World Wonders - II

Tower of Pisa (itlay)

The Tower of Pisa is one of the most fascinating and worldwide-known Italian monuments, admired for the exceptional elegance of its architectural structure, as well as for the extraordinary inclination.Founded in 1173 as steeple annexed to the Dome (started in 1064 by the architect Buscheto) and to the Baptistery (started in 1152 by the architect Deotisalvi) in "Piazza dei Miracoli" (Miracles Square), the "leaning tower" is commonly attributed to Bonanno.During some excavations carried out in the 19 th century in the foundations of the steeple an urn was found having this name, which was thought to refer to the tower's builder. Scholars proposed to identify the Bonanno mentioned on the urn with the famous sculptor from Pisa who made the bronze gates of Pisa's Dome (where the gate of the façade, of 1179, went lost, while the other one, the so-called "Gate of S. Ranieri", is still preserved and can be seen outside the southern transept) and the gate of Monreale's Cathedral (dated 1185).However, after only 12 years (1185) there were the first signs of subsidence of the ground, which caused the tower's inclination and led to the interruption of works in the middle of the third floor.The construction was restarted only in 1275 by Giovanni di Simone and finished in the second half of the 14th century.

Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu (which means "Old Peak") was most likely a royal estate and religious retreat. It was built between 1460 and 1470 AD by Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, an Incan ruler. The city has an altitude of 8,000 feet, and is high above the Urubamba River canyon cloud forest, so it likely did not have any administrative, military or commercial use. After Pachacuti’s death, Machu Picchu became the property of his allus , or kinship group, which was responsible for it’s maintenance, administration, and any new Machu Picchu is comprised of approximately 200 buildings, most being residences, although there are temples, storage structures and other public buildings. It has polygonal masonry, characteristic of the late Inca period.About 1,200 people lived in and around Machu Picchu, most of them women, children, and priests. The buildings are thought to have been planned and built under the supervision of professional Inca architects. Most of the structures are built of granite blocks cut with bronze or stone tools, and smoothed with sand. The blocks fit together perfectly without mortar, although none of the blocks are the same size and have many faces; some have as many as 30 corners.

Red Square and the Kremlin , Moscow (Russia)

Inextricably linked to all the most important historical and political events in Russia since the 13th century, the Kremlin (built between the 14th and 17th centuries by outstanding Russian and foreign architects) was the residence of the Great Prince and also a religious centre. At the foot of its ramparts, on Red Square, St Basil's Basilica is one of the most beautiful Russian Orthodox monuments.

Sana'a City,Yemen

Situated in a mountain valley at an altitude of 2,200 m, Sana’a has been inhabited for more than 2,500 years. In the 7th and 8th centuries the city became a major centre for the propagation of Islam. This religious and political heritage can be seen in the 103 mosques, 14 hammams and over 6,000 houses, all built before the 11th century. Sana’a’s many-storeyed tower-houses built of rammed earth (pisé) add to the beauty of the site.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

The whole Angkor period spans for more than VI centuries, and more precisely from IX till XV century. During this period the Khmer empire reached its maximum splendor as one of the most powerful Southeast Asian kingdoms. In this period the whole area of Angkor was buit. We can consider Jayavarman II as the man that started everything. He define himself Devaraja (good king) and he established the Khmer empire in 802.

After him, Indravarman, a king considered by many of its time an usurper: we prefer to remember him for starting building the Baray, a complex irrigation system to bring waters in the area of Angkor. He also started to build the Bakong and the Preah Ko temples. His son Yasovarman went further in his father's project: he built the Phnom Bakheng and the Lolei temples, and with him, become the new capital of the kingdom. These two king further extent the Baray's system too.Then the capital was moved to Koh Ker for a short period, under the kingdom of Jayavarman IV, an usurper, but after only 14 years Angkor become again the capital under Rajendravarman II. His son, Jayavarman V, was instead a great king, and with him the empire expanded to its maximum extent. Two wonderful temples, as Banteay Srei and Ta Keo were built. After him, Udayaditavarman II built the pyramid of Baphuon and the western Mebon (we are now at the half of XI century), and here we are really close to the very peak of the Khmer civilization, two great king the left once forever their footstep in the history of this planet and they are Suryavarman II and Jayavarman II. The first king built Bang Melea but it also the one that built Angkor Wat. The second king has built Preach Khan, Ta Phrom and Angkor Thom.

Alhambra Granada ( Spain)

The history of the Alhambra is linked with the geographical place where it is located: Granada. On a rocky hill that is difficult to access, on the banks of the River Darro, protected by mountains and surrounded by woods, among the oldest quarters in the city, the Alhambra rises up like an imposing castle with reddish tones in its ramparts that prevent the outside world from seeing the delicate beauty they enclose.Originally designed as a military area, the Alhambra became the residence of royalty and of the court of Granada in the middle of the thirteenth century, after the establishment of the Nasrid kingdom and the construction of the first palace, by the founder king Mohammed ibn Yusuf ben Nasr, better known as Alhamar.Throughout the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the fortress became a citadel with high ramparts and defensive towers, which house two main areas: the military area, or Alcazaba, the barracks of the royal guard, and the medina or court city, the location of the famous Nasrid Palaces and the remains of the houses of noblemen and plebeians who lived there. The Charles V Palace (which was built after the city was taken by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492) is also in the medina.

Versailles (France)

The first mention of Versailles appeared in a charter of the Abbey of Saint-Pére de Chartres (1038).After ownership by the Seigneur de Soisy, then by Martial de Loménie, who was the Secretary of Finances during the reign of Charles IX, the estate was bought by Albert de Gondi, who became Duke of Retz and Marshal of France. Gondi received at Versailles Henry III and his brother-in-law, the King of Navarre, the future Henry IV of France, who liked to hunt on his friend's well-stocked estate. This passion for the hunt, which was passed on to all his descendents, would help shape the destiny of Versailles. The king, in fact, was sometimes accompanied by the young daphin, and it is thus that the future Louis XIII took to this naturally wild place. As king he would often return in the company of friends to hunt.In 1623, in order not to stay any longer at the local inn, he built on the summit of the hill, where a windmill formerly stood, a lodge constructed of brick and stone which he extended some years later.During construction of the Lodge, Louis XIII acquired more land and bought the Estate of Versailles from Jean-François de Gondi, archbishop of Paris and Albert's heir.During the first years of his reign, Louis XIV only rarely visited Versailles; however, once married, he often traveled there with the queen and the court. In 1661 began the construction work that would quickly transform the retreat into an amiable residence appropriate to receive the royal family.Simultaneously, André Le Nôtre made the lay-out for the new gardens whilst Louis Le Vau built the Orangerie and the Ménagerie.The Château, thus remodeled, became a place for festivities. Les Plaisirs de l'Ile Enchantée (The Pleasures of the Enchanted Isle) in May 1664 and the Grand Divertissement (The Grand Royal Entertainment) on July 18th, 1668 dazzled all who experienced them and made Versailles known throughout Europe.