Essentially, because of the terrible economic times, the Depression, that was then affecting almost every part of the United States. 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 the real heroes of Hoover Dam.

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. And 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 Aswan High Dam

LOCATION
The High Dam is located just south of the city of Aswan in Egypt.

HISTORY
The High Dam was constructed not only to regulate the yearly flood of the Nile, but also to create a water reservoir capable of storing water to prevent famine during severe droughts. Construction of the Dam began in 1960 as a national project, undertaken by Egyptian president Nasser who nationalized the Suez Canal to provide funds for the project. With the American and the British refusing to secure a loan for the construction, it was the Soviets that designed the earth structure and provided the equipment required to build the power station. During the course of construction, provisions were made to repatriate the Nubian inhabitants, and, in a multi-national effort, to relocate The Great Temple of Abu Simbel.

In 1970, the Aswan High Dam was inaugurated by president Sadat. Today, the reservoir known as Lake Nasser spans approximately 500 kilometers across the Egyptio-Sudanese border. In spite of the ecological problems caused by the dam, it has been a blessing to the Egyptian community. It left the country unaffected by the drought that hit Africa during the late 1980's, and, in the 1990's, spared Egypt several unexpectedly high floods. A regulated agricultural system is now in place, and, in 1996, for the first time, the water in Nasser Lake rose above the spill level. Plans are underway to populate the area along the spillway of Toshka and to create new communities along the recently constructed Zayed Canal in the heart of the Sahara Desert.

The Eiffel Tower

HISTORY
The Eiffel Tower was built for the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889 commemorating the centenary of the French Revolution. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII of England, opened the tower. Of the 700 proposals submitted in a design competition, Gustave Eiffel's was unanimously chosen.

However it was not accepted by all at first, and a petition of 300 names - including those of Maupassant, Emile Zola, Charles Garnier (architect of the Opéra Garnier), and Dumas the Younger - protested its construction.

DESCRIPTION
At 300 metres (320.75m including antenna), and 7000 tons, it was the world's tallest building until 1930. Other statistics include: 2.5 million rivets. 300 steel workers, and 2 years (1887-1889) to construct it. Sway of at most 12 cm in high winds. Height varies up to 15 cm depending on temperature. 15,000 iron pieces (excluding rivets). 40 tons of paint. 1652 steps to the top.

It was almost torn down in 1909, but was saved because of its antenna - used for telegraphy at that time. Beginning in 1910 it became part of the International Time Service. French radio (since 1918), and French television (since 1957) have also made use of its stature.

During its lifetime, the Eiffel Tower has also witnessed a few strange scenes, including being scaled by a mountaineer in 1954, and parachuted off of in 1984 by two Englishmen. In 1923 a journalist rode a bicycle down from the first level. Some accounts say he rode down the stairs, other accounts suggest the exterior of one of the tower's four legs which slope outward.

The tower has three platforms. A restaurant (extremely expensive; reservations absolutely necessary), the Jules Verne is on the second platform. The top platform has a bar, souvenir shop, and the (recently restored) office of Gustave Eiffel.

Eiffel Tower

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.

HISTORY
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.

There is a light at the top of the tower which, when lit, indicates that the House of Commons is sitting. During the day you can tell if they're sitting by looking for a flag at the top of the nearby Victoria Tower which is the tallest and largest of the Westminster towers.

The tower which houses Big Ben has been called by many names, one of the most popular being St Stephen's Tower. However, the official line, from the Head of Public Information at the Palace is that 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.

The Red Fort in India

The largest of old Delhi's monuments is the Lal Quila, or the Red Fort, the thick red sandstone walls of which, bulging with turrets and bastions, have withstood the vagaries of time, and nature. The Lal Quila rises above a wide dry moat, in the northeast corner of the original city of Shahjahanabad. Its walls extend up to two kilometers, and vary in height from 18 meters on the river side to 33 meters on the city side.

Mughal Emperor Shahjahan started the construction of the massive fort in 1638, and work was completed in 1648. The fort sports all the obvious trappings, befitting a vital centre of Mughal government: halls of public and private audience, domed and arched marble palaces, plush private apartments, a mosque, and elaborately designed gardens. Even today, the fort remains an impressive testimony to Mughal grandeur, despite being attacked by the Persian Emperor Nadir Shah in 1739, and by the British soldiers, during the war of independence in 1857.

Entrance to the fort is through the imposing Lahore Gate, which as its name suggests faces Lahore, now in Pakistan. This gate has a special significance for India, since the first war of independence, and has been the venue of many an important speech, delivered by freedom fighters and national leaders of India.

The main entrance opens on to the Chatta Chowk, a covered street flanked with arched cells, that used to house Delhi's most skilful jewelers, carpet makers, weavers and goldsmiths. This arcade was also known as the Meena Bazaar, the shopping centre for the ladies of the court. Just beyond the Chatta Chowk, is the heart of the fort called Naubat Khana, or the Drum House. Musicians used to play for the emperor from the Naubat Khana, and the arrival of princes and royalty was heralded from here.

The Fort also houses the Diwan-i-Am or the Hall of Public Audiences, where the Emperor would sit and hear complaints of the common folk. His alcove in the wall was marble-paneled, and was set with precious stones, many of which were looted, after the Mutiny of 1857. The Diwan-i-Khas is the hall of private audiences, where the Emperor held private meetings. This hall is made of marble, and its centre-piece used to be the Peacock Throne, which was carried away to Iran by Nadir Shah in 1739. Today, the Diwan-i-Khas is only a pale shadow of its original glory, yet the famous Persian couplet inscribed on its wall reminds us of its former magnificence: "If on earth be an Eden on bliss, it is this, it is this, none but this."

The other attractions enclosed within this monument are the hammams or the Royal Baths, the Shahi Burj, which used to be Shahjahan's private working area, and the Moti Masjid or the Pearl Mosque, built by Aurangzeb for his personal use. The Rang Mahal or the 'Palace of Colors' housed the Emperor's wives and mistresses. This palace was crowned with gilded turrets, delicately painted and decorated with an intricate mosaics of mirrors, and a ceiling overlaid with gold and silver, that was wonderfully reflected in a central pool in the marble floor.

Even today, the Lal Quila is an eloquent reminder of the glory of the Mughal era, and its magnificence simply leaves one awestruck. It is still a calm haven of peace, which helps one to break away, from the frantic pace of life outside the walls of the Fort, and transports the visitor to another realm of existence.

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The Red Fort of Agra is perhaps one of the most magnificent specimens of Mughal architecture which portrays their creative and artistic genius to the fullest. It took several decades to build this extraordinary monument. The credit for this work cannot be attributed to one person alone. Three emperors, Akbar, Jehangir and Shahjehan partook in the construction at different periods of time.

The first person to start a construction in the area was Sultan Sikander Lodi who named the fort “Badalgarh”. It was Akbar who tore it down and built in its place the high red sandstone ramparts, which give the fort its name. Legend says that Akbar built more than 500 buildings, palaces and pavilions overlooking the banks of the river Yamuna within the precincts of The Red Fort. These were mostly all torn down by his grandson, Shahjehan and only the “Jehangiri Mahal” still stands. The white marble palaces and courts that one sees today are mostly the work of Shahjehan.

Shahjehan completed the Red Fort, which is known as “Lal Qila” in Hindi, in 1648. The walls surrounding the fort extend for more than two kilometers and vary in height between 18 meters and 33 meters. Shahjehan built this fort because he wanted to shift his capital from Agra to Delhi. But, before he could do this, he was captured and imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb in the fort itself, where he stayed until he died.

The Red Fort is to be entered by the Delhi Gate to the west, which pierces the outer wall. After this, one goes through the “Hathi Pol” or Elephant Gate, which is a tiled and ornamented entrance that pierces the inner wall. Once inside, one sees the “Diwan-e-am” and the “Diwan-e-khas” which are pavilions where the king gave audience to the common people and the elite respectively. The “Rang Mahal” is a water-cooled apartment for the royal ladies and in the basement of the fort there is a market where one can buy traditional Indian goods at very competitive rates. The “Khas Mahal” and “Sheesh Mahal” are exquisitely ornamented halls, which portray the brilliance and splendor of Mughal royalty. There is also another entrance to the Red Fort, which is the “Lahori Gate”. This entrance leads to the well-known “Chandni Market”. In the evenings there is a special light and sound show organized for tourists which is a must see.

The Sydney Opera House

Surrounded by water on three sides, at what is known as Bennelong Point, stands one of the most magnificient buildings on one of the most beautiful harbours in the world. The Sydney Opera House, originally designed by the Danish Architect Joern Utzon, is meant to look like a giant sailing ship.

Since its opening in 1973, the Sydney Opera House has been host to some of the most memorable artistic performances. We cannot hope to match its marvelous accoustics here, or to create the great sensation of being close to this landmark. It is however our hope that you will enjoy your virtual tour of the Opera House and decide to visit soon.

The Suez Canal

The idea of a canal linking the Mediterranean to the Red Sea dates back to ancient times. Unlike the modern Canal, earlier ones linked the Red Sea to the Nile, therefore forcing the ships to sail along the River on their journey from Europe to India. It has been suggested that the first Canal was dug during the reign of Tuthmosis III, although more solid evidence credits the Pharaoh Necho (Sixth Century BC) for the attempt. During the Persian invasion of Egypt, King Darius I ordered the Canal completed. The Red Sea Canal, consisted of two parts: the first linking the Gulf of Suez to the Great Bitter Lake, and the second connecting the Lake to one of the Nile branches in the Delta. The canal remained in good condition during the Ptolemaic era, but fell into disrepair afterwards. It was re-dug during the rule of the Roman Emperor Trajan, and later the Arab ruler Amr Ibn-Al-Aas. Over the years, it fell again into disrepair, and was completely abandoned upon the discovery of the trade route around Africa.

It was Napoleon's engineers who, around 1800 AD, revived the idea of a shorter trade route to India via a Suez Canal. However, the calculation carried out by the French engineers showed a difference in level of 10 meters between both seas. If constructed under such circumstances, a large land area would be flooded. Later, the calculations showed to be wrong, and the final attempt to dig the Canal was undertaken by former French Consul in Cairo and famous Canal digger Ferdinand de Lesseps. He was granted a "firman" or decree by the khedive Said of Egypt to run the Canal for 99 years after completion.

In 1859, Egyptian workers started working on the construction of the Canal in conditions described by historians as slave labor, and the project was completed around 1867. On November 17, 1869, the Canal was officially inaugurated by Khedive Ismail in an extravagant and lavish ceremony. French, British, Russian, and other Royalty were invited for the inauguration which coincided with the re-planning of Cairo. A highway was constructed linking Cairo to the new city of Ismailia, an Opera House was built, and Verdi was commissioned to compose his famous opera, "Aida" for the opening ceremony. Ironically, Verdi did not complete the work in time and "Aida" premiered at the Cairo Opera a year later.

The Suez Canal emerged on the political scene in 1956, during the Suez crisis. It was in July of that years the Egyptian president Nasser, at age 38, announced the nationalization of the Canal at Mansheya Square in Alexandria in front of a cheering crowd. His decision was in response to the British, French, and American refusal for a loan aimed at building the Aswan High Dam. The revenue from the Canal, he argued, would help finance the High Dam project. The announcement triggered a swift reaction by Great Britain, France, and Israel, who all invaded Egypt less than two months later. Their action would be condemned by the International community, and Nasser would eventually claim victorious.

In 1967, the Canal was closed at the wake of the Six-Day War, when Israel occupied the Sinai Peninsula, causing the Canal to act as a buffer zone between the fighting forces. The Egyptians reclaimed the Canal upon the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, and the re-opening ceremony took place in 1975. Since then, the Canal, which stretches 167 kms across the Egyptian desert, has been widened twice. Today, approximately 100 ships cross the canal daily, and, with the threat of war long gone, the cities and beaches along the Bitter Lakes and the Canal serve as a summer resort for tourists.

PETRA

Petra (lit. Rock) was the capital city of the Nabataeans, a tribe of pre-Roman Arabs who dominated the region around the Sixth century BC. Located at the crossroads of ancient trade routes, the city survived on toll and taxes collected from traders. Despite several attempts to conquer their capital, the Nabataeans remained practically independent until the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra and the reunification of the Roman Empire by Octavian in 31 BC. In 106, the Romans under Trajan finally captured Petra to mark the beginning of the decline of the city. The city remained unknown to the Western World for hundreds of years until a Swiss explorer, J.L. Burckhardt, heard about its existence from the local Bedouins in 1812.

The Nabataeans carved their Capital in the canyons and hills of sandstone of Wadi Araba in Jordan. The entrance to the city is through The Alley (Al-Siq), a winding trail at the bottom of the canyon. Most famous is The Treasury (Al Khazneh), which fascinating façade was featured in many movies. Carved in the pink sandstone, the structure is 40 m high and about 30x30 m wide. Its architecture has been certainly strongly influenced by the Romans, which suggests it was built around the First century AD. The city includes other fascinating monuments and structures, such as Urn Tomb and the Royal Tombs, the Colonnade Street, the Temples of Dushara and Al-Uzza, and the High Place of Sacrifice.

The Throne of Persepolis

Founded in the Sixth Century BC by the Kings of the First Persian Empire (the Achaemenids), Persepolis is located 60 km northeast of Shiraz in Iran. The present-day Persian name, Takht-e-Jamshid, means "Throne of Jamshid", a legendary Iranian King. However, the ancient name of the city was Parsa, or Pars' City, hence the Greek name Persepolis.

Construction of the city began under Kings Cyrus the Great (ca. 550 BC) and Darius I (ca. 520 BC) to possibly serve as a ceremonial and spiritual Capital of the Persian Empire. Susa, the administrative Capital, was located 500 km north of Persepolis. The growth of the city continued under later Kings such as Artaxerxes I (ca. 450 BC) who finished the Hall of 100 Columns and Artaxerxes II (ca. 350 BC) who built the Unfinished Palace. However, the most glorious monuments in Persepolis were commissioned by Xerxes I (ca. 470 BC): the Gate of All Nations, and the Throne Hall.

Persepolis continued to flourish under the later Achaemenian Kings, until it was burned and destroyed by Alexander the Great in 330 BC. It is not known whether the burning of the city was accidental, or an act of revenge for the destruction of Temples in Athens in 480 BC by the Persians.

Modern excavations in Persepolis began in the early 19th Century. The Gate of All Nations is located at the end of two monumental staircases. Between the staircase ramps are symbols of the Zarathustrian God Ahura Mazda, and carvings representing the different Nations of the World, from Egyptians and Armenians, to Babylonians, Assyrians, and Medians. The Gate leads to the Throne Hall, or the Hundred-Column Hall. The Hall contains several doorways adorned with carvings showing the King in military combat. It is believed that the Gate of All Nations and the Throne Hall were used in New Year's celebrations when delegates presented the annual tribute to the Persian King. The city of Persepolis was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1979.

The Temple of the Inscriptions

Situated at the eastern edge of the Rio Usumacinta Basin in the foothills of the Sierra Oriental de Chiapas at an elevation of slightly less that 3000 m, Palenque looks out on a low coastal plain extending to the Gulf of Mexico about 130 km. to the north. See Map 1.

The climate is warm (median temperature 26 C) and humid (average annual precipitation 2156 mm) with little seasonal variation and showers during the entire year.

Surrounded by dense forests dominated by mahogany, cedar and sapodilla trees, frequently shrouded in fog, the ruins are among the most aesthetically impressive in Mesoamerica.

Palenque represents the western regional variant of Classic Maya civilization. Although the earliest occupation of the site dates to about 100 BC, it becomes a major population center only at about 600 AD and all construction at the site has ceased by about 800 AD. The ruins now visible are the heavily restored remains of the ceremonial center (Map 2) of a more extensive settlement (Map 3) bordered by agricultural fields.

The ceremonial center may be divided into three major areas:

1. an open area bounded by the Pyramid of the Inscriptions, the west facade of the Palace and the unexcavated mound Temple XI;
2. separated from area 1) by the, canalized and partly vaulted, Arroyo Otulum and at a significantly higher elevation an area bounded by the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Cross and the Temple of the Foliated Cross;
3. an area somewhat lower in elevation than area 1, including the Ball Court and the Temple of the Count, bounded by the north facade of the Palace, Temple X, and the North Group.

Information obtained from inscriptions on the structures relates their construction to the rulers of Palenque.

Pacal assumed power in 603 AD at the age of 12 and ruled for 68 years until his death in 683 AD. In 647 AD he built the Forgotten Temple. located some .5 km south of the Palace. (then somewhat less extensive than its final form). He also constructed the Temple of the Count, as well as underground galleries beneath corbled passages in the Palace. Stucco reliefs of masks in tableros on the west end of the north facade of the Palace and figures with well defined facial features on columns on the north facade celebrate Pacal's ancestry. (Map 4)

Pacal's remains, adorned with jade ornaments and face covered with a jade mask were deposited in a stone sarcophagus covered with an elaborately carved stone located in a chamber 1.5 m below the surface of the plaza above which was erected the Pyramid of the Inscriptions The sarcophagus is accessible by a stairway from Temple of the Inscriptions on the top of the pyramid.

Chan-Balum, Pacal's eldest son, assumed power in 684 AD upon the death of his father and ruled for 18 years. He was responsible for the completion of the temple atop the Pyramid of the Inscriptions modeled after the Forgotten Temple and the construction of the Group of the Cross temples: the Temple of the Cross, the Temple of the Foliated Cross, and the Temple of the Sun. The panels on the rear interior walls of all these temples depict Chan-Balum and Pacal containing texts purporting to legitimate Chan-Balum's power.

Kan-Xul the younger son of Pacal succeeded his older brother in 702 AD at the age of 38 and ruled for 23 years. He remodeled the Palace adding rooms, galleries and courtyards with bas-relief slabs some exhibiting fine detail.

Under Kan-Xul's direction the Palace assumed roughly its present form including T-windows (also present in other structures at Palenque and at other sites) whose function is unclear. The T-form also appears in the Ik day glyph which means `wind" and `breath" and might be taken as a metaphor for `life'.

Kan-Xul may also been responsible for adding the tower to the Palace. This structure supported by wooden lentils with an interior staircase is thought by some to have functioned as an astronomical observatory, a theory supported by the presence of a venus glyph on a landing.

Temple XIV is also attributed to Kan-Xul. This structure, was apparently deliberately placed to block access to the Group of the Cross.

Kan-Xul is thought to have been made a prisoner of war and decapitated.

Though the occupation of Palenque continues until 799 AD, most of the presently visible ruins were constructed prior to the death of Kan-Xul.

The Mayan Temples of Tikal

The Maya ruins of Tikal are hidden deep in the rainforests of Guatemala. From the air only a handful of temples and palaces peak through the canopy. The stone carvings are weather-beaten. Huge plazas are covered in moss and giant reservoirs are engulfed by jungle. The only inhabitants are wild animals and birds. However, 1200 years ago, Tikal was one of the major cities of the vast and magnificent Maya civilisation that stretched across much of what is now southern Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. Tikal was home to perhaps 100,000 people. Thatched farmsteads and fields would have stretched as far as the eye could see.

The Maya world had thrived for nearly 2000 years. Without the use of the cartwheel or metal tools, the Maya had built massive stone structures. They were accomplished scientists. They had tracked a solar year of 365 days and one of the few surviving ancient Maya books contains tables of eclipses. From observatories, like the one at Chichen Itza, they tracked the progress of the war star, Venus. They developed their own mathematics, using a base number of twenty, and even had a concept of zero. They also had their own system of writing. So stable and established were they, that they even had a word for a 400-year time period. Maya society was vibrant, but it could also be brutal. It was strictly hierarchical and deeply spiritual. Humans were sacrificed to appease the gods. The elite also tortured themselves. Male Maya rulers perforated the foreskins of their penises and the women their tongues, apparently in the hope of providing nourishment for the gods who required human blood.

However, in the ninth century, their world was turned upside down. Many of the great centres like Tikal were deserted. The sacred temples and palaces briefly became home to a few squatters, who left household rubbish in the once pristine buildings. When they too left, Tikal was abandoned forever - the Mayan civilization never recovered. Only a fraction of the Maya people survived to face the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century. For decades, archaeologists have been searching for an explanation of the Maya collapse. Many theories have been put forward, ranging from warfare and invasion to migration, disease and over-farming. Many think the truth may lie with a combination of these and other factors.

The Statue of Liberty

Location:
The Statue of Liberty stands on Ellis Island, New York, USA.

History:
The statue was designed by Frederic Bartholdi and completed in 1876.

Description:
It stands at more than 93 meters tall.

BOROBUDUR TEMPLE

The expression of experts who had been studying Borobudur Temple varied someway. Bernet Kempers' expression was: "Borobudur is Borobudur", meaning that Borobudur Temple is very unique in her own way. Nieuwenkamp (an artist) imaginated Borobudur as "a big lotus flower bud ready to bloom" which was "floating" on a lake. Nieuwenkamp’s imagination was supported by N. Rangkuti (1987) that from the air, the Borobudur Temple looks floating. From the geological studies, experts were able to prove that Borobudur area was one time a big lake. Most of the villages around Borobudur Temple were at the same altitude, 235 meters above the sea-level. The same altitude included the Pawon and Mendut temples. Thus the area under 235 meter altitude was below the lake water level.

LOCATION
This temple is located at Borobudur District, South of Magelang, Central Java.

HISTORY
Based on the inscription dated 842 AD, Casparis suggested that Borobudur was one time a place for praying. The inscription stated a phrase such as: “Kawulan i Bhumi Sambhara”. Kawulan means the origin of holiness, "bhumi sambhara" is a name of a place in Borobudur. Paul Mus stated that Borobudur Temple had the structure of stupa (conical form) with double expression. As a whole, the Borobudur Temple was an open-flat stupa, but on the other hand, the temple expressed the idea of a “closed world”. The latter expression could be felt when one is already inside the temple. Whenever person is inside the temple, his or her view will be limited to high walls full on relieves, the verandah is always squared in such a way that one could not see other parts of the temple, even in a same floor. The same feeling happened if one stood on arupadhatu round platform, he or she will have a wider view only on that level, but are not able to see the lower level nor the upper level like the one on rupadhatu and kamandhatu. It could be said that Borobudur is a symbol of cosmic mountain covered by the sky roof, a specific world that could be reached through isolated alleys as stages. The closed structural design of the temple expressed the concept of a closed world, not just a technical reasons as had been suggested by other experts ( Daud AT, 1987)

Borobudur was built by Sanmaratungga in the 8th century, and belongs to Buddha Mahayana. Borobudur was revealed by Sir Thomas Stanford Raffles in 1814. The temple was found in ruined condition and was buried.

DESCRIPTION
The overall height was 42 meters, but was only 34.5 meters after restoration, and had the dimension of 123 x 123 meters (15,129 square meters). There were 10 floors. The first floor up to the sixth floor was square form, the seventh to the tenth floor were round form.

Borobudur is facing to the East with a total of 1460 panels (2 meters wide each). Total size of the temple walls was 2500 square meters, full of relief. The total number of panels with relief was 1212. According to investigations, the total number of Buddha statue was 504 including the intact and damaged statues. The temple undergone restoration from 1905 to 1910, and the last restoration was done in 1973 to 1983.

Ever since the first excavation, most experts speculated on the exact shape of the temple. Hoenig, in his book "Das form problem des Borobudur" speculate that the original form of Borobudur Temple had four gates and nine floors. The form of Borobudur Temple is similar to temples found in Cambodia. According to Parmenteir, the huge single stupa on top of the temple made the smaller stupas in the lower part looked drowned. Stutterheim who had been studying stupas in India and other parts of Asia concluded that the stupa structure was an Indian origin. The original purpose of stupa building was as storage of Buddha Gautama and other holy priests cremation ash.

According to Stutterheim, the overall form of Borobudur Temple is a combination of zigurat (middle Asian Pyramid) and Indian stupa. Stutterheim opinion was supported by the existence of this type of form in Ancient Javanese literature.

The relief of Borobudur temple started from the base of the temple up to the fourth platform. The relieves at the base contained the story of Karmawibhangga. Under the main panel and above the Karmawibhangga relief, a wide-sized relief was inscripted at the wall. From this point along the alley, the relief did not show story in the sequence, but as a repeating part of the story with the same motives which expressed the world of spiritual beings such as half demonic body (Gandharwa, giants or Yataka, dragon, Sidha or angels and their ladies friends, Apsara and Nagi, all of them are heavenly beings who are tender and beautiful.

Division of panels are: the first panel expressed a heavenly being in sitting position, on both side of this panel are small panel with a small standing statue. This figures are repeated 26 times for each side of the wall. Between the panels is carved three bodies, a male flanked by two women.

The Banaue Rice Terraces

In Luzon Province of the Northern Philippines, through mountains and rice terraces, the road ends at a church, in a small town called Banaue. 4,000 feet above sea level in Banaue sits a small market village in Ifugao province. Located north of Manila in the Philippines, Ifugao province is famous for the handiwork of its people, who increased cultivable lands by carving gigantic rice terraces from the sides of mountains. For over 2,000 years, the people of Batad have built these terraces, one stone at a time. This growing, living stairway stretches far beyond what the eye can see. Taking an estimated 2,000 years to build, the still-productive rice terraces rise from the valley floor to heights of up to 3,000 feet, a feat of engineering so substantial that some call them the eighth wonder of the world. The only man made wonder which was literally sculpted from the earth. A scarcity of water has led to some rice patties drying up.

With no electricity or road, the people of Batad live their lives as they have for thousands of years, with a deep, close connection to the earth. They worship ancestral spirits, sacrificing three chickens or one pig to appease an angry spirit. When a person dies, the body is hung from the thatched roof of their hut for three days as a sign to the villagers that the person has moved on to a better place. Afterwards, the bones of a deceased family member are collected and placed ceremoniously inside the roof of the family's dwelling, to give comfort and protection to the living.

The Aztec Temple

After the Mexicans (Aztecs) estalished themselves on the island of Tenoch, they were not able to build a temple worthy of HUITZILOPOCHTLI. At the begining, because of the lack of rock, they built it with sticks and hay.

Then in the times of CHIMALPOPOCA they had access to rocks, but it was not until the reign of TIZOC that the temple aquired that vision of magnificence that HUITZILOPOCHTLI paints, on the bases that MOCTEZUMA protected. Finally, the next Great Speaker AHUIZOTL, finishes and inagurates the temple in the year of 1487.

Aztec Templo Mayor (greater temple)

After the temple is finished, AHUIZOTL shared with the allied speakers and to all the nobility of these kingdoms. Even though the number of visitors and the number of sacrificed people are exagerated, there is no doubt this was the most lucid event in the history of the Aztecs.

The celebrations lasted four days, in which time all the prisoners that had been captured in four years of wars (according to the Aztecs, four towns were sacrificed) were sacrificed at the top of the temple. The prisoners were made to stand in lines to wait for their death. So many were the persons sacrificed that the people could not eat all the flesh that they were given.

The Greater Temple of the Aztecs or HUEY TEOCALLI is without a doubt one of the greatest treasures lost forever. There is nothing left standing of what the temple was; except for a few ruins, that tell us little or nothing about its greatnes.

How was this arqueological jewel in reality? There are several writings that the Spaniard conquerors left us. We have to thank that it was a custom among the conquerors to bring a writer who would describe all of their findings.

As described by Bernal de Diaz:

"...we left the great plaza without seeing it anymore and we got to the large patios and fences where the great CU (TEOCALLI) is; and there was a great circuit of patios, before getting there that seemed to be more numerous than in the plaza o Salamanca, and with two fences around it, whitewashed, and the patio and all the area around it was dappled with large white polished stones, and where there were no stones everything was whitewashed and polished in such a way that none of us found a stick nor dust on it at all. And since we came near the great CU, before we climbed a step, the great Moctezuma from up there, where they were making sacrifices, six PAPAS and two PRINCIPALES (priests) to accompany our captain, and in the process of climbing the steps, 114 in total, they were going to hold him by the arms, thinking he would get tired, just as they helped their lord Moctezuma, but Cortes did not want them to aproach him.[...]And then he took him by the hand (Moctezuma) and told him to look at his great city and all the other cities that were on the water, and many other towns that were around the same lake, on the land; and that if we had not seen his great plaza, that from up here he could see very well, and like that we stood looking, because from that big and damned temple that was so tall that he could brag everything quite well..."

We have, in the same manner, Fray Bernardo de Sahagún's writings. He with great patience sat with his informants and allowed them to draw what they were narrating. Then they described what they had drawn. In contrast to Bernal's description (the description of the typical tourist who goes about explaining what he sees, without the description of the one who knows).

According to Sahagún, in his second book, there were 78 buildings related to the TEMPLO MAYOR, with 25 piramids, 5 speaking halls, the house of fasting, four QUAUHXICALLI (bowls to place the hearts of the sacrificed people), a TECCALCO (steped temple), 7 TZOMPANTLI (structures on which the skulls of the sacrificed were displayed), 2 TLACHTLI (fields for the ball game), a well and three bathrooms, two NETLATILOYAN (basements where the skins of the sacrificed people were kept), a building for the dances, nine priest houses , jails for the gods of the conquered people, arsenals, shops and other more.

In another of Sahagún's manuscript, (in the Library of the Madrid Palace ), that had not been translated with the other writings, 15 arquitectural structures are numbered, under the title of: IN TLEIN ITOTOCA CATCA ICECECNI TLACATECOLOCALCO, or, THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THE HOUSES OF THE DIVERSE WIZARDS, that were identified on the drawing next to the writing, according to the letters that appear there:

The Shwedagon Pagoda

The Parthenon

The Parthenon is of Pentelic marble, of a purity of texture and color which astonishes all visitors. Along with a handful of monuments (the Taj Mahal, Saint Mark's in Venice), the Parthenon is familiar from countless photographs long before one actually sees it. Consequently, almost every visitor is oppressed by a secret fear: can the Parthenon possibly be as beautiful as one expects? Happily, the answer, despite the ravages of time, is yes. No photographs and no descriptions can prepare one for the unique golden glow of the Parthenon's columns.

The Parthenon has an exterior colonnade of eight Doric columns at each end, and seventeen Doric columns along each side. Each of these columns bulges slightly in the middle, a device which pre vents the massive columns from seeing lifeless and overly regular. In addition, this swelling (known in Creek as "entasis") corrected the optical illusion whereby perfectly straight columns appear to be slightly concave.

Within the temple itself were two chambers, one in which the statue of Athena Parthenos stood, and one which housed the temple treasury. Visitors to the Parthenon today, disappointed not to be allowed inside, should take some comfort from the fact that most Athenians in antiquity never were permitted inside the temple. Only priests ever entered the treasury, and the statue itself was viewed only rarely. One of those who saw the statue was Pausanias, who describe the Athena as standing "upright in an ankle length tunic with a head of Medusa carved in ivory on her breast. She has a Victory about eight feet high, and a spear in her hand and a shield at her feet, and a snake beside the shield; this snake might be Erichthonios."

The temple itself was adorned with sculpture, of a quality never before, and never since, equaled. The metopes (rectangular panels above the columns) were sculptured with scenes from the Trojan War, and from the Battles of the Athenians and Amazons, the Lapiths and Centaurs, and t he Gods and Giants. In addition, a sculptured frieze above the temple walls depicted the great Panathenaic procession. In this annual celebration, Athenian youths and maidens accompanied the new robe for Athena's statue from Eleusis to the Akropolis itself. The young men on horseback, the maidens, the sacrificial oxeri, and the gods themselves all were depicted, and may be seen today - but not in Athens.

The sculptures, known as the Elgin Marbles, are on view in . London at the British Museum. A few carvings remain in place on the Parthenon, and some fragments are on view in the Akropolis Museum.

In addition, the Parthenon had monumental sculpture in both pediments. As Pausanias concisely put it, "As you go into the temple called the Parthenon, everything on the pediment has to do with the birth of STRONG>Athena; the far side shows Poseidon quarrelling with Athena over the country." As we know, Athena won this contest by producing the first olive tree, and the Athenians did not stint in honoring her with Greece's finest temple. However, the Athenians were always practical: the gold regalia which clad the great statue was designed so that it could be removed for safekeeping. The Athenians had learned what could happen to their sacred sites in the Persian sack of the Akropolis of 480 B.C.

The Moai Statues

Easter Island has long been the subject of curiosity and speculation. How and why did its inhabitants carve and transport the massive statues which surround the island? What remains of this culture today, and what lessons can we learn from their legacy? This page is a resource for information on the Internet about Easter Island, also known as "Rapa Nui" and "Isla de Pascua".

Easter Island is over 2,000 miles from the nearest population center, (Tahiti and Chile), making it one of the most isolated places on Earth. A triangle of volcanic rock in the South Pacific - it is best known for the giant stone monoliths, known as Moai, that dot the coastline. The early settlers called the island "Te Pito O Te Henua" (Navel of The World). Admiral Roggeveen, who came upon the island on Easter Day in 1722, named it Easter Island. Today, the land, people and language are all referred to locally as Rapa Nui.

There has been much controversy and confusion concerning the origins of the Easter Islanders. Thor Heyerdahl proposed that the people who built the statues were of Peruvian descent, due to a similarity between Rapa Nui and Incan stonework. Some have suggested that Easter Island is the remnant of a lost continent, or the result of an extra-terrestrial influence . Archaeological evidence, however, indicates discovery of the island by Polynesians at about 400 AD - led, according to legend, by Hotu Matua. Upon their arrival, an impressive and enigmatic culture began to develop. In addition to the statues, the islanders possessed the Rongorongo script; the only written language in Oceania. The island is also home to many petroglyphs (rock carvings), as well as traditional wood carvings, tapa (barkcloth) crafts, tattooing, string figures, dance and music.

The population of Easter Island reached its peak at perhaps more than 10,000, far exceeding the capabilities of the small island's ecosystem. Resources became scarce, and the once lush palm forests were destroyed - cleared for agriculture and moving the massive stone Moai. In this regard, Easter Island has become, for many, a metaphor for ecological disaster.

Thereafter, a thriving and advanced social order began to decline into bloody civil war and, evidently, cannibalism. Eventually, all of the Moai standing along the coast were torn down by the islanders themselves. All of the statues now erected around the island are the result of recent archaeological efforts.

Contacts with western "civilization" proved even more disastrous for the island population which, through slavery and disease, had decreased to approximately 111 by the turn of the century. Following the annexation by Chile in 1888, however, it has risen to more than 2,000, with other Rapanui living in Chile, Tahiti and North America. Despite a growing Chilean presence, the island's Polynesian identity is still quite strong .

Easter Island today, remains one of the most unique places you will ever encounter; an open air museum showcasing a fascinating, but unfortunately lost, culture. The Rapanui are among the friendliest people you will ever meet, and the landscape is truly amazing - with its volcanic craters, lava formations, beaches, brilliant blue water, and archaeological sites .

GETTING THERE

Lan Chile flies to Easter Island, with flights operating between Santiago,Chile and Papeete,Tahiti. Airfare from Santiago,Chile to Easter Island and back costs approximately $800 US. There are several companies who can arrange package trips, including hotels, tours etc., but it is possible, and much cheaper, to arrange a place to stay upon arrival. Many locals who operate hotels and guesthouses arrive at Mataveri Airport to greet the tourists, and is something you might consider. Staying in a private home is a great way to meet the islanders and experience the local culture; however, one should use judgment in choosing accommodations, as not all places are of equal quality.

Notably, the tourism on Easter Island is run entirely by the Rapanui themselves. In late January to early February the islanders celebrate Tapati, a festival honoring the Polynesian cultural heritage of the island. ( January 30 - February 14, 1998 ). Far Horizons Archaeological and Cultural Tours organizes tours to the festival.

Mont Saint-Michel

Location:
Normandy, France.

History:
Legend has it that, in 708, the Bishop of Avranche was visited three times in his sleep by the archangel Saint Michael, who implored him to build a sanctuary in his honor on the Mont Tombe, a small, rocky islet near the coast of Normandy. The Bishop obeyed by having a crypt excavated and a chapel erected on the mountain’s summit, thus transforming the Mont Tombe (a mysterious spot once used as a cemetary or a druidic place of worship) into the Mont Saint Michel, light of Christendom.

Many pilgrims came here during the following years, attracted by the Mont’s rapidly spreading reputation, and some of them even gave generously to contribute to its growth. But it is Richard I, Duke of Normandy, who really gave the Mont Saint Michel its credentials when he sent to the sanctuary around thirty benedictine monks to attend to the task of making it into a temple of prayer worthy of the name

From this moment on, the Mont Saint Michel became one of the most imposing monuments dedicated to the glory of God. In 1017, Richard II undertook to rebuild the chapel, by then deemed too modest. From 1212 to 1228, following a fire that had destroyed almost all of the site, Philippe Auguste helped rebuild the church and add two adjacent buildings to accommodate the monks. Finally, during the XVth century, a new choir was added to the Romanesque nave of the church; all of which conferred on the Mont Saint Michel the stature of an immense temple defying time and the elements — a powerful symbol of the presence of the divine within man.

The Taj Mahal

Located at the city of Agra in the State of Uttar Pradesh, the Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful masterpieces of architecture in the world. Agra, situated about 200 km south of New Delhi, was the Capital of the Mughals (Moguls), the Muslim Emperors who ruled Northern India between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Mughals were the descendents of two of the most skilled warriors in history: the Turks and the Mongols. The Mughal dynasty reached its highest strength and fame during the reign of their early Emperors, Akbar, Jehangir, and Shah Jehan.

It was Shah Jehan who ordered the building of the Taj, in honor of his wife, Arjumand Banu who later became known as Mumtaz Mahal, the Distinguished of the Palace. Mumtaz and Shah Jehan were married in 1612 and, over the next 18 years, had 14 children together. The Empress used to accompany her husband in his military campaigns, and it was in 1630, in Burhanpur, that she gave birth to her last child, for she died in childbirth. So great was the Emperor love to his wife that he ordered the building of the most beautiful mausoleum on Earth for her.

Although it is not known for sure who planned the Taj, the name of an Indian architect of Persian descent, Ustad Ahmad Lahori, has been cited in many sources. 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 site was chosen near the Capital, Agra on the southwest bank of the River Yamuna. The architectural complex is comprised of five main elements: the Darwaza or main gateway, the Bageecha or garden, the Masjid or mosque, the Naqqar Khana or rest house, and the Rauza or the Taj Mahal mausoleum. 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. On closer look, the lettering of the Quran verses around the archways appears to be uniform, regardless of their height. The lettering spacing and density has been customized to give this impression to the beholder. Other illusionary effects have been accounted for in the geometry of the tomb and the tall minarets. The impressive pietra dura artwork includes geometric elements, plants and flowers, mostly common in Islamic architecture. The level of sophistication in artwork becomes obvious when one realizes that a 3 cm decorative element contains more than 50 inlaid gemstones.

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat, one of the most beautiful and mysterious historical sites in the world. Located over 192 miles to the North-West of Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh, Angkor has been "protected" from tourism, and the customs and the cultures of the people living there have not changed much. However, intense internal warfare for over fifty years has impacted on the people and to an extent on the physical structure of the temples at Angkor.

In 1991, the Khmer Rouge, the guerrilla movement, controlled the area. It was then very difficult to visit the area, and the only way to get there was by Helicopter from Phnom Penh. I will never forget when I first got out from the Helicopter, and stepped into the land of history, a land which the western civilization had forgotten. In this paper, I would like to discuss the history of the great temples of the "lost city" of Angkor Wat, but I would also like to describe some of my own observations from the summer of 1991.

For many years, Angkor Wat was totally isolated from the Western World. Large, thick jungles covers the area, and it is located in the center of Cambodia. The French colonialists were the first westerners to get exposed to Angkor. They heard rumors from the local population about "temples built by gods or by giants." Most of the colonialists referred these rumors to folk tales, but some believed that there really was a "lost city of a Cambodian empire", which had once been powerful and wealthy.

The temples were first discovered by French missionaries in 1860. Henri Mahout, a French botanist started intensive research and restoration programs. These research efforts continued until 1968, when the Vietnam war disrupted the studies. Initially, he did not believe that the temples were built by Cambodians, but by another race which had concurred and occupied Cambodia for over 2000 years ago. His theory would later be proven to be incorrect, after that researchers discovered scripts on the walls of the temples, and stone sculptures, that have made it possible for archeologists to piece together the history of Cambodia. Now it is known that Angkor, was the great capital city of the Khmer empire from the city's founding in about AD 880 until about 1225.

The history of Angkor Wat dates back to the kingdom of Funan. This kingdom was established by an Indian Brahmin, and in AD200, the country was peacefully settled by Indian traders. Four hundred years later, the kingdom had become a prosperous trading region. As the area was located on the Pilgrim rout between China and India, Hinduism and Chinese Buddhism was adopted by the new settlers. The Indian and Chinese influence can still be felt in Cambodia, and the temples of Angkor Wat closely resembles Hindu and Buddhist temples that can be found in Northern India and in Nepal. In the end of AD600, the Funan Empire lost much of its power to the kingdom of Chenla. The capital of this new empire, Sambor, was located about 40 miles to the Southeast of Angkor. During this time, beautiful sculptures and carvings in sand-stone was popular. In AD750, a king with a reputation of being a war-like person, who was able to expand the Chenla kingdom. However, trade with India stopped, and the Indonesian Empire raised to power.

In AD800, the kingdom of Kambuja was established, and king Jayavarman I took control over the kingdom. He built several capitals near Angkor Wat, were responsible for many social changes, and was able to size land to the North and to the East. In AD889, a nephew of Jayavaram became the new emperor, and he was able to bring peace and unity to the Khmer Kingdom. In AD944, Jayavarman V established many Mahayana Buddhist temples near Angkor, and moved the court to Yasodharapura, at Angkor. Cultures prospered, and so did the Khmer empire. In AD1000, Suryavarman, a young man who may have come from the Malayan provinces of the empire, ascends the throne of Kambuja. He would become the king of Kambuja for over 50 years. He is responsible for the planning and foundations of the city of Angkor. In AD1051, Udayadityavarman II succeed Suryavarman, and continued to build the city of Angkor, and restored many of the temples. Angkor was now both a sacred temple city and the center of a vast irrigation system.

Massive expansion of the city continued throughout the next 200 years, and ambitious building programs expanded the city. Many temples were built. The temples are spread out over about 40 miles around the village of Siem Reap. Temples and similar structures to the temples that can be found in the city of Angkor are common sights in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and in China. Perhaps the most famous temple, Angkor Wat, is a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu was built during this period.

Angkor Wat is the highest achievement of Khmer temple architecture, and is today the "flagship" of the temples at Angkor. The temple is a huge pyramid structure. The compound at Angkor Wat covers an area of 1,500 by 1,300 m (4,920 by 4,265 ft) and is surrounded by a vast moat 180 m (590 ft) wide. Along the causeway leading to the enormous entrance gate are balustrades shaped as giant serpents, which are believed to represent emblems of cosmic fertility. The temple consists of a towering complex of terraces and small buildings that are arranged in a series of three diminishing stories and surmounted by five towers. The roofed and unroofed structures are covered with bands of finely carved stone sculptures. The walls are covered with carved reliefs that illustrate Hindu mythology, principally scenes relating to the god Vishnu, to whom the temple was dedicated. The "mass of bas-relief carving is of the highest quality and the most beautifully executed in Angkor." All the temple mountains of Angkor were filled with three-dimensional images and every inch of the walls are covered by sculptures.

In the beginning of AD1200, the Angkor and the Khmer empire started to decline. When jayavarman VII died, the Thai Empire in the West emerged as a major power in the region. The Thai capital was moved to Ayudhya, near Angkor, and obviously threatened the Cambodian kingdom. In AD1389 the Thais attacked Angkor, and the city fell into the hands of the Thais. The 15th-century conquest of the Khmer kingdom by the Thais resulted (1431) in the final abandonment of Angkor. The city was deserted and the capital was moved to Eastward to the region of the present capital Phnom Penh.

Miraculously, very little damage has been made on the Angkor region as a result of the bloody civil that has terrorized the Cambodia for over 30 years. The Khmer Rouge, an extreme-left organization has actively organized guerrilla activities against Prince Sihanouk's government. In 1975, many Buddhist monks who lived in the Angkor temples were massacred along with the majority of the Buddhist population as a result of a "social reorganization". However, Angkor Wat suffered very little structural damage in that attack. Today, archeologists from all over the world are actively involved in the restoration process of the temples. Much of the history of the "Lost city" of Angkor is still a mystery, but Angkor has entered the "Coca Cola" and "Kodak" age, and as Cambodia is becoming more developed, the mystical atmosphere at Angkor will disappear.