INTRODUCTION

Australia is a beautiful country. Where there are number of things which make the country beautiful, Sydney Opera House is known as the recognition of the Australia as a country and Sydney as a city. Sydney Opera House is a venue of performing arts. Sydney is the largest and most populous city of Australia. City is the capital of New South Wales. Opera house is considered as one of the most distinctive buildings made in 20^th century and stands with dignity among the most famous performing arts centers of the world. Sydney Opera House is situated close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge at Bennlong Point. SOH is surrounded by harbour from three sides. It is located on the northeastern corner of the Sydney Central Business District.

In the building there are number of performance venues. Sydney opera House is rated as one of the busiest performing arts centers in the world. You can imagine from the fact that how busy is the place throughout the year that 1500 performances are performed each year and 1.2 million people attend these performances. It is the most popular tourist attraction in Australia which attracts about seven million people each year. Sydney Opera House has been recognized as World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

ABOUT THE BUILDING

The award winning design of the building was made by a Danish architect Jorn Utzon. The architect received the Pritzker Award in 2003 for designing the Sydney Opera House. The citation of the award stated that the design is really a masterpiece and a symbol for the continent, country and city of Sydney.

The building covers the area of 4.5 acres (1.8 hectares). To support the building in sea water, 588 concrete piers are sunk as much as 25 meters below sea level. We believe that the roof structure of the Sydney Opera House is one major factor which makes the building distinctive. Generally the roof the building is referred as composed of concrete shells but these are precast concrete panels which are supported by the concrete ribs. On the roof, 1,056,006 tiles are used which are infact Swedish made. The colour of the tiles is glossy white and matte crème which looks white from a distance. The exterior of the building is marvelous. The low edges of the building are a great appeal for people to visit the place. Another remarkable thing about the design and structure of the building is that is it doesn’t make any reference to the classical architectural form. It is unique in its structure.

There are number of different performance venues in the Sydney Opera House. The concert hall is the biggest venue among all the others with seating capacity of 2679. In this concert hall there is the world’s largest mechanical tracker action organ which contains 10,000 pipes. This hall is the home of Sydney Symphony which is a symphony orchestra. Besides the concert hall there is Opera theatre, Drama theatre, Playhouse, Utzon room and forecourt.

The building is not just a performance venue but there are number of other things to facilitate the visitors and performers. There are cafes, restaurants, bars and a recording studio. Guided tour is a big facility for the visitors to see the wholesome beauty of the building. Guided tour can bring an advantage for the visitors that they can go backstage and see the performers.

Initially the cost of the project was estimated $7 million when it was started in 1957. But at the completion cost was much higher than the expected cost. When the project completed in 1973 its cost was raised to $102 million.

There is nothing missing in the building which attracts you as a visitor. Location is beautiful, structure is just awesome and the performances are really world class.

INTRODUCTION

Through our journey of beautiful places of the world, we have visited a number of islands around the globe. Today again we are going to take a tour of another island. Basically it is an archipelago of four islands. The visit of this island has some unique features. The island is located in the northwestern Indian Ocean. This isolated island is located about 350 km away from the Arabian Peninsula. Geologically the archipelago is located very far from the Arab world and Africa. This feature has resulted in the great global importance of the island regarding the conservation of biodiversity and is termed as the Galapagos of Indian Ocean. The island has unique importance regarding the vegetation as well. The archipelago is comprised of four islands which include Socotra, Abd al Kuri, Samhah and Darsah. The largest island of the archipelago is also named Socotra. The socotra island covers the 95% of the landmass of the archipelago. A very unique feature of the island is that it has been described as the most alien-looking place on earth. UNESCO recognized the island as world natural heritage site in 2008. Socotra island is also mentioned in the Travels of Marco Polo.

FLORA & FAUNA

It is said that Socotra is the jewel of biodiversity in Arabian Sea and it is rightly said. The island has endemic flora. The reason of the endemism is that the island is geologically isolated and the second reason is the fierce heat and drought conditions of the island. There are about 825 plant species on Socotra out of which 307 are endemic which means that these species are found nowhere else on the planet.

According to IUCN red list, there are 3 critically endangered species and 27 endangered plant species. The flora of the island is really unique. There are number of unique and strange looking trees and plants but the most striking of all of them is Dragon’s blood tree. It is strange looking umbrella shaped tree which carries red sap. Ancient people were of the view that the red sap is the blood of dragon. Earlier this red sap was used as dye and medicine and now it is used as paint and varnish.

The fauna of the island is also very rich and unique. There are several species of birds which include a number of endemic species. The endemic birds include Socotra Starling, Socotra Grosbeak, Socotra Sunbird and renowned Socotra Sparrow.  Socotra Warbler is also found here which is said to be monotypic endemic kind of birds. Bats are also found on the island and are the only native mammals of the island. Marine life of the island is also diverse. There are about 300 species of crabs, lobster and shrimp and 730 species of coastal fish.

Some facts about the endemism of different species are that 90% of its reptile and 95% of its snail species are not found anywhere else in the world.

CLIMATE

Geography of the island states that it is the most isolated place on earth regarding continental origin. The climate of the island is distinguished as tropical desert climate and semi desert climate. The average temperature of the island is 18º C. there is not much rainfall throughout the year. Normally it remains light but spreads allover.

If you want to see a wonderful place with number of unique features then we recommend you to visit Socotra.it would definitely be a awesome visit.

Through our journey of the world we have visited a number of beautiful places of this beautiful world. These places are beautiful and some are very beautiful and adventurous at the same time. But we have not visited the places much, which are beautiful, adventurous and horrifying at one moment of time. So why not have a visit of such place today? Be more careful because today we are going to visit Massai Mara National Reserve which is a safari park.

Massai Mara National Reserve is situated in south-western Kenya. This reserve is one of the most popular reserves in Africa. This reserve is basically the continuation of Serengeti National Park which is in Tanzania. Massai Mara is a large game reserve. Now you guys would be curious that what a game reserve is? Infact game reserve is an area which is set aside for maintenance of wildlife for the purpose of tourism or hunting. The Massai Mara National Reserve is the part of Massai-Serengeti ecosystem. This reserve covers an area of 1510 km². This is really a paradise for safari travelers, the people who prepare documentaries, for the researchers and for the common people who have adventurous nature. There are number of reasons for the people to visit the reserve. Most probably it would be great wildebeest migration a centre of attraction for the visitors. Others may be the open skies, hot balloon ride, the romantic site and open savannahs. These are the few things which we have mentioned but actually it is really hard to narrate the place in words.

HISTORY

This wildlife area was established in 1948. At that time the area of the reserve was just 510 square kilometers. Then in 1961 the area was expanded to 1821 square kilometers and this was the time when it was converted into the Game Reserve. In latter developments the area of the reserve was reduced in 1974 and 1976 to 1662 square kilometers and 1510 km² respectively.

 WILDLIFE

There is nothing less than wonderful in the reserve. It is basically grassland and because of this animals always remain in sight. There is abundance of wild animals. There are more than 450 species recorded so far which include migrants as well. All members of Big five which include lion, leopard, African elephant, African buffalo and black rhinoceros are found here in the reserve. Other than Big five community, there are large groups of hyenas, cheetahs, jackals, bat-eared foxes, Thomson’s gazelles and Nile crocodiles are found in the reserve. A great number of antelopes, impalas, elands, duikers, zebra, masai giraffe and common giraffe is also found in the area. The view is just awesome when you see a lion chasing gazelle in the orchids. Another spectacular thing about the reserve is the wildebeest migration which is seen from July to October. This is called great migration and is a great event worldwide. In this migration more than 2 million animals which include wildebeests, gazelles, zebras, topi and elands are migrated to the Massai Mara Reserve from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

 TOURISM

This is a wonderful place for the visitors. It will be a unique experience if you visit the Massai Mara. The reserve is easily accessible from the capital Nairobi. It is just 270 km away from the capital. You can reach the place both by road and by air.

It can be threatening to view lions, cheetahs, African elephant, leopard and wildebeest wandering around you but there is no need to panic at all. The administrators have provided the best possible facilities for the tourists. There are number of lodges and tented camps for the tourists inside the reserve. Catering is purely headache of the visitors unless it is provided by the agencies. There are no security issues inside the reserve. Rangers patrol continuously and therefore there is a quite secure game viewing. Another activity which we recommend you guys is the ride of balloon safari. When you raise in the air the view of surroundings is just unparalleled. The view of sun rise and sun set are also spectacular in the reserve.

You will never forget the experience of visiting Massai Mara.

INTRODUCTION

We are on the way to introduce you guys to the beauty of this world. This world is really beautiful. It is really difficult for someone to explore and see the beauty of the world. Some areas of the world are really amazing but these are not easily reachable. But today’s destination is not only beautiful but easily accessible as well. We are going to take you guys to another destination and a country with marvelous beauty. Today our destination is Plitvice Lakes National Park which is located in Croatia. This is a real scenic beauty in the world. Scenery is beautiful, wildlife is diversified, flora and fauna is just great. In short you will find each and everything which attracts you as tourist. It is called Plitvice Lakes National Park and is situated in central Croatia. The park was found in 1949. The location of the park is basically in the mountainous karst area. This park is one of the World Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO in 1979. This park, as its name shows is famous worldwide for its lakes.

The total area of the park is 296.85 sq.km. It would be matter of bit surprise for you guys that there are currently 16 lakes which are interconnected and are arranged in cascades. Although the beauty of the park is its sixteen interconnected lakes but it is not the only beautiful thing of the area. There are number of waterfalls, a heavily populated forest with number of species animals and plants.

HISTORY

It has been history that such kinds of areas remain hidden from the human eye for many years but this is not the case with Plitvice Lakes. In all times of history this area received human influence. The reason is that the area is located along a busy transport route. the history of the area is thousands of years long like in the 4^th century the area was incorporated as province of Roman Empire. In 6^th century Avars and Croats settled here and ultimately Croats took control of the region. The tourism history of the area is not longer than 1861 when first accommodation for travelers was settled. Then in 1888 the Plitvice lakes area was arranged for tourist purposes when the Princess of Belgium and wife of Prince of Austria were visiting the area.

FLORA & FAUNA

The park is the most significant area of Croatia regarding plant and animal diversity. The less industrial development has protected the area from pollution and so preserved the beauty of the park.

There are hundreds of kinds of plants as the park is heavily forested. The park has a wide variety of plant communities. It is said that about 1300 species of plants have been found so far in the park. Out of this 75 plants are endemic. This diversity of plants and flowers give a great interplay of colours with changes in the season and enhances the beauty of the area.

Plitvice Lakes Park is the home of great number of animal and bird species. There are some species of animals which are rare like European brown bear, wolf, eagle, owl, lynx and wild cat. Other than these rare species, numbers of common species are also found in the park. This park is the home of brown bears and wolves which is almost last in Europe. There are about 321 kinds of butterflies and this is the 40 percent of the total population of butterflies. There are number of reptile species as well like Viviparous Lizard, European Green Lizard, Dice snake etc.

Alongwith animals there are about 157 species found in the park. A rare kind of bats which is named Plecotus is also found in the park. Other than animal and bird species there are number of fish. Brown trout is known as the original fish which belongs to the park.

WHAT TO SEE?

If you want to know that what will you see and find interesting then I suggest you to visit and see by yourself that how beautiful the place is. Lakes are awesome, waterfalls are just at the best of the beauty, the colours of plants and flowers are eye catching. The best activity that you can do there is walk and hiking and looking at the beautiful surroundings. You can take a boat tour of the lakes. A train is also found there which takes you on a specific route which brings you back to the entrance of the park.

If you are having problem in deciding whether to visit park or not then just look at the photos of this beautiful park. You will take a minute to decide that you are visiting the park. This is really a must see place.

INTRODUCTION

Why not today again visit India and have a visit of Lake Town named Nainital. This town has dual kind of importance. First one is its scenic beauty and the second one is its varied natural resources. If we would say that the Himalaya is a necklace and Nainital is the glittering jewel in that necklace then it would be absolutely right. This town is located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and is the headquarter of the Nainital district in the Kumaon foothills. The town is located around the Naini Lake and it was named after the name of the Goddess Naini Devi.  The beauty of the town is that it is surrounded by the high mountains with waterfalls and lakes at the foothills. There are three famous lakes in the area with the names Naina, Deopatha and Ayarpatha. Among all these three Naina is the highest which is pear-shaped. If you visit the area from the top of high mountains you get the awesome views of the vast plain, tangled ridges and a snowy rang

History

It was the time of Gurkha War (1814-1816) when the Kumaon Hills came under British rule. This war was fought between the Kingdom of Nepal and British East India Company. in 1841 an English sugar trader P. Barron constructed the first European house with which the town of Nainital was founded. He was of the view that this is the best which he had witnessed in the 2400 km long trek of Himalayas. The town took very short time to become the famous health resort for the British soldiers and their families. The reason was the unique location of the town and dense forests which escape the area from sun rays. The time came when the town became the summer residence of the Governor of United Provinces. The town faced many drastic environmental conditions as well. In 1880 a landslide buried 151. before this there were landslides in 1866 and 1879 but this was the disastrous. The cause of the landslide was heavy rain amounting from 510 mm to 890 mm. this landslide caused great damage to the buildings like Victoria hotel, Bell’s shop and the Temple of Naini Devi.

 ATTRACTIONS

As earlier said this district have many attractions. This town has numerous attractions for the tourists. There are lakes, waterfalls, peaks etc. Here are some of the important places where tourists must go and have a visit.

 a)      NAINA LAKE

If we say that the nucleus of the beauty of the town is the Nainital Lake then it would not be wrong at all. When the day is clear its water looks like a mirror and seven hills, cottages and villas are shadowed in the water of the lake. It is really a wonderful sight. It is not the end. The beauty of the lake increases thousand times when night comes and myriads of bulbs from the hill and on the edge of the lake stab their light in the water. The tourists can enjoy yachting, boating and paddling boats. One end of the lake is called Mallital and the other is called Tallital.

 b)      MALL ROAD

On one side of the lake there is Mall road which is the major tourist attraction. This rod joins the both ends of the lake. In the summer months it becomes the busiest road and vehicles are not allowed to move on the road in order to facilitate the visitors. The other side of the lake is called Thandi road which is less busy as compared to Mall road.

 c)      FLATTS

This place is for the gathering of the people and is situated at the northern side of the lake. People from all walks of life are gathered here. The famous Naini Devi Temple is also situated in the flats. This is the place where the landslip of 1880 was occurred. Afterwards this area was flattened and reserved for recreational activities. Main attractions of the flats are temple of Naini Devi and beautiful fountain. After the mall road this place is heavily crowded.

 d)      ROPEWAY

This is one of the major tourist attractions in Nainital. This ropeway starts from Mallital to the snow view point. At the snow view point you get the wider view of the Himalayas and town below.

This is really a must see place for tourists. There are plenty of things to make the journey and visit memorable

INTRODUCTORY FACTS & FEATURES
Time is passing rapidly and the world is having wonders. Without any doubt we can say that this era is the era of engineering. From the years of recent past we have seen a number of engineering wonders. Engineers have created masterpieces which are just breathtaking. The same happened in China and Chinese engineers set a world record by making a bridge over the sea. On 30th June 2011 China opened the world’s largest over Sea Bridge which is called Jiaozhou Bay Bridge. Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is a roadway bridge in eastern China’s Shandong province. This bridge is “T” shaped. There are three entry and exit points on the bridge. The total length of the bridge is 42.58 km which is 26.4 miles. This bridge links the Qingdao which is the eastern port city to Huangdo Island. The bridge has reduced the distance between Qingdao and Huangdao by 30 km. The construction of this bridge is the part of Jiaozhou Bay Connection Project which includes the construction of Qing-Huang Tunnel as well which is an under sea tunnel.

These two projects were opened at the same date for the traffic. There are 5000 pillars which are keeping the bridge high over the sea water. The construction of the bridge took more than four years to complete. This engineering wonder is the result of the efforts of 10,000 workers who worked round the clock to make it possible. They worked in the form of two teams. It is expected that the bridge will carry 30,000 cars per day. It’s really a big load of traffic and shows that how many people will be facilitated from the bridge. Previously the longest over Water Bridge is in Louisiana which is named Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.

History
This amazing bridge was designed by Shandong Gaosu Group. Its design is just marvelous that it will not be effected with the sever earthquakes, typhoons and collisions with the ships. This is a big project in real a big structure which you can imagine from the fact that about 450,000 tons of steel and 2.3 million cubic meters of concrete were used in the construction of the bridge. The width of the bridge is about 35 meters (115 ft) and carries six lanes and two shoulders. The cost of the project is more than 10 billion Yuan which is equal to $1.5 billion but according to some other reports the cost is more than $2.3 billion.

SAFETY CONCERNS
According to some media reports, Chinese authorities were in hurry to open the bridge regardless some safety issues like incomplete crash barriers, loose nuts on guard rails and missing lights. But chief engineer of the project claims that there is nothing wrong with the safety of the bridge and the problems highlighted are just of minor nature.

INTRODUCTION
Great Mosque of Córdoba is a beautiful and fascinating building which shows and symbolizes the religious changes Cordoba has faced over the centuries. This place is among the UNESCO’s world heritage sites. This awesome place is located in the Cordoba city of Spain. Formerly it was known and called The Great Mosque of Cordoba but these days inhabitants of Cordoba call it Cathedral-Mosque of Cordoba. Originally this site was a pagan temple then the time came it converted into a Visigothic Christian church. Later on the site was converted into mosque and a new mosque was built at the site. Now it is again a cathedral and is officially said Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption. Muslims living in Spain are trying to get the right of praying in the cathedral. But their request has been rejected by the Spanish Catholic authorities and by the Vatican.

HISTORY
The construction of the building took more than two centuries. Its construction was started in around year 600. At that moment of it was being constructed as Christian Visigothic church of St. Vincent. When the Muslims entered the Visigothic Kingdom as conqueror they divided the church between Muslims and Christians. Then it came the era of Abd-ul-Rehman I who defeated the Andalusian governor Yousuf Al-Fihri. He allowed the Christians to rebuild their ruined churches and purchased half of the St. Vincent church from the Christians. In 784 Abd-ul-Rehman and his descendants declared it a mosque and worked over it again for two years to rebuild & refashion the building. In 987 the mosque reached to its current dimensions with the completion of courtyard and outer naves. it is one of the major pilgrimage sites of the Muslims in the world. The reason behind it that in the era of Abd-ul-Rehman II, the mosque held original copy of Quran and the arm bone of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
The great mosque of Cordoba is the heart of Cordoba city is the main focus and attraction of the tourists. You can not give any description to the dazzling beauty of the mosque. there is the forest of 856 columns which are made of jasper, onyx, granite and marble. These all were taken from the Roman temple which was built at the site previously and other destroyed roman buildings. The most notable thing in the Mosque of Cordoba are the giant arches.

In the whole building of the mosque the most interesting feature is the Mihrab which were built by Al-Hakim II. Mihrab is a masterpiece of Islamic architectural art. Maksoureh which is a kind of anteroom for the caliph and his court is certainly a masterpiece of Islamic art. It would be worthwhile to see the beautiful features of the building like open court surrounded by the arcades, screens of woods, minerates, colourful glass windows and colourful mosaics. Another feature of the mosque is the yellow tree courtyard outside. This courtyard has a beautiful fountain and blossoms with perfumed oranges in the spring.

 Allama Muhammad Iqbal who is the one of the founding fathers of Pakistan visited Cordoba during his Europe visit in 1931-1932. He was really impressed with the architecture of the Mosque. He requested the authorities to offer Azan at the mosque. Iqbal was of the that the mosque is a cultural landmark of Islam. He wrote a poem with the title “The Mosque of Cordoba”.

INTRODUCTION
Preikestolen cliff is a beautiful site with marvelous landscape. This beautiful site is located in Rogland which is a western district of southern Norway. This place is called and written by number of names like some call it Preikstolen or perkestolen. Some names are derived from English translation like Preacher’s Pulpit or Pulpit Rock. But the people who are natives and local here, they call it with its local name Hyvlatonnå. This is basically a massive cliff which is 604 metres (1982 feet) above Lysefjorden which is a fjord. This cliff gives so wonderful view that it looks like a tower made of sand and stone, standing in the sea with dignity. This place is the most visited tourist attraction in Norway. The thing for which it is famous is the top of the cliff which is approximately 25 by 25 metres (82 by 82 feet) square and almost flat. It is said that during the summer season of 2009, approximately 130,000 tourists visited the place and took a hike of almost 3.8 km. You can imagine from the fact that how important tourist attraction is this in Norway.

SCENERY
This cliff is basically a plateu which is called preikestolen plateau and is situated on Pulpit Rock. The top of the Pulpit Rock offers such views which can make you stagnant at your feet. The top of the cliff gives you best opportunity to store the beautiful moments and ultimate scenery in your mind and camera. This place is ideal for couples also. They may have best moments in life for romance and have the greatest memories for the life time. This place have everything that you want to see as tourist. You can see the panorama, the wide open blue sky, rocks pointing towards sky and much much more. For those who do not have strong heart, must not look down, because if dropped then only death can bring them up. For the rock climbers we suggest that they must think hundred times before climbing the cliff.

INFO FOR VISITORS
The fourth largest city in Norway, Stavanger, is at the drive of one hour from the Pulpit Rock and at the distance of 25 kilometers from this place. Visitors can reach the site by travelling through ferry and car.
The road which leads to the site is also a marvelous site to see. It’s a trail which extends from the parking facility of the cliff to the site and passes through the marvelous landscape of mountains. This road ends at the parking facility at preikestolhytta. If you want to strat your trip from the car park then it will take 3 to 4 hours for a round trip hike.

Preikestolhytta is the place wher from the path starts and this is at the elevation of 270 meters above sea leval. The best time to hike the track is from April to October. In winter and spring walk is not recommended because track becomes slippery due to rain and snow. If you are planning to visit the site in summer then you have an alternate track to visit the site is available which is a ferry trip.

INTRODUCTION & HISTORY
The Galapagos Islands are situated on the west of Ecuador. Infact this is an archipelago of volcanic islands. These islands have two attributes attached with them. First is that it is the province of the Ecuador and second is that it is the national park of the country. These beautiful islands lie directly on the Equator. This archipelago comprises of volcanic islands and is spread over the area of 4500 square kilometers. When these islands were discovered, they were uninhabited and were discovered back in 1535. But Charles Darwin made the islands famous for his study of some endemic species found on the islands in 1835. The findings of Darwin from here made great contribution to the inception of Darwin’s theory of evolution. The most notable feature of the archipelago is the wildlife and endemic species. As these islands were discovered by the Spaniards so the principal language of the islands is Spanish this is the language of 23000 people inhabited on the islands. In1684, Ambrose Cowley, who was a buccaneer, developed first navigation chart of the islands. He named the islands on the names of his fellow pirates and on the names of some other noblemen who helped him in the cause of the privateers. This group of islands consists of 15 main islands, 3 smaller islands and 107 small islets. As these are volcanic islands, some of these are still alive volcanoes. The latest volcanic eruption was in 2009. the oldest island among these islands was formed about 5 million to 10 million years ago. The youngest islands are Isabela and Fernandina and these islands are still being formed. Galapagos Islands are on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.

MAIN ISLANDS & ATTRACTIONS
There are 18 main islands in the archipelago. Here is the introduction of some of the islands and their visitor attraction as well.

BALTRA ISLAND
This island is the result of a geological uplift. This is a developed island with the airport and dock facilities. Till 1986 it was the only airport in the Galapagos region. This airport was remodeled in 2007 and 2008 and more shops and restaurants have been added to the site. Daily a large number of visitors come to visit this beautiful island. Land iguanas are found here.

ESPANOLA ISLAND
This island is also known as Hood Island. The name Espanola was given to honour the Spain. Island is 3.5 million years old so it is the oldest island among the Galapagos Islands. It has very remote location, at the southernmost in the group. One thing special about the Espanola is that it has a number of endemic species. The species on this island are not found anywhere, like you will find lava lizard, mocking bird and tortoise here. Marine iguanas are found here and have special characteristic of changing colour during its breeding season.

Espanola is the only place where you can find Waved Albatross nests.
This beautiful island has two visitor sites. One is Gardener Bay which is a perfect swimming and snorkeling site and offers a great beach. Other site is Punta Suarez which is famous for its endemic species like brightly coloured marine iguanas, swallow tailed gulls, blue-footed boobies, Nazca Boobies, red-billed tropicbirds, Galapagos hawks, 3 species of Darwin’s finches etc.
It is really hard to cover the beauty and visitor’s attraction in just one article but here the names of the some other islands of the archipelago.

Bartolome Island

Darwin Island

Fernandina Island
Floreana Island
Genovesa Island
Isabela Island
Marchena Island
North Seymour Island etc.

INTRODUCTION
Sometimes I ask to myself that how wonderful thing is the human mind. This mind has created wonders in the wonder. Brilliant and intelligent minds are not the legacy of modern generations. Even the ruins of the old civilizations are such marvelous pieces of art and craft that you remain surprised. The city of Angkor is the best example to argue the statement. This historical city is located in the Cambodia. The city of Angkor is the legacy of Khmer Empire which was the most powerful empire in Southeast Asia. Angkor was the capital city of the empire. This ancient city was built between 879 AD and 1191 AD. The city of Angkor give the testimony that how powerful and wealthy the Khmer Empire was. The people of the city, at that time, were the followers of different believes which is shown from the temples and other religious places. The unique about the city of Angkor are the temples in numbers of thousands.

CITY OF ANGKOR

The origin of the word Angkor is Sanskrit which means a city. This historical city is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. Angkor Wat which is a complex of temples is considered to be the largest single religious monument in the world. The city has a developed infrastructure because it was the largest city of the world before industrial revolution. The urban sprawl of the city is spread over 1000 sq.km.

HISTORY
Shortly after the 800 AD the Angkorian period was started. It was the time when Jayavarman who was the king of Khmer declared independence and formed Kambujadesa, currently Cambodia. In 889 Yasovarman took the throne and he proved himself a great king and accomplished builder. The time went pass and between the 300 years time, from 900 to 1200 AD this powerful empire constructed the world’s most significance architectural masterpieces in the area which are standing with great glory till today in the form of Angkor. It would be surprising for the readers that Angkor has no formal boundary so you can not tell the extent of the city. Form the main temples in the area, 1000 sq.km area is considered as the main area of the city which has the great connectivity infrastructure. This historic city was lost in jungle and remained lost for 1000 years. City was rediscovered in 1860 by a French explorer. After the establishment of peace within Cambodia, now this city is easily accessible.

ATTRACTIONS
The main attractions of the Angkor region are temples of Angkor Wat. This is basically a complex of temples and was built between 1113 and 1150 AD by the King Surayavernam. These temples are great masterpieces of stone carving. These carving wonders are centuries old which show the hard efforts of the people of Khmer civilization. This great city has four gateways in the city face wall from east, west, south and north and lead to the geometric centre of the city which is called Bayon. Each gateway tower has giant faces which keep an eye on all four cardinal points. The gateways are decorated with three headed carved stone elephants.

 These temples are indeed masterpieces of stone carving and everyone must see that how beautifully the stones have been carved. This is one of the major tourist attractions in Cambodia. Approximately 2 million people visit the place annually. No doubt it’s a huge number of visitors and is expected to reach upto three million but this number has made some threats to the temples. So much visitors exert pressure on the sandstone monuments by walking and climbing. There is a threat of cracks to these beautifully carved temples and monuments.