Civilizations are defined by many things and architecture is one of them. And providing that the time from the first civilization till now is immense, the style and architecture varies simply accordingly. The top ten oldest structures that are still gracing the Mother Earth are as follows.

1. Hindu Temple – Prambanan

Built in 850 AD, this beautiful place of worship was constructed to show the victorious rule of Hindus on Java Island. Nearly 47m high, it serves as a tribute to Trimutri – an expression used in Hinduism for God, comprising of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Correspondingly, Prambanan has three temples for each. It is the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia and considered as one of the largest temples in south-east Asia.

2. Ladakh Monastery – Lamayuru

At a height of 3,510m, this Gompa or monastery is believed to be founded in the 11th century. It used to house more than 400 monks who belonged to Red-Hat sect of Buddhism. Now it houses almost 150 monks. The monastery, though ancient, still contains a collection of rich paintings and various shrines. Every year, this largest Gompa in Ladakh hosts masked dance festival.

3. The County of Pingyao

Established in the 14th century, this place is fine example of a traditional Han Chinese city. Lying in the Shanxi province of China, Pingyao served the purpose of being a financial centre for the country and was known for banking. Currently this ancient city comes under the UNESCO world Heritage Sites and is a famous tourist attraction.

4. Temple of the Sun

Constructed in 150 AD, The Temple of Bacchus in Baalbek, Lebanon, is also referred to as the Temple of the Sun by neoclassical visitors. This temple was a tribute to Bacchus, also called Dionysus, who was the Roman God of Wine. It has 42 columns in total, 8 up each front and 15 on each side. This temple is one of the best preserved temples in the world.

5. The Church of St. George – The Victorious

This Church, dating back to the 4th Century, is also called Rotunda due to its round central part. Read the full story

The Forbidden City has many privileges attached to it. It holds the honor of being declared as the UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987 and by the State Council as one of China’s foremost protected monuments in 1961. The city hosts a grand museum which showcases the treasures and cultural relics of the Royal Dynasties of China.

History

The history of the Forbidden City dates back to the Ming Dynasty, during which it was built 1406—1420 AD by the third Ming emperor Yongle. It got its name as the Forbidden City because of the fact that it was the residence of the emperors for nearly five hundred years and the public and the common man was forbidden to enter it, from 15 to early 20 century.

Location and Lay out

The Forbidden City is located in Beijing, it covers an area of 720,000 square meters, and the walls surrounding it are 10 meters in height and 52 meter in width. The walls measure 961 meters from North to South and from East to West the measure is 753 meters. From inside is visible a succession of halls and the palaces, the roofs are a glowing yellow color and the walls vermilion. There are four gates, the one on the South, the Meridian gate (Wu men) serve as the entrance and the one on the North, the gate of Spiritual Valor Gate (Shenwu men) is used for the exit of the visitors.

The Halls in the Southern Portion

The southern portion known as the outer court has halls named the Supreme Harmony, Preserving Harmony and the Central Harmony. It was here in these halls that the emperors would have audience, these halls are grand and glorious.

The Halls in the Northern Portion

The Northern portion known as the Inner courts has the Hall of Union and the Palaces.

Read the full story