Friday, May 11, 2012

8 Historic Caves in the World



1. Petra, Jordan
City of Petra in Jordan is known as the setting of the film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It's also one of the seven wonders of the world, and it's easy to see why the architecture is among the most sophisticated ever seen. Built into the slope of Mount Hor, Petra developed during Roman times, but not known by the western world until 1812 when it was discovered by a Swiss explorer, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. More than 800 individual monuments can be seen in Petra, including tombs, baths, temples and burial chamber.
 

2. Al-Hijr, Saudi Arabia
Among the most famous sites is the architecture of Saudi Arabia Al Hijr, also known as Madain Saleh. The front of a residence in Al Hijr has been carved into the sandstone mountains are sometimes in the second millennium BC. Al Hijr - which literally means 'rocky place' - is believed to have been inhabited by the Nabataeans and Thamud. It features water wells, preserved monumental tombs, inscriptions and cave drawings.
 

3. Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia
The most amazing structure was carved out of stone churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia. 11 rock hewn churches have each carved from a single block of granite with a roof at ground level. 12th-century King Lalibela churches were assigned with the aim of creating a New Jerusalem for those who can not make a pilgrimage to the original city. Each church was created by a wide moat carved on all four sides of the stone and then painstakingly carving out the interior. The greatest of them stood as high as 40 meters.

4. Abu Simbel Nubian Monuments, Egypt
Four colossal statues of ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II guard the door of Abu Simbel, temple sdbuah cut from the sandstone cliffs above the Nile. Commissioned by Ramses himself, the temple faces east so that twice a year, the sun reaches into the innermost sanctuary, illuminated sculpture Ptah, Amun-Re, Ramesses II and Re-Horakhty. Complex entirely removed from its original setting in 1960 to avoid flooding when Lake Nasser was created.

5. Goa Gajah, Elephant Cave Temple, Bali
elephant cave, is one of Bali's most historical sites significant. Cave seems most devastated by natural disasters while, and go undetected for centuries until a team of Dutch archaeologists discovered it in 1923. Thought has been built in the 11th century, Goa Gojah features sculptures influenced by Hindu and Buddhist meditation and contains confidential space for priests or hermits. Two traditional bathing pool outside the cave containing water is said to possess magis.

6. Cappadocia Cave Houses, Turkey
Cappadocia is one of the 73 provinces as the Republic of Turkey, and has one of the most bizarre and interesting sights in the world. Soil, rock tufa rock formations feature dwarf 'strange volcanic referred to as' Fairy Chimneys' as well as underground cities and the building complex was cut from the' tufa 'soft. Many of them are the church, with columns and arches decorate the face of a declared natural stone from stone.

7. Ancient Rock City of Matera, Italy
In the town of Matera in ancient rocks in southwestern Italy, people living in the exact same house that they are not ancestors 9,000 years ago. Matera was created from a rocky ravine and natural caves which many in the area - called the 'Sassi di Matera' - is the first home of the Neolithic inhabitants of the region. Creating a labyrinth of cave houses, and it is almost impossible to distinguish the natural rock formations of ancient architecture. The houses seem to grow out of stone in an organic way, creating a bit of attraction of what is in the mid-20th century to a ghost town. Matera is primarily the setting for Mel Gibson movie "The Passion of the Christ '.

8. Yungang Grottoes, China
The Yungang Grottoes of Datong in Shanxi province of China consists of 53 caves and 51,000 statues, and is one of China's most beautiful examples of cave art. Giant Buddha towers above visitors wind through the cave to see many statues in it. Most of the work of art ever in the caves had been stolen in the early 20th century and the wooden temple that once protected the caves burned to the ground. Thus, the site is now in dire need of protection and has been named a UNESCO world heritage site.


source : apasih.com

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