’)
The islanders call them Moai, but little else is known about these massive sculpted heads that rim the outer
slopes of Easter Island. The Moai stand with their backs to the sea and
are believed to be ancestors to the current inhabitants, the Rapa
Nui. It's estimated that these heads date back to 1000 AD.
The Falkirk Wheel
There's only one place in the world to
find a rotating boat lift. Decades after a series of locks and canals
in Scotland fell into disrepair, the Falkirk Wheel was born. Through a
system of large rotating wheels, boats are hoisted into the air from one
canal, and then deposited into another. One of the main architects of
the final design used Legos to model his concept.
The Hanging Monastery in China's Jinlong Canyon was founded
during the Northern Wei period from 386 to 584 AD. The monastery houses
statues dedicated to the founders of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.
The 'Wedded Rocks' (Meoto-Iwa)
or ‘Husband and Wife Rocks’ are named after two Japanese Shinto deities,
Izanagi and Izanami. Representing their enduring union is a heavy rope
of rice straw, or shimenawa, which joins them.
Although it is called the Treasury, this pink
sandstone facade from the first century AD never was one. Archaeologists
believe this was the entrance to a great temple. Regardless of intent,
the founders of Petra were ingenious and creative builders who developed
a thriving desert metropolis and advanced hydraulic engineering
systems, including methods for water conservation. A decline in trade
routes and a number of devastating earthquakes decimated the city 1,500
years ago.
The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal Building in Toronto, Ontario, is
considered one of the world's architectural marvels and home to the
Royal Ontario Museum. The exterior is 20 percent glass and
constructed from 3,500 tons of steel, 38 tons of bolts, 9,000 cubic
meters of cement.
In third century BC, this Aramaic oasis in
south-central Syria was a bustling caravan city for travelers. Palmyra
means 'City of Palm Trees' and is said to have been built by King
Solomon.
Cordillera Real Mountaineering Hut
Some
say Bolivia's Andean trekking routes rival the beauty of the Himalayas.
The Cordillera Real or 'The Royal Mountains,' (so named in the 1600s by
invading Spanish Conquistadors) are home to the indigenous Aymara
people. Nowadays, this mountain range attracts climbers from all corners
of the globe.
Commissioned in 1602 during the reign of Shah Abbas I, this arched
bridge is one of eleven such bridges in Isfahan, Iran. The Si-o-Seh Pol
means 'Bridge of 33 Arches' and was built utilizing pontoons during a
time when the Persian Empire was one of the most powerful in the world.
Imagine this wooden foot bridge in Iwakuni, Japan, surrounded by
blossoming cherry trees. Now try to imagine how this bridge was built in
1673 AD without a single nail.
