subject: The World's Greatest Structural Achievements [print this page] The World's Greatest Structural Achievements
Architecture as an art form has been seen throughout the centuries, and even today we're still seeing new and innovative structures. What follows is simply a small collection of what the world is offering in relation to architectural beauty.
Rome - Is amongst the first cities established within Western Civilisation, it's the capital of Italy and it is the place to find some of the most prominent architectural achievements. Attracting around 7 million tourists each year, the city is a fascinating illustration of human achievement and is still as remarkable today as it ever has been. About the most popular attractions with regards to architecture is the Colosseum which is an amphitheatre dating back many thousands of years that was designed and built to hold up to 60,000 spectators. The ancient structure embodies an amazing history and like a lot of the buildings still standing in Rome, demonstrates how architecturally advanced the Romans were at that time.
The Taj Mahal - An Islamic tomb situated in Agra, India, the Taj Mahal is inarguably a picture of great beauty, and for obvious reasons is amongst the most visited landmarks by tourists visiting the country.
The Burj Khalifa - This is a modern architectural creation, only completed in January just gone in Dubai, and it is the tallest building on record. At 2,717 feet, it is 1,000 feet taller than the previous record holder, the Taipei 101 in Taiwan. Just the stairs in this building will take you 45 minutes to descend.
The Pyramids - The Pyramids were built as tombs for Egypt's Pharaohs (their kings). According to the Egyptian Travel Authority, Egypt boasts around 8 million visitors to the Pyramids each year. Their attraction probably lies in the uniqueness of the structures; the architectural design has been almost eliminated, only used today to copy the Pyramids themselves (a good example of this can be seen in Las Vegas). The largest of the Pyramids is the Pyramid of Khufa found in Giza. It took between 20,000 and 30,000 labourers and 23 years to construct, and it is the only of the seven wonders of the world' remaining.
Cathedrals - You'd be hard pressed to pick out one of these religious structures as being the most impressive, as all are examples of architectural brilliance. It's considered that the 'Cathedral of Saint John the Divine', in New York, could be the largest of such structures worldwide, though if this makes it the most impressive' is surely down to the opinion of each individual. The building of a Cathedral is a long and time intensive process; as an example, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris took nearly 200 years to complete.
The Eiffel Tower - Is probably one of the most famous and identifiable architectural structures globally, but possibly one of the more straightforward to actually build, this was created as part of the World's Fair back in 1889. The Eiffel Tower has become one of the symbols most often associated with Paris.
The Statue of Liberty - Probably the most recognised statue in the world, the Statue of Liberty represents the alliance between France and the United States that established during the American Revolution.
