Mounds built by Mississippian culture a millennium ago - Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site 198 Cahokia mound: Monks Mound What and Why During the turn of the last millennium, a native Mississippian culture and polity called Cahokia (pronounced /kəˈhoʊkiə/ ) settled near the present town of Collinsville and built a major city, lasting from mid-9th century to mid-14th century. During its heyday, the city covered more than 15 km² and had around 20,000 people, making this va

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 necropoles in the form of tumuli - Dilmun Burial Mounds 1542; Arabic calligraphy: knowledge, skills and practices 01718 Dilmun Burial Mounds in A'ali After a long break due to my relocation to Scotland , I have finally resumed my blog-writing due to popular demands. I have not given up blogging, just finding the time and space for it. What and Why The Dilmun Burial Mounds ( Arabic : مدافن دلمون, madafin dilmun ) are ancient necropoles in the form of tumulus cluste

The world's most famous neolithic monument - Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites 373 Stonehenge What and Why Stonehenge , the iconic archaeological sarsen -built monument of the United Kingdom , is known more for its unknown. No one can ascertain what exactly this monument is for. In fact many aspects of Stonehenge, such as how it was built and for what purposes it was used, remain subject to intensive debates. We are however certain it is not a random monument due to

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

Subterranean temple since 3000 BCE - Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum 130; Il-Ftira, culinary art and culture of flattened sourdough bread in Malta 01580 Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum What and Why Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum ( Maltese : Ipoġew ) is a large complex of rooms hewn out of the limestone and thought to have been a sanctuary and necropolis , with the remains of more than 7,000 individuals documented by archaeologists. ‘Hypogeum’ means ‘underground’ in Greek, ‘ Ħal ’ means ‘small’ in Malte

Second oldest standing structures on Earth - Megalithic Temples of Malta 132 Ġgantija What and Why The Megalithic Temples of Malta ( Maltese : It-Tempji Megalitiċi ta' Malta ) are several prehistoric temples built during the period 3600 BCE to 700 BCE in various spots in Malta. They were the oldest free-standing structures on Earth until the discovery of Göbekli Tepe of Turkey. Archaeologists believe that these megalithic complexes are the result of local innovations in

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