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This article was first published 10 years ago

Picture perfect! 15 iconic landmarks in the world

Last updated on: June 26, 2014 21:03 IST

Image: Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood, Russia
Photographs: Wikimedia Creative Commons

You've probably seen them in the movies or have visited them. But these photographs of the most popular landmarks according TripAdvisor will blow your mind away! Here are some... in no particular order:

We start with own the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood.

Known locally as Spas na Kravi, this one isn't difficult to locate with its gold-draped onion-dome on the Griboedova Canal, one of the many waterways in the old Russian capital.


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Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Image: Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Photographs: Sam Garza/Wikimedia Creative Commons

Constructed by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century, Angkor Wat is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and holds a position of great importance in Khmer architecture.


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The Great Wall of China, China

Image: The Great Wall of China, China
Photographs: Hao Wei/Wikimedia Creative Commons

We grew up being told that The Great Wall of China was the only human-made structure visible from space. Truth is it isn't.

Even so The Wall is one stunning piece of architecture that humbles you in a way that few other structures do.

ALSO READ My China trip: Going beyond the Great Wall


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Machu Picchu, Peru

Image: Machu Picchu, Peru
Photographs: Pilar Olivares/Reuters

The Incan city of Machu Picchu was constructed at a height of 7,970 ft above sea level... around 1450 AD.

Which is to say that while most Europeans were killing each other in bloody wars, the Incans had built for themselves this paradise!


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Ruins of Ephesus, Turkey

Image: Ruins of Ephesus, Turkey
Photographs: Osman Orsal/Reuters

Home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Ephesus may have been reduced to ruins. But it remains one of the most popular tourist destinations and archaeological sites of Turkey.


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Taj Mahal, India

Image: Taj Mahal, India
Photographs: Jayanta Shaw/Reuters

Up next we have our very own Taj Mahal, seen here during a winter sunset.

More photographs of the Taj Mahal here


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Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

Image: Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
Photographs: Patrick Landy/Wikimedia Creative Commons

Saint Peter's Basilica has been described as ‘the greatest of all churches of Christendom'. And it might also have something to do with the fact that it has been designed by greats such as Michelangelo, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Carlo Maderno and Donato Bramante.

St Peter's: 1; Satan: 0 :-)

ALSO READ Exploring the Eternal city of Rome


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Ancient City Walls of Dubrovnik, Croatia

Image: Ancient City Walls of Dubrovnik, Croatia
Photographs: Patrick Landy/Wikimedia Creative Commons

Located in the city-state of Dubrovnik of southern Croatia, the famed walls run uninterruptedly for about 1,940 metres reach as high as 25 meters in some places.

And yes they cover almost the entire city.

Most parts of the wall and the fortifications were constructed in the 14th and the 15th century but work to strengthen them continued up until the 17th century.

It is safe to say that the folks working on it did a fantastic job considering they were never breached by an army of its time.


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Golden Temple, India

Image: Golden Temple, India
Photographs: Jeremy Vandel/Wikimedia Creative Commons

The Golden Temple and Amritsar are synonymous with each other. And why not, the gurudwara that is covered in gold shines like a jewel against the Amritsar skyline!

ALSO SEE The amazing city of Amritsar in photographs


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Petra World Heritage Site, Jordan

Image: Petra World Heritage Site, Jordan
Photographs: Leon Petrosyan/Wikimedia Creative Commons

The historical city that used to be the ancient capital of the Nabataean people is best known for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system.

Petra is believed to be established around 312 BC and had been hidden from the eyes of the Western World until 1812 when the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt introduced to them.

UNESCO calls it 'one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage'.


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Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar

Image: Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
Photographs: Andre Lettau/Wikimedia Creative Commons

Built approximately 2600 years ago, Shwedagon Pagoda is Yangon's biggest tourist attraction and is one of the oldest pagodas of Myanmar.


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Cordoba: Great Cathedral and Mosque, Spain

Image: Cordoba: Great Cathedral and Mosque, Spain
Photographs: Timor Espallargas/Wikimedia Creative Commons

When he arrived in Cordoba, the first Umayyad emir Abd ar-Rahman I built a mosque over a Visigothic church.

But in 1236 when the Spanish reconquered Cordoba, they built a renaissance nave in the middle of the mosque and the mosque became the Christian cathedral.

Regarded as one of the most notable monuments of Renaissance and Moorish architecture, Spanish Muslims have been lobbying with the Roman Catholic Church to permint them to pray in the cathedral.

Visit the monument and chances are you won't leave unimpressed.


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Bayon Temple, Cambodia

Image: Bayon Temple, Cambodia
Photographs: Hans Stieglitz/Wikimedia Creative Commons

The official state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII, the Bayon Temple is one impressive work of architecture and stands right at the centre of what was the king's capital.

Like all religious structures, this one too was improved upon and modified by later kings.

What hasn't changed in all these centuries however are its most striking features -- the huge and serene-looking stone faces seen above.


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Cristo Redentor or Statue of Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro

Image: Christ the Redeemer statue, Rio de Janeiro
Photographs: Ricardo Moraes/Reuters

Rio de Janeiro's (and indeed Brazil's) most recognisable landmark is Cristo Redentor or Statue of Christ the Redeemer. Missing it is like missing the Taj Mahal on a visit to India.

ALSO READ 10 reasons we love Brazil!


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Basilica of the Sagrada Familia (Church of the Sacred Family), Spain

Image: Basilica of the Sagrada Familia (Church of the Sacred Family), Spain
Photographs: Bernard Gagnon/Wikimedia Creative Commons

There are stunning works of art and there are ruins.

But the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona is probably the only incomplete structure in the world that is also a tourist attraction.

Designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi, the construction on the Sagrada Familia commenced in 1882 and has over the centuries progressed painfully slowly.

During the Spanish Civil War it stopped altogether.

As of 2010 it is only past its half way mark.

And when is it scheduled to be completed? In 2026, the death centenary year of Gaudi!


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