Landmarks that I want to visit one day

Hello everyone!

I am a geography enthusiast and love learning about the world. I am fascinated by famous landmarks and hope to see all of them one day . Here are the top fourteen landmarks that I want to visit.

1)Mount Rushmore:   
Mount Rushmore is centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face in Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.  Sculptor Gutzon Borglum created the sculpture’s design and oversaw the project’s execution from 1927 to 1941 with the help of his son Lincoln Borglum.

The sculpture features the 60-foot (18 m) heads of Presidents George Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), and Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)..

It is sometimes referred as  the “shrine of democracy” and attracts more than 2 million visitors annually. I have never been to Mount Rushmore but I hope I can go there someday. 

Fun facts: 

• Sculptor Gutzon Borglum was 60 when he began work on Mt Rushmore.
• Mount Rushmore four presidents sculpture took 14 years to complete.
• Mount Rushmore cost less than 1 million dollar to make (over 17 million in today’s dollars)
• Sculptor Gutzon Borglum was assisted by over 400 workers.

2)Machu Picchu:

Machu Picchu is set high  in Peru, above the Urubamba River valley. It was built in the 15th century and later abandoned, it’s renowned for its sophisticated dry-stone walls that fuse huge blocks without the use of mortar, intriguing buildings that play on astronomical alignments and panoramic views. Its exact former use remains a mystery.   

More than 7,000 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains, Machu Picchu is the most visited tourist destination in Peru. A symbol of the Incan Empire and built around 1450AD, Machu Picchu was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.

 Machu Picchu sounds very exciting and I would love to go there as Peru is a beautiful country. 

Fun Facts:

• Machu Picchu is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
• Amazingly, no wheels were used to transport heavy rocks for the construction of the city.
• Structures at Machu Picchu were built with a technique called &ldquo ashlar.” Stones are cut to fit together without mortar.

3)Great Pyramid of Giza:

The Great Pyramid of Giza (also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops) is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex bordering present-day Giza in Greater Cairo, Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact. Egypt sounds like a beautiful country and has a fascinating history. 

Fun Facts:

Go to the pyramids at Giza today, and you’ll see pollution blackened steppes surrounded by smog and sand. Some 4,000 years ago, the pyramids looked much nicer: They were covered in polished limestone, resembling brilliant lightforms dropped into the desert from the sky.

4)Taj Mahal:

Taj Mahal is one of the landmarks I really want to visit. I was supposed to travel this summer but couldn’t because of COVID. The Taj Mahal is a white marble  structure in Agra,India built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his loving wife Mumtaz mahal.

The Taj Mahal complex is believed to have been completed in its entirety in 1653 at a cost estimated at the time to be around 32 million rupees, which in 2020 would be approximately 70 billion rupees(Indian currency).  

The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage”. It is regarded by many as the best example of Mughal architecture and a symbol of India’s rich history. The Taj Mahal attracts 7–8 million visitors a year and in 2007, it was declared a winner of the New 7 Wonders of the World (2000–2007) initiative.

Fun facts:

• Shah Jahan ordered to cut all of the workers’ hands after the construction of Taj Mahal because he did not want anyone to copy  his idea and make another structure like it .
• Taj Mahal does not need lighting at all. It is a marble structure and can be seen in all its glory in natural night. It is absolutely unwise to illuminate it with artificial lighting, which attracts insects.
• Located by the river Yamuna it looks magnificent in full moon night.
• The precious stones from the walls were stolen/looted  during British Rule.

5)Angkor Wat:

Angkor wat is a temple in Cambodia and the most religious monument. Originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire, it was transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century as such it is also described as a “Hindu-Buddhist” temple.  Angkor Wat is the best temple i have heard of. When I am older, I would love to go to that temple as our family has trust and faith in god. 

With the architecture of the building, and one of the causes for its fame is Angkor Wat’s extensive decoration, which  takes the form of bas-relief friezes. The inner walls of the outer gallery bear a series of large-scale scenes mainly depicting episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. 

“the greatest known linear arrangement of stone carving”.

From the north-west corner anti-clockwise, the western gallery shows the Battle of Lanka from the Ramayana in the Mahabharata, the world’s longest poem.

Fun facts:In Khmer, the Cambodian language, Angkor means “city” or “capital city”, and Wat means “temple grounds”. So Angkor Wat means “Temple City” or “City of Temples”. Its original name was Vrah Vishnuloka or Parama Vishnuloka, meaning the sacred dwelling of Vishnu in Sanskrit.

6)Great Wall Of China:

The Great Wall of China is a wall that covers the northern border of China. The length of the Great Wall built by the Ming Dynasty is around 5,500 miles long. The total length of the wall  comes to 13,171 miles long! No wonder it is called the great wall! 

It is believed that the construction of the Great Wall began in the 7th Century in the Spring and Autumn Period . After Qin Shihuang unified China, he ordered the previous walls to form a very long defensive wall.

The Great Wall of China is the longest structure ever built by humans. The widest section of the wall is around 9 metres (30 ft). The first parts of the wall were built over 2000 years ago. A large number of workers have lost their lives while building the wall.

Facts

• The Great Wall of China became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 1987.
• The wall is the longest man made structure in the world, with a total length of about 13170.7 mi or 21196.18 km.
• Made over the course of hundreds of years, the wall was built by over 6 different Chinese dynasties, and is over 2,300 years old.

7)Ram temple of Ayodhya and Janaki Temple of Janakpur:

Both of these places were the birthplace of Hindu God Ram and goddess Sita( also known as Janaki)respectively . As per the  holy books,Ram was born in Ayodhya ,India whereas Sita was born in Janakpur, Nepal( the place where my maternal ancestors are from). 

My mother has been to Janaki temple a few times when she was in Nepal  whereas I have not.These are the places I have not been to. 

The Ram  temple in Ayodhya was demolished by Mughal king many centuries ago. But 4 weeks ago on August 8 the construction of Ram temple was started after about 500years of struggle between Hindus and Muslims. On TV they broadcasted the ground breaking ceremony by the prime minister of India Narendra Modi.Ayodhya, also called Oudh or Awadh, town, south-central Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. It lies on the Ghaghara River.

I used my creative imagination and made an art piece of the Jai shree ram temple that I have submitted to the hindu temple of Wisconsin drawing contest.(result awaited)

In my research I have found that in 1528 A.D. Babur the mughal emperors came to Ayodhya and halted here for a week. He destroyed the ancient temple and on its site built a mosque, still known as Babur’s mosque. Following this there were many fights to rebuild Ram temple.About 2 weeks ago on a TV documentary , I was surprised to see that in Italy, Indonesia and Bangkok there were sculptures carved with lord Ram’s face and had the story of Ramayan. 

 I would love to go to these temples as well as visit  Banaras in India  where the holy river Ganga flows because my name comes from the name ‘Ganges’.

My research says the name Janavi (can also be spelled  as Janhavi)  is “another  name of river ganga” a word of Sanskrit origin and means “Holy river  Ganga”/ “Pure”.

Another reason for visiting Ayodhya temple is because I am interested in archeology and mythology. I want to see the historical remains of Lord Ram temple and experience the Stories related to it. If I visit Janakpur I would like to see the temple where Ram-Sita got married and the temple of king Janak( father of Sita and coincidentally the name of my dad). So you can see why I want to visit these holy places.

Facts: Janakpur is best known as an important pilgrimage site for Hindus, due to its connection with the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. Legend has it that it’s where Sita was born and married Rama.

8)Eiffel tower:

The Eiffel tower is one of the seven wonders of the world and is 1063 feet tall and was Constructed from 1887 to 1889 as the entrance to the 1889 World’s Fair, it was initially criticised by some of France’s leading artists and intellectuals for its design, but it has become a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognisable structures in the world. The design of the Eiffel Tower is attributed to Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier, two senior engineers working for the Compagnie des Établissements Eiffel. It was envisioned after discussion about a suitable centrepiece for the proposed 1889 Exposition Universelle, a world’s fair to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution. Eiffel openly acknowledged that inspiration for a tower came from the Latting Observatory built in New York City in 1853.

I have a portrait of the eiffel tower and I wish I could go to the eiffel tower and get to see how beautiful France is.

Fun Facts: 

• The Eiffel Tower is 320 metres (1050 feet) in height and was the tallest man made structure in the world for 41 years before being surpassed by the Chrysler Building in New York. The Eiffel Tower is made of iron and weighs around 10000 tonnes.

• The Eiffel tower is painted every 3 years

9)Big Ben:

Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the striking clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London and is usually extended to refer to both the clock and the clock tower. The official name of the tower in which Big Ben is located was originally the Clock Tower; it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom.

Big Ben is very beautiful and mesmerizing. I would love to go to London and see all the different landmarks. 

• Big Ben is the name given to the Great Bell of the Clock in the Elizabeth tower that is situated in Westminster, London.
• The official name of Big Ben (Bell) is the Great Bell.
• Technically, Big Ben is the name of the Great Bell inside the Elizabeth Tower. … 
• Its construction was completed in 1859.

Fun Facts: Although the tower survived Nazi Germany’s bombing during the Blitz, its roof and dials were damaged in a May 1941 air raid which also destroyed the main House of Commons chamber.

10)Leaning tower of Pisa:

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa, known worldwide for its nearly four-degree lean, the result of an unstable foundation. The tower is situated behind the Pisa Cathedral and is the third-oldest structure in the city’s Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo), after the cathedral and the Pisa Baptistry.

The height of the tower is 55.86 metres (183.27 feet) from the ground on the low side and 56.67 metres (185.93 feet) on the high side. The width of the walls at the base is 2.44 m (8 ft 0.06 in). Its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons (16,000 short tons). The tower has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase.

The tower began to lean during construction in the 12th century, due to soft ground which could not properly support the structure’s weight, and it worsened through the completion of construction in the 14th century. By 1990, the tilt had reached 5.5 degrees. The structure was stabilized by remedial work between 1993 and 2001, which reduced the tilt to 3.97 degrees.

Facts: 

1. Pisa got its name in 600 BC from a Greek word meaning “marshy land.”
2. There are several other towers in Pisa that also lean: the bell tower at the church of St. Michele dei Scalzi, and the bell tower at the church of St. Nicola.
3. The cathedral and baptistery are also sinking.
4. Galileo was baptized in the baptistery in 1565.
5. The foundation of the cemetery, Campo Santo, is made up of 53 shiploads of earth that were brought back from the Hill of Calvary in Jerusalem.

11)The Sistine Chapel:

The Sistine Chapel is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope, in Vatican City. Originally known as the Cappella Magna, the chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who restored it between 1473 and 1481.

The Sistine chapel is known as a romantic place in Italy.

The Sistine chapel has a fascinating history and is the best place to visit in italy.

It is famous for its Renaissance frescoes by Michelangelo. The Sistine Chapel had great symbolic meaning for the papacy as the chief consecrated… … The chapel’s exterior is drab and unadorned, but its interior walls and ceiling are decorated with frescoes by many Florentine Renaissance masters.

Facts: It took Michelangelo four years to paint the frescoed ceiling in the Sistine Chapel.

12)Lumbini:

Lumbini is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in Nepal. It is the place where, according to Buddhist tradition, Queen Mahamayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama in 563 BCE.

Lumbini has a number of older temples, including the Maya Devi Temple, and various new temples, funded by Buddhist organisations from various countries, have been completed or are still under construction. Many monuments, monasteries and a museum, and the Lumbini International Research Institute are also within the holy site. Also, there is the Pushkarini, or Holy Pond, where the Buddha’s mother took the ritual dip prior to his birth and where he had his first bath. At other sites near Lumbini, earlier Buddhas were, according to tradition, born, then achieved ultimate Enlightenment and finally relinquished their earthly forms.

I have never been to lumbini before but it attracts many tourists and has good reviews.

Facts: The tree under which buddha was born still remains today in Lumbini, Nepal.

13)Opera house of Sydney:

The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre at Sydney Harbour in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the 20th century’s most famous and distinctive buildings.

Designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon, but completed by an Australian architectural team headed up by Peter Hall, the building was formally opened on 20 October 1973.

Sydney opera house is a beautiful place in Sydney and I would love to visit the place as Australia has fascinating animals and places.

Fun Facts: 

• Sydney Opera House sits on Bennelong Point. … 
• The original cost estimate to build Sydney Opera House was $7 million. … 
• 233 designs were submitted for the Opera House international design competition held in 1956. … 
• Construction was expected to take four years.

14)Burj Khalifa

The Burj Khalifa, known as the Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration in 2010, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With a total height of 829.8 m and a roof height of 828 m, the Burj Khalifa has been the tallest structure and building in the world since its topping out in 2009.

Construction of the Burj Khalifa began in 2004, with the exterior completed five years later in 2009. The primary structure is reinforced concrete. The building was opened in 2010 as part of a new development called Downtown Dubai. It is designed to be the centrepiece of large-scale, mixed-use development. The decision to construct the building is based on the government’s decision to diversify from an oil-based economy, and for Dubai to gain international recognition. The building was originally named Burj Dubaibut was renamed in honour of the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Fun Facts: 

• The Burj Khalifa is over 828 meters high, making it the tallest building in the world. … 
• On top of that, it is also the tallest freestanding structure in the world. … 
• With 160 floors, the Burj Khalifa also holds the record of highest number of floors in the world.

This world is a beautiful place with many fascinating landmarks. My main purpose to write this blog is to share my wishlist of these magnificent landmarks with you. 

Credits: Wikipedia