Page 18 - All About History - Issue 27-15

Tourism

Hall of Fame

There is a platform in
the castle that dancers
TOURISTHOTSPOTS HIMEJI CASTLE could perform on to
entertain warriors
JAPAN
Lost civilisations, former places of pilgrimage and Amazingly, Himeji Castle hasn’t suffered

monuments wiped from the face of the Earth – take any serious damage from wars or natural
disasters since its completion in 1331. Built
a tour of history’s most intriguing attractions from wood, not stone, the structure is fire
proof because of its white plaster walls. This
also gives the castle its nickname ‘White
Petra Heron’, along with the fact that the main
JORDAN keep and smaller towers resemble the bird.
The lost city of Petra became known all over In 1993, the castle was registered as Japan’s
the world after a starring role in Indiana Jones first UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site
And The Last Crusade. The rock-carved city because of its beautiful design.
was established in 312 BCE and its people, the
Nabataeans, thrived from their advanced water Royal Opera House
system and the trade from passing caravans. MALTA
Petrahasbeenvisitedbytouristssincethe13th
century, when Sultan Baibars of Egypt would Religious and noble, the Knights of St John were
There are about 800
come to see the ruins, and now souvenir shops structures in Petra; the most also fans of the theatre. Since their arrival in
line the Wadi Musa area. famous is the mausoleum Malta in 1530, they had transformed the island
into a fortress and a centre of culture. Theatre
Delphi was becoming a favourite pastime and the Grand
It is said the Greek god Master commissioned the Manoel Theatre in
Zeus sent two eagles ANCIENT GREECE 1732 to provide wholesome entertainment for the
around the world and AsfarastheAncientGreekswere
Delphi is where they met knights. The Royal Opera House followed in 1866,
concerned, Delphi was the centre designed by the architect responsible for London’s
oftheworld.Itwasalsothesite Covent Garden Theatre. It was a testament to
where Apollo was said to have killed their love of the arts that it was rebuilt after a fire,
theterriblepythonthatguarded butLuftwaffebombsreduced it to rubble.
the sacred ground for hundreds
of years. With this victory, Apollo The Royal Opera House
in all its glory in 1896
declared Delphi his sanctuary and
wasworshippedasthegodoflight
and harmony. The area grew in
importance and during the 8th
centuryBCE,Delphiwasknownfor
thePythia–apriestesswhoforetold
the future. People from across the
Mediterranean paid great sums
PYRAMIDS OF GIZA for her prophecies. Delphi lost its
spiritualholdwiththeinvasionof
EGYPT theRomansin191BCEandApollo’s
TheoldestandonlysurvivingwonderoftheAncientWorld, worshipreplacedwithanimported Deep inside
thePyramidsofGizaaresomeofthemostremarkablefeats
The sloping sides
ofengineeringinhistory.TheGreatPyramidwasbuiltfor symbolised the rays
theFourthDynastyPharaohKhufuandwascompleted of the sun, designed
around 2560 BCE. They have been a lure for foreign to help the king’s soul
visitorsforcenturies,fromtheGreekgeographer ascend to heaven
Herodotusin5thcenturyBCEtoNapoleon
Bonapartein1798.LegendhasitthatNapoleon
emergedfromtheKing’sChamberhaving
hadaparanormalexperiencethathe
wouldtaketohisgrave.It’sapocryphal,
butatestamenttotheenduring
mysteryofthe
Great Pyramid.

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