Ancient Egypt royal necropolis and monuments in an ancient capital - Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis 87 Valley of the Kings with Al-Qurn as the backdrop What and Why Luxor ( Arabic : الأقصر, Al-Quṣūr ) stands as one of the most iconic and culturally rich sites in the world. The modern city morphed from the ruins of Thebes (Greek: Θῆβαι, Thē̂bai ) or in Egyptian ' wꜣs.t' and was the capital of ancient Egypt (مصر , Miṣr ) during parts of the Middle and New Kingdoms (

Spectacular rock columns built by 'giant' gracing the coast of Northern Ireland - Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast 369 Giant's Causeway What and Why The Giant's Causeway is the northern coastline along Northern Ireland where more than 40,000 interlocking basalt rock columns were formed and lined, forming a spectacular vista. These rock columns were formed due volcanic eruption some 50 to 60 million years ago, during the Paleocene epoch, and underwent slow cooling unde

Prime destination for geology, palaeontology and natural splendour - Monte San Giorgio 1090 Monte San Giorgio from Morcote (from internet) What and Why Monte San Giorgio , located in the canton of Ticino of Switzerland ( Italian : Svizzera ) and overlooking Lake Lugano ( Lago di Lugano ) , is one of the world's most important palaeontological sites. The pyramidal shaped Monte San Giorgio offers a fascinating blend of natural beauty, scientific significance, and cultural h

A world famous abbey with a spectacular library that chronicles European language and culture since the 7th century - Abbey of St Gall 268 Abbey of Saint Gall What and Why During the early 7th century, the Irish monk Saint Gall (Latin: Gallus ) and his disciple Saint Columbanus (Irish : Columbán ) came to the site and established a hermitage and stayed there until his death in the mid-7th century. Saint Gall was much revered in the area and after his death people venerated

The picturesque unknown capital of Switzerland retaining a provincial atmosphere - Old City of Berne 267 Marktgasse What and Why With such a picturesque landscape, arcades and water fountains in the Old Town ( German : Altstadt ) , the city of Bern is easily one of Switzerland's ( Schweiz ) most beautiful towns. Ever since its foundation in the early 12th century, the city has always brimmed with a provincial town atmosphere while carrying the important title of the de fac

Top of Europe and the most distinctive sights of the Alps - Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch 1037; Alpinism 01471 Sphinx (from internet) What and Why Against popular beliefs, Jungfraujoch is technically not a mountain or a peak, but a saddle or ridge between two main peaks, the Jungfrau and Mönch of the Swiss Alps ( German : Alpen ) . The saddle is also home to one of the largest glaciers in Europe: the Aletsch Glacier ( Aletschgletscher ) . The area, snow-covered year round

One of the earliest cultural boulevards of Europe - Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, a landscape of Arts and Sciences 1618; Mediterranean diet 00884 Plaza de Cibeles What and Why The Paseo del Prado is the main north-south axis of Madrid , and is characterised by a densely tree-lined boulevard. The boulevard is the main tourist landmark for the city residents with a few world-class museums along the way: the Prado Museum ( Spanish : Museo Nacional del Prado ) , the Thyssen-

Universal symbol and cradle of Greek antiquity civilisation - Acropolis, Athens 404; Mediterranean diet 00884 Acropolis What and Why Stepping into the Acropolis of Athens ( Greek : Ακρόπολη Αθηνών, Akrópoli Athinón ) is like being teleported back in time and it is one feeling that you can experience when you are there. The Acropolis is an ancient citadel built on top of a rocky hill which has become synonymous as the cradle of Greek and western civilisation, and much herald

One of the most beautiful mediaeval European cities with a hint of former communist feel - Historic Centre of Kraków 29; Nativity scene (szopka) tradition in Krakow 01362 Old town square What and Why Kraków (pronounced /ˈkrakuf/) is always cited as one of the most culturally rich and beautiful cities in the world in various forum, so much so that its fame lands itself being the first batch of UNESCO WHS inscriptions in 1979. Banked on the Vistula river ( Polish : Wisła ) ,

Capital of ancient Silla - Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple 736; Gyeongju Historic Areas 976; Daemokjang, traditional wooden architecture 00461; Knowledge, beliefs and practices related to jang making in the Republic of Korea 01975 Jahamun of Bulguksa What and Why Gyeongju ( Korean : 경주) , formerly Seorabeol ( 서라벌), was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla ( 신라 ) from 57 BCE to 935 CE and hence this city is a definite must-visit if one is interested in Korean Pe

Rock-hewn caves in an island honouring Shiva - Elephanta Caves 244 Elephanta caves - Cave 1 What and Why The Elephanta Caves ( Hindi : घारापुरी गुफाएँ, Gharapuri guphā'ēm̐ ) are a series of rock-hewn cave temples predominantly dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva (Sanskrit : शिव, Śiva ) . These caves are located a 16 km² island off Mumbai (मुम्बई) , as blogged in Mumbai (मुम्बई) | South . While most of the caves are Hindu, there are a number of Buddhist stupas and temples aroun

Largest icefield in North America - Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks 304 Columbia Icefield What and Why The largest of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks , Jasper National Park is famous for its spectacular ice fields scattered around spectacularly scenic mountains, gorges, waterfalls and lakes. Jasper’s landscapes emphasise scale and remoteness. Massive mountain ranges, extensive forests, and large river systems create habitats for wildlife and opportunities for outdoor expl

Lakes, forests, fells, Beatrix Potter & William Wordsworth - The English Lake District 422 Lake District National Park coastline What and Why The Lake District is a scenic region in Northwest England , which is a very popular holiday destination. It is famous for its lakes, forests and mountains ( fells , from Old Norse meaning 'mountain'). At the heart of this region lies Lake Windermere , the largest natural lake in England and one of the most iconic destinations within

Highest aqueduct in the world, symbolic of the Industrial Revolution - Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal 1303 Pontcysyllte Aqueduct What and Why Canal The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a waterbridge that carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee in Wales. The 18-arched stone and cast iron structure, designed by Thomas Telford , is for use by narrowboats and was completed in 1805 having taken ten years to design and build . It is the longest aqueduct in United Kingdom

Symbol of industrial revolution - Ironbridge Gorge 371 Ironbridge What and Why By today's standard, the Ironbridge is now derelict and the bridge is nothing impressive . However ever since its heyday, it has carried the accolade of being the first iron bridge in the world. The bridge runs over the deep River Severn , where the deep exposure of the rocks cut through by the gorge exposed commercial deposits of coal, iron ore, limestone and fireclay , which enabled the rapid

The largest continental ice-shelf - Los Glaciares National Park 145; Filete porteño in Buenos Aires, a traditional painting technique 01069 Perito Moreno What and Why Los Glaciares National Park ( Spanish : Parque Nacional Los Glaciares ) is a massive national park in Patagonia , Argentina that houses the gigantic ice-caps in continental land. The entire park is around 7,000 km2, which is more than six Hong Kong (Cantonese: 香港, Hoenggong ) packed together. These massive

A derelict learnt city - Jesuit Block and Estancias of Córdoba 995; Tango 00258; Cuarteto: music, dance and lyrics in the city of Córdoba, Argentina 00243 Cordoba Cathedral What and Why While colonialism carries a negative imperial connotation nowadays, it did bring a major historical impact in establishing the cultural order of a place, and Córdoba is an actual good example of this. With the Spanish conquistadores , the Jesuit order established this city in the late 16th c

Spanish missionaries conversion programme - Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis: San Ignacio Mini, Santa Ana, Nuestra Señora de Loreto and Santa Maria Mayor (Argentina), Ruins of Sao Miguel das Missoes (Brazil) 275; Chamamé 01600 San Ignacio Mini What and Why During the Age of Discovery in the 17th century, the Spanish conquistadores arrived at the Paraná region of Brazil (Portuguese: Brasil ) . Together with the conquistadores, there were Jesuit ( Latin : Societas Iesu ) mi

The holy pilgrimage site for Buddhists - Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya 1056 Mahabodhi Complex What and Why Bōdh Gayā ( Hindi : बोधगया) and its temple complex is the most sacred, religious site and place of pilgrimage for Buddhists. It is famous as it is the place where the Buddha (Sanskrit: बुद्ध, né Siddhattha Gotam a (Pali) ) , is said to have achieved enlightenment (Sanskrit: अनुत्तर सम्यक् सम्बोधि, anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi ) under what became known as the bodh

One of the first universities in the world and the world's most important Buddhist school - Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) at Nalanda, Bihar 1502 Nalanda T3 What and Why Nālandā ( Hindi : नालंदा) was a Mahāvihāra (Sanskrit: महाविहार) , meaning 'great Buddhist monastery', was established in the 5th century CE during the end of the Gupta Empire (Sanskrit: गुप्त राजवंश, Śri Gupta ) although it was reported that there had been some form of a loos