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 (

The grand temple of Ramesses II that moved and started the UNESCO WHS - Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae 88 ; Handmeade weaving in Upper Egypt (Sa'eed) 01605 Abu Simbel temple What and Why The great temple of Abu Simbel ( Arabic : أبو سمبل) is perhaps the most remarkable sites of Egypt (مصر , Miṣr ) , past and present. The grandiose and majesty of the temple needs no introduction, but its cultural signature is definitely more significant. The temple itself is alr

Fortified city protected by three mediaeval castles - Three Castles, Defensive Wall and Ramparts of the Market-Town of Bellinzona 884 Castelgrande ramparts (from internet) What and Why Bellinzona , located near the foot of the Alps ( Italian : Alpi ) at the canton of Ticino , houses a group of important and well-preserved mediaeval fortifications to shelter herself from foreign invasion. These fortifications come in the form of castles and ramparts and they collectively

Cultural and historic confluence of ancient Egyptian and Nubian civilisations - Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae 88; Handmade weaving in Upper Egypt (Sa'eed) 01605 Philae Temple from river cruise What and Why Aswan ( Arabic : أسوان , ʾAswān ) , located in southern Egypt (مصر , Miṣr ) on the banks of the River Nile (Latin: Nilus ) , is a city of great historical and cultural significance. With a history that stretches back thousands of years, Aswan has been a cultu

The only remaining wonder of the ancient world - Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur 86; Koshary, daily life dish and practices associated with it 02278 Sphinx and the Pyramid of Khafre What and Why There is absolutely no need for any introduction to the pyramids of Egypt ( Arabic : مصر , Miṣr ) . Pyramids are the oldest but the only standing seven wonders of the ancient world , standing on the various sites for more than 4,500 years! Unless

4000-year old Neolithic village and culture in a remote island of Scotland - Heart of Neolithic Orkney 514 Skara Brae village What and Why In the islands of Orkney of Scotland stands four main archaeological sites of the Neolithic age of mysterious origin. These four sites have been marked to be founded from 3200 to 2500 BCE and are actually older than the Stonehenge as blogged in Amesbury or the pyramids in Giza (الجيزة) . They also draw comparisons of my visit to the

Ancient pearling site that started the nation - Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy 1364 ; Fjiri 01747 Oyster beds in Muharraq What and Why For centuries, Muharraq ( Arabic: المحرق, Al-Muḥarraq ) was the Persian Gulf’s pearling epicentre. After all the region produces some of the finest pearls in the world, and this literally gave birth to the regional Bahraini culture and civilisation since the 3rd century BCE. Virtually everyone was involved in the pearling indu

Wading through beautiful limestone caves sitting inland - Trang An Landscape Complex 1438; Quan Họ Bắc Ninh folk songs 00183 Tam Coc What and Why Tr à ng An is a very scenic area located near the city of Ninh Bình which features beautiful limestone mountains and caves along the river. A common tourist activity is to ride a boat and wade through the limestone caves and witness the beautiful sceneries. The river itself nurtures an aquatic ecosystem of various seafood species

Former glorious capital of Vijayanagara with unrivalled sculptures - Group of Monuments at Hampi 241 Chariot near Vitthala temple What and Why Hampi ( Hindi : हम्पी) was the capital of the Vijayanegara Empire (Sanskrit: विजयनगर साम्राज्य) and reached its zenith during the 14th century when it was the second largest city in the world, after Beijing (Chinese: 北京) . As a result it developed rapidly in terms of culture and religion and was considered the richest and most prosp

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

Birthplace of Apollo and Artemis - Delos 530 Delos lions What and Why Delos ( Greek : Δήλος) , in spite of its current size, barrenness and lack of water, was surprisingly a major political focal point during the classical antiquity period . The island was a major commercial and trading centre from the 2nd century BCE till the 1st century CE, due to the belief in Greek mythology that the island was the birthplace of the twins Apollo (Ἀπόλλων, Apollōn ) , god of the sun, mu

Once the largest city on Earth, now the largest temple in the world - Angkor 668; Sbek Thom, Khmer shadow theatre 00108 Angkor Wat What and Why Angkor ( Khmer : អង្គរ) is simply one of the most important archaeological and cultural sites in Southeast Asia , and possibly the world. It is a graceful representation of the powerful Khmer Empire (ចក្រភពខ្មែរ) , and was possibly once the largest city on Earth during the 11th to 13th century, housing more than 1 million populatio

World's largest Buddhist temple of superlatives - Borobudur Teminple Compounds 592; Gamelan 01607 Borobudur dawn view What and Why Borobudur Borobudur is simply a world wonder and no other words better suit this! To me one of those mouth-opening moments when one sees it with your own eyes! Dating from the 7th century, this is one of world's truly great ancient monuments. Borobudur is the single largest Buddhist structure anywhere on Earth, and the temple shows some of the

Masterpiece Hindu temples built during the 10th century - Prambanan Temple Compounds 642; The Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta and its Historic Landmarks 1671; Indonesia kris 00112; Indonesian batik 00170; Gamelan 01607 Prambanan Temple Compounds What and Why Prambanan ( Indonesian : Rara Jonggrang ) is a complex of tall Hindu temples ( candi ) dedicated to Trimūrti (Sanskrit: त्रिमूर्ति) , the triple personified supreme diety of Hinduism: Brahmā (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मा) the c

6,000 year-old megalithic burial mounds with astronomical precision - Brú na Bóinne - Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne 659; Irish Harping 01461 Boyne valley tomb What and Why Brú na Bóinne is a prehistoric human settlement near the town of Drogheda ( Irish : Droichead Átha ) for the past 6,000 years. One of the most important features of the sites are the magnificent tombs of the Neolithic or Late Stone Age , which demonstrates that this site must had been

Mediaeval church with frescoes of long-lasting legacy - Boyana Church 42; Bulgarian Chitalishte (Community Cultural Centre): practical experience in safeguarding the vitality of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 00969 Boyana Church What and Why The Boyana Church ( Bulgarian : Боянска Ц ърква, Boyanska Tsărkva ) is a mediaeval Orthodox church built in the 10th century located in the Boyana district, apparently the most well-off area of Sofia (София, Sofiya ) . The church is

Mediaeval Serbian Orthodox Christian monastery in a conflict epicentre - Medieval Monuments in Kosovo 724 Visoki Dečani What and Why Visoki Dečani Monastery ( Albanian : Manastiri i Deçanit ) is one of the four mediaeval Serbian Orthodox Christian monasteries in the disputed state of Kosovo ( Kosova ) . The famous historic monastery is commissioned by the King of Serbia (Serbian: Србија, Srbij a ) Stefan Dečanski (Serbian: Стефан Дечански, né Стефан Немањић, Stefan Nema

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

Small pyramids and temples of the Kush Empire - Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroe 1336; Date palm, knowledge, skills, traditions and practices 01509; Al-Jertiq: practices, rituals and expressions for preservation, protection, abundance and fertility in Sudan 02275 Small pyramids of Meroe What and Why I am extremely proud that as a Chinese I actually took a Sudanese to his own heritage treasure of Meroë ( Arabic : مروي) , during my recent diplomatic work. No joke, t

Imperial city of Spanish-Moorish style gates - Historic City of Meknes 793; Archaeological Site of Volubilis 836 Bab Mansour What and Why Founded in the 11th century by the Almoravid dynasty (Arabic: المرابطون, Al-Murābiṭūn ‎) as a military sentinel, Meknes ( Tamazight : ⴰⵎⴽⵏⴰⵙ, amknas ) became the capital of Morocco (ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ, Lmeɣrib ) under Moulay Ismail ibn Sharif (مولاي إسماعيل بن الشريف ابن النصر‎) in the 17th century. Moulay Ismail turned Meknes into an impressive ci