Tikal in Guatemala, El Peten

 Guatemala - El Peten  Comments Off
May 202013
 

Introduction :
Tikal is located in the El Peten department of Guatemala and is one of the largest and most important archaelogical sites of the Maya civilization. Tikal is the capital and home to a conquering state that was one of the most powerful kingdoms during the ancient Maya times. Today, the Maya ruins of Tikal form part of the Tikal National Park and was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. Tikal is famous for their archaeological monuments and Maya pyramids and a breath taking view of the ancient acropolis

Panorama of the Great Plaza and the North Acropolis
Panorama of the Great Plaza and the North Acropolis
Image attribution to Uspn @ Wiki

Ancient tree around the area
Ancient tree around the area
Image attribution to hector garcia @ Flickr

Closer look at the great plaza
Closer look at the great plaza
Image attribution to hector garcia @ Flickr

Closer look at the great plaza
Looking downards from the great plaza
Image attribution to hector garcia @ Flickr

History :
Traces of human history in Tikal dates back to 1000 BC where early agriculture sites were discovered and Mamom ceramics dating back to 700 Bc were also found there. Maya architectural monuments were built during 400 BC. The 14th king of Tikal, Chak Tok Ich’aak built a palace around the region during 300 AD which later became the core of the Acropolis until the fall of the Maya civilization during the 9th century causing the city to be abandoned. Tikal was first documented in European history by Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes in 1525 but expeditions to the ruins only began in the 1850s guided by the locals who never forgot about Tikal.

Large stone mask at one of the temples
Large stone mask at one of the temples
Image attribution to Uspn @ Wiki

Large stone mask at one of the temples
The North Acropolis from above
Image attribution to Peter_Andersen @ Wiki

The famous Jaguar temple on its own
The famous Jaguar temple on its own
Image attribution to jungle_boy @ Flickr

Getting there :
The nearest airport to Tikal is the Mundo Maya International Airport (FRS) which is 45 km away from Tikal and is located in the city of Flores and in the suburb of Santa Elena.

Giza Necropolis in Egypt, Cairo

 Egypt - Cairo  Comments Off
Apr 192013
 

Introduction :
The Giza Necropolis is situated on the outskirts of the capital city of Cairo in Egypt. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the landmark attraction in the Giza Necropolis is also the oldest Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only existing one, which is famous world wide and firmly rooted into the memories of everyone in the world. Other attractions in the necropolis include the Great Sphinx of Giza, the Khafre’s pyramid complex, the Tomb of Queen Khentkaues as well as many tombs of ancient Egyptian royalty.

The Khufu Pyramid is the only oldest and only existing Seven Ancient wonders of the World
The Khufu Pyramid is the only oldest and only existing Seven Ancient wonders of the World
Image attribution to steveinleighton @ Flickr

Aerial view of the Giza Necropolis
Aerial view of the Giza Necropolis
Image attribution to Robster1983 @ Flickr

The Great Sphinx is the oldest monumental sculpture in the world
The Great Sphinx is the oldest monumental sculpture in the world
Image attribution to superblinkymac @ Flickr

Closer look at the Great Pyramid
Closer look at the Great Pyramid
Image attribution to superblinkymac @ Flickr

Closer look at the Great Pyramid
Close up of the Great Sphinx
Image attribution to steveinleighton @ Flickr

History :
Great Pyramid of Giza – Also known as the Khufu pyramid, it took a period of 20 years to be constructed and remained the tallest building in the world for more than 3800 years after completion at around 2560 BC.
Great Sphinx of Giza – This largest monolith statue in the world was build around 2558 BC and represents a mythical creature with a lion’s body and a human head at 73.5 meters tall and 19.3 metres wide.
The building of the Giza necropolis was one of the largest project in ancient times and when a Greek historian visited Giza in 450 BC, he was told by the priests that the Great Pyramid alone had taken 400,000 men and 20 years to build.

Ancient tombs around the necropolis
Ancient tombs around the necropolis
Image attribution to bobthemagicdragon @ Flickr

Wall inscription around the walkway
Wall inscription around the walkway
Image attribution to manna4u @ Flickr

Entrance at the Temple of Khafre
Entrance at the Temple of Khafre

The Giza Necropolis at night time
The Giza Necropolis at night time
Image attribution to Nina-no @ Wiki

Getting there :
The nearest airport to the Giza Necropolis is the Cairo International Airport which is only 23 km away from the ancient site.

Crac des Chevaliers in Syria, Homs governate

 Syria - Homs  Comments Off
Apr 142013
 

Introduction :
Crac des Chevaliers is a medieval age crusader castle located near the city in Homs in the Homs governate of Syria. The crusader castle sits on top of a hill 650 metres tall east of Tartus on an important strategic route connecting the cities of Tripoli and Homs. The Crac des Chevaliers represents one of the best preserved examples of a crusader castle and features fortification influences from the Byzantine, Frankish and Ayyubid dynasties. Due to its historical importance, the castle was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2006.

Panorama of the crusader castle
Panorama of the crusader castle
Image attribution to Xvlun @ Wiki

Entrance to the Crac des Chevaliers
Entrance to the Crac des Chevaliers
Image attribution to baltasarin @ Flickr

Outer walls used for sentry and defence of the castle
Outer walls used for sentry and defence of the castle
Image attribution to Mbenoist @ Wiki

Inner court at the top of the castle
Inner court at the top of the castle
Image attribution to Stijnnieuwendijk @ Flickr

History :
The site of the Crac des Cheavaliers was first occupied as a Kurdish settlement in 1030 AD as they often choose sites such a hills and mountains when building castles. During the Crusader Period, it was given by Raymond II in 1142 AD to the Knights Hospitaller and remain in their possession till 1271 AD. The Knights Hositallers began the rebuilding of the castle from 1140 to 1170 due to damage from an earthquake. in 1271, the castle was lost to the Baibars with a faked letter from the Crusdader Count of Tripoli ordering them to abandon the castle.

Surroundings and landscape around the Crac des Chevaliers
Surroundings and landscape around the Crac des Chevaliers
Image attribution to peuplier @ Flickr

Hall of the knights
Hall of the knights
Image attribution to Bgag @ Wiki

Eastern end inside the castle
Eastern end inside the castle
Image attribution to Bgag @ Wiki

Getting there :
The nearest international airport to the Crac des Chevaliers is the Bassel Al-Assad International Airport that serves the city of Latakia and is around 78 km away from the crusader castle.
Due to an uprising that began in 2011, the attraction maybe be unsafe for travel. Please check with the related agencies to make sure it is safe for tourists before planning a trip to the Crac des Chevaliers

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