Mount Fuji Japan

Mt.Fuji - Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji (Fujisan) is with 3776 meters Japan's highest mountain. It is not surprising that the nearly perfectly shaped volcano has been ...
www.japan-guide.com/e/e2172.html

Climbing Mount Fuji
Climbing Mount Fuji (3776 meters), Japan's highest and most prominent mountain, can make for lifelong memories. The mountain itself may look ...
www.japan-guide.com/e/e6901.html

Mount Fuji, Japan
Mount Fuji: History, description, photos and visitor information for Mount FujiChubu, Japan.
www.sacred-destinations.com/japan/mount-fuji

http://blogs.davenportlibrary.com/reference/2008/05/armchair-traveler-goes-to-japan/

Mt. Fuji wreathed in clouds

Mount Fuji is an attractive volcanic cone and a frequent subject of Japanese art. Among the most renowned works are Hokusai's 36 Views of Mount Fuji and his One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji. The mountain is mentioned in Japanese literature throughout the ages and is the subject of many poems.

It is thought that the first ascent was in 663 by an anonymous monk. The summit has been thought of as sacred since ancient times and was forbidden to women until the Meiji Era. Ancient samurai used the base of the mountain as a remote training area, near the present day town of Gotemba. The shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo held yabusame in the area in the early Kamakura period.

The first ascent by a foreigner was by Sir Rutherford Alcock in September 1860, from the foot of the mountain to the top in eight hours and three hours for the descent.427 Alcock's brief narrative in The Capital of the Tycoon was the first widely disseminated description of the mountain in the West.:421-7 Lady Fanny Parkes, the wife of British ambassador Sir Harry Parkes, was the first non-Japanese woman to ascend Mount Fuji in 1867. Photographer Felix Beato climbed Mount Fuji in that same year.

Today, Mount Fuji is an international destination for tourism and mountain-climbing. In the early 20th century, populist educator Frederick Starr's Chautauqua lectures about his several ascents of Mount Fuji—1913, 1919, and 1923—were widely known in America. A well-known Japanese saying suggests that anybody would be a fool not to climb Mt. Fuji once—but a fool to do so twice. It remains a popular meme in Japanese culture, including making numerous movie appearances, inspiring the Infiniti logo, and even appearing in medicine with the Mount Fuji sign. As of 2006, the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the United States Marine Corps operate military bases near Mount Fuji.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Fuji

Mount Fuji - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mt. Fuji is a distinctive feature of the geography of Japan. .... The highest point in Japan is where the Mount Fuji Radar System used to be. ... Name - History - Geography - Adventuring
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Fuji

Mt Fuji Japan
Mount Fuji also called, as Fujiyama is the most poplar and undisputedly the number one landmark of Japan. It is located on the Southern Honshu Island and is ...
www.asianartmall.com/mtfujiarticle.htm

กําแพงเมืองจีน ปักกิ่ง

กําแพงเมืองจีน - china radio international
กําแพงเมืองจีน---สิ่งก่อสร้างในสมัยโบราณของจีนที่มีชื่อเลื่องลือไปทั่ว โลกนั้น ตอนที่มีความสําคัญทางยุทธศาสตร์ตอนหนึ่งชื่อว่า "ปาต๋าหลิ่ง" ...
thai.cri.cn/1/2004/05/25/21@19338.htm

http://www.tlcthai.com/webboard/

กําแพงเมืองจีน ปักกิ่ง
กำแพงเมืองจีน (จีนตัวเต็ม: 長城; จีนตัวย่อ: 长城; พินอิน: Chángchéng ฉางเฉิง) เป็นกำแพงที่มีป้อมคั่นเป็นช่วง ๆ ของจีนสมัยโบราณ สร้างในสมัย พระเจ้าจิ๋นซีฮ่องเต้เป็นครั้งแรก กำแพงส่วนใหญ่ที่ปรากฏในปัจจุบันสร้างขึ้นในสมัยราชวงศ์หมิง ทั้งนี้เพื่อป้องกันการรุกรานจากพวกมองโกล และพวกเติร์ก หลังจากนั้นยังมีการสร้างกำแพงต่ออีกหลายครั้งด้วยกัน แต่ภายหลังก็มีเผ่าเร่ร่อนจากมองโกเลียและแมนจูเรียสามารถบุกฝ่ากำแพงเมือง จีนได้สำเร็จ

กำแพงเมืองจีนยังคงเรียกว่า กำแพงหมื่นลี้ (จีนตัวเต็ม: 萬里長城; จีนตัวย่อ: 万里长城; พินอิน: Wànlĭ Chángchéng ว่านหลี่ฉางเฉิง) กำแพงเมืองจีนมีความยาวทั้งหมดถึง 6,350 กิโลเมตร และนับเป็นหนึ่งในเจ็ดสิ่งมหัศจรรย์ของโลกยุคกลางด้วย เชื่อกันว่า หากมองเมืองจีนจากอวกาศ จะสามารถเห็นกำแพงเมืองจีนได้

ระยะเวลาในการสร้าง
กำแพงเมืองจีนสร้างขึ้นในระยะเวลา 4 ช่วงหลัก ๆ ดังนี้
- พ.ศ. 338 (ราชวงศ์ฉิน) 7 สิ่งมหัศจรรย์ของโลก
- พ.ศ. 443 (ราชวงศ์ฮั่น)
- พ.ศ. 1681 - 1741 (สมัย 5 ราชวงศ์ 10 อาณาจักร)
- พ.ศ. 1911 - 2163 (รัชสมัยจักรพรรดิหงอู่ ต้นราชวงศ์หมิง)

ประวัติ
กำแพงเมืองจีนถูกสร้างขึ้นกว่า 2000 ปีมาแล้ว ตั้งแต่สมัยของจิ๋นซีฮ่องเต้ จักรพรรดิ์องค์แรกในประวัติศาสตร์จีน จุดประสงค์ก็เพื่อป้องกันการรุกรานจากชนเผ่าทางตอนเหนือ โดยมีการก่อสร้างเพิ่มเติมโดยกษัตริย์องค์ต่อมาอีกหลายพระองค์ จนสำเร็จในที่สุด กำแพงเมืองจีนถือเป็นงานก่อสร้างที่มหัศจรรย์ที่สุดแห่งหนึ่งของโลกเท่าที่ เคยมีมา

มีข้อเท็จจริงบางประการเกี่ยวกับกำแพงเมืองจีนดังนี้
1. เราไม่สามารถมองเห็นกำแพงเมืองจีนจากดวงจันทร์ ไม่มีสิ่งก่อสร้างที่สร้างโดยมนุษย์ แม้แต่อย่างเดียวที่สามารถมองเห็นจากดวงจันทร์ ในระดับ low earth orbit เราสามารถมองเห็นกำแพงเมืองจีนโดยใช้ radar การมองเห็นกำแพงเมืองจีนเป็นไปได้ยากเนื่องจาก สีของกำแพงเมืองจีนจะกลืนไปกับสีของธรรมชาติ ก็คือสีของดิน หิน

2. กำแพงเมืองจีนไม่ใช่กำแพงยาวตลอด ความจริงแล้วกำแพงเมืองจีน ถูกสร้างขึ้นในหลายยุคหลายสมัยกินเวลานับพันปี โดยเป็นการเชื่อมต่อกำแพงแต่ละส่วนเข้าด้วยกัน จนเป็นแนวทอดยาวหลายพันกิโลเมตร

3. กำแพงเมืองจีนเป็นเสมือนสุสานของผู้ก่อสร้าง มีการบันทึกไว้ว่า นักโทษจากสงครามและทาสกว่า 1 ล้านคนถูกใช้เป็นแรงงงานเพื่อก่อสร้างกำแพงเมืองจีน ซึ่งจำนวนมากเสียชีวิตลงเนื่องจากความเหน็ดเหนื่อย และความหิวโหย ซึ่งศพผู้เสียชีวิตก็จะถูกฝังอยู่ข้างใต้กำแพงนั่นเอง นานนับศตวรรษแล้ว ที่กำแพงเมืองจีนได้ชื่อว่าเป็นสุสานที่มีความยาวที่สุดในโลก เป็นที่กล่าวขานกันว่าทุกๆ หนึ่งฟุตของกำแพงเมืองจีนก็คือหนึ่งชีวิตของผู้ก่อสร้างกำแพง

4. ความยาวของกำแพงเมืองจีน จนถึงขณะนี้ยังไม่มีใครทราบความยาวที่แท้จริงของกำแพงเมืองจีน ในภาษาจีน จะเรียกกำแพงเมืองจีนว่า "กำแพงยาวหมื่นลี้" (หนึ่งลี้มีความยาวประมาณ 1/3 ไมล์) โดยคร่าวๆ กำแพงเมืองจีนมีความยาวประมาณ 4 พันไมล์ หรือ 6,350 กิโลเมตร ทอดผ่านทุ่งหญ้า ทะเลทราย และเทือกเขาสูง ความสูงของกำแพงคือ 7 เมตร และกว้าง 5 เมตร

5. การก่อสร้างกำแพงเมืองจีน ช่วยป้องกันการรุกรานได้หรือไม่ การเข้าครองอำนาจของมองโกล และแมนจู ทั้งสองครั้งเกิดขึ้นจากความอ่อนแอ ของราชวงศ์ที่ปกครองประเทศจีนในขณะนั้นๆ พวกเขาใช้โอกาสในขณะที่เกิดกบฏภายใน เข้ายึดครองประเทศจีน โดยมีการต่อต้านที่น้อยมาก

6. กำแพงเมืองจีนไม่ได้เป็นแค่กำแพง ทุกๆ 300 ถึง 500 หลา จะมีฐานบัญชาการเพื่อใช้สับเปลี่ยนเวรยามและใช้เป็นจุดสังเกตการณ์ มีหอสังเกตการณ์กว่า 1 หมื่นแห่ง

7. กำแพงเมืองจีนเป็นเส้นทางคมนาคม ในระยะแรก ประโยชน์ของกำแพงเมืองจีนก็คือ มันช่วยให้การคมนาคมและขนส่งในเส้นทางทุรกันดาร เช่นตามเทือกเขาเป็นไปอย่างสะดวกยิ่งขึ้น

8. กำแพงเมืองจีนสร้างขึ้นโดยใช้อะไรเป็นส่วนประกอบ ก่อนที่จะมีการใช้อิฐในการก่อสร้าง กำแพงเมืองจีนถูกสร้างขึ้น โดยใช้หิน ดิน และไม้ บางครั้งมีการแพ็คดินไว้ระหว่างไม้แผ่นใหญ่ และมัดไว้ด้วยกันโดยเสื่อทอ บริเวณใกล้กรุงปักกิ่ง กำแพงเมืองจีนถูกสร้างโดยใช้หินอ่อน ในบางสถานที่กำแพงถูกสร้างโดยใช้หินแกรนิต บางแห่งก็ใช้ดินเผา ทางตะวันตกของจีน กำแพงถูกสร้างโดยใช้โคลน ทำให้ชำรุดได้ง่ายกว่า กำแพงเมืองจีนที่เราเห็นกันทุกวันนี้ ส่วนใหญ่ถูกสร้างในราชวงศ์หมิง โดยใช้วัตถุที่ทนทานกว่าเช่นหิน

9. สภาพของกำแพงเมืองจีนในขณะนี้ รายงานผลการสำรวจของนักอนุรักษ์เมื่อปี 2004 กล่าวว่า ขณะนี้ กำแพงเมืองจีนที่ยาว 6,350 กิโลเมตร เหลือให้เห็นเพียง 1/3 เท่านั้น และกำลังสั้นลงเรื่อยๆ ปัญหาเกิดขึ้นเนื่องจากการขาดการดูแลและอนุรักษ์ โดยเฉพาะจากชาวไร่ชาวนาซึ่งอาศัยอยู่ใกล้กำแพงเมืองจีน ไม่สนใจประกาศของรัฐบาลที่กำหนดให้กำแพงเมืองจีนเป็นสมบัติของชาติ

http://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/กำแพงเมืองจีน
http://kittisak113.wordpress.com

Mount Everest Nepal

Mount Everest - also called Qomolangma Peak (Tibetan: ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ), Mount Sagarmāthā (Nepali: सगरमाथा), Chajamlungma (Limbu), Zhumulangma Peak (Chinese: 珠穆朗玛峰 Zhūmùlǎngmǎ Fēng) or Mount Chomolungma - is the highest mountain on Earth, and the highest point on the Earth's continental crust, as measured by the height above sea level of its summit, 8,848 metres (29,029 ft). The mountain, which is part of the Himalaya range in Asia, is located on the border between Sagarmatha Zone, Nepal, and Tibet, China.

In 1856, the Great Trigonometric Survey of India established the first published height of Everest, then known as Peak XV, at 29,002 ft (8,840 m). In 1865, Everest was given its official English name by the Royal Geographical Society upon recommendation of Andrew Waugh, the British Surveyor General of India at the time. Chomolungma had been in common use by Tibetans for centuries, but Waugh was unable to propose an established local name because Nepal and Tibet were closed to foreigners.

The highest mountain in the world attracts climbers of all levels, from well experienced mountaineers to novice climbers willing to pay substantial sums to professional mountain guides to complete a successful climb. The mountain, while not posing substantial technical climbing difficulty on the standard route (other eight-thousanders such as K2 or Nanga Parbat are much more difficult), still has many inherent dangers such as altitude sickness, weather and wind. By the end of the 2008 climbing season, there had been 4,102 ascents to the summit by about 2,700 individuals.[4] Climbers are a significant source of tourist revenue for Nepal, whose government also requires all prospective climbers to obtain an expensive permit, costing up to US $ 25,000 per person.[5] Everest has claimed 210 lives, including eight who perished during a 1996 storm high on the mountain. Conditions are so difficult in the death zone that most corpses have been left where they fell. Some of them are visible from standard climbing routes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Everest

http://www.bestpicturegallery.com/Mount_Everest_Nepal_best_picture_gallery.htm

สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย ตุรกี

ฮาเยียโซเฟีย หรือ ฮาเจียโซเฟีย (ภาษาตุรกี: Ayasofya, ภาษาละติน: Sancta Sapientia, ภาษากรีก: Ἁγία Σοφία) หรือชื่อในปัจจุบัน พิพิธภัณฑ์อะยาโซเฟีย (Ayasofya Museum) เดิมเคยเป็นโบสถ์ของคริสต์ศาสนานิกายออร์โธดอกส์ ต่อมาถูกเปลี่ยนเป็นสุเหร่า ปัจจุบันเป็นพิพิธภัณฑ์ ตั้งอยู่ที่นครอิสตันบูล ประเทศตุรกี ถือเป็นสิ่งก่อสร้างที่ยิ่งใหญ่ที่สุดแห่งหนึ่งและมักถูกจัดให้อยู่ในรายการสิ่งมหัศจรรย์ของโลกในยุคกลาง[1] จุดเด่นอยู่ที่ยอดโดมขนาดมหึมากลางวิหาร และนับเป็นตัวอย่างที่ดีที่สุดของสถาปัตยกรรมไบแซนไทน์ ฮาเจียโซเฟียเคยเป็นโบสถ์ที่ใหญ่ที่สุดในโลกมานานเกือบพันปี จนกระทั่งโบสถ์เซบียาสร้างเสร็จในปี 1520

สิ่งก่อสร้างที่ปรากฏอยู่ในปัจจุบันถูกสร้างให้เป็นโบสถ์ในระหว่างปี ค.ศ. 532-537 โดยจักรพรรดิจัสติเนียนแห่งจักรวรรดิไบแซนไทน์ และเป็นโบสถ์หลังที่สามถูกสร้างขึ้นในสถานที่เดียวกันนี้ (โบสถ์สองหลังแรกถูกทำลายในระหว่างการจลาจล) โบสถ์นี้เป็นศูนย์กลางของนิกายอีสเติร์นออร์โธด็อกซ์ เป็นเวลาเกือบ 1,000 ปี

ในปี 1453 หลังจากที่จักรวรรดิออตโตมันพิชิตจักรวรรดิไบแซนไทน์ สุลต่านเมห์เหม็ดที่ 2 จึงดัดแปลงโบสถ์ให้กลายเป็นสุเหร่า เช่นย้ายระฆัง แท่นบูชา รูปปั้นต่าง ๆ ออก และสร้างสัญลักษณ์ทางอิสลาม เช่นเสามินาเรต แทน สุเหร่าโซเฟียเป็นสุเหร่าหลักของอิสตันบูลมากว่า 500 ปี และเป็นต้นแบบของสุเหร่าออตโตมันอีกหลายแห่ง เช่นสุเหร่าสุลต่านอาเหม็ด (สุเหร่าสีน้ำเงิน), สุเหร่าเซห์ซาเด, สุเหร่าซือเลย์มานิเย และสุเหร่ารืสเตม ปาชา ในปี 1935 ฮาเจียโซเฟียก็ถูกเปลี่ยนเป็นพิพิธภัณฑ์โดยสาธารณรัฐตุรกีจนถึงปัจจุบัน

อีกชื่อหนึ่งของ ฮาเจียโซเฟีย คือเซนต์โซเฟีย ซึ่งมาจากชื่อเต็มในภาษากรีก "Ναός τῆς Ἁγίας τοῦ Θεοῦ Σοφίας" แปลว่า โบสถ์แห่งปัญญาอันศักดิ์สิทธิ์ โดยคำว่า "โซเฟีย" มาจากภาษาละติน ที่เปลี่ยนมาจากคำในภาษากรีกที่แปลว่า "ปัญญา" อีกทีหนึ่ง จึงไม่มีความเกี่ยวข้องกับเซนต์ที่ชื่อโซเฟียแต่อย่างใด

http://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย
http://www.rmutphysics.com/CHARUD/OLDNEWS/92/index92.htm

The Potala Palace Lhasa Tibet

The Potala Palace
Perched upon Marpo Ri hill, 130 meters above the Lhasa valley, the Potala Palace rises a further 170 meters and is the greatest monumental structure in all ...
www.sacredsites.com/asia/tibet/potala_palace.html

Potala Palace - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Today the pillar stands neglected to the side of the new Chinese park where Zhol Village used to stand, below the Potala Palace, in Lhasa, Tibet, ... History - Architecture - White Palace - Red Palace
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Virtual tour of Potala Palace, Tibet
Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet. The old Potala Palace was built in 7th century. At that time Zhanpu King (Shuzhan Genpu) established Tufen Kingdom in Tibet, ...
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the potala palace Lhasa Tibet

The Potala Palace (Tibetan; Wylie: Po ta la; simplified Chinese; traditional Chinese: ) is located in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It was named after Mount Potala, the abode of Chenresig or Avalokitesvara.[1] The Potala Palace was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala, India, after an invasion and failed uprising in 1959. Today the Potala Palace has been converted into a museum by the Chinese.

The building measures 400 metres east-west and 350 metres north-south, with sloping stone walls averaging 3 m. thick, and 5 m. (more than 16 ft) thick at the base, and with copper poured into the foundations to help proof it against earthquakes. Thirteen stories of buildings – containing over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and about 200,000 statues – soar 117 metres (384 ft) on top of Marpo Ri, the "Red Hill", rising more than 300 m (about 1,000 ft) in total above the valley floor. Tradition has it that the three main hills of Lhasa represent the "Three Protectors of Tibet." Chokpori, just to the south of the Potala, is the soul-mountain (bla-ri) of Vajrapani, Pongwari that of Manjushri, and Marpori, the hill on which the Potala stands, represents Chenresig or Avalokiteshvara.

History

The former quarters of the Dalai Lama. The figure in the throne represents Tenzin Gyatso, the incumbent Dalai Lama

The site was used as a meditation retreat by King Songtsen Gampo, who in 637 built the first palace there in order to greet his bride Princess Wen Cheng of the Tang Dynasty of China.

Lozang Gyatso, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, started the construction of the Potala Palace in 1645 after one of his spiritual advisers, Konchog Chophel (d. 1646), pointed out that the site was ideal as a seat of government, situated as it is between Drepung and Sera monasteries and the old city of Lhasa. The Dalai Lama and his government moved into the Potrang Karpo ('White Palace') in 1649. Construction lasted until 1694, some twelve years after his death. The Potala was used as a winter palace by the Dalai Lama from that time. The Potrang Marpo ('Red Palace') was added between 1690 and 1694.

The new palace got its name from a hill on Cape Comorin at the southern tip of India—a rocky point sacred to the bodhisattva of compassion, whom is known as Avalokitesvara, or Chenrezi. The Tibetans themselves rarely speak of the sacred place as the "Potala," but rather as "Peak Potala" (Tse Potala), or usually as "the Peak.

The palace was slightly damaged during the Tibetan uprising against the Chinese in 1959, when Chinese shells were launched into the palace's windows. It also escaped damage during the Cultural Revolution in 1966 through the personal intervention of Zhou Enlai, who was then the Premier of the People's Republic of China but who personally opposed the revolution. Still, almost all of the over 100,000 volumes of scriptures, historical documents and other works of art were either removed, damaged or destroyed.

The Potala Palace was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. In 2000 and 2001, Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka were added to the list as extensions to the sites. Rapid modernisation has been a concern for UNESCO, however, which expressed concern over the building of modern structures immediately around the palace which threaten the palace's unique atmosphere. The Chinese government responded by enacting a rule barring the building of any structure taller than 21 metres in the area. UNESCO was also concerned over the materials used during the restoration of the palace, which commenced in 2002 at a cost of RMB180 million (US$22.5 million), although the palace's director, Qiangba Gesang, has clarified that only traditional materials and craftsmanship were used. The palace has also received restoration works between 1989 to 1994, costing RMB55 million (US$6.875 million).

The number of visitors to the palace was restricted to 1,600 a day, with opening hours reduced to six hours daily to avoid over-crowding from 1 May 2003. The palace was receiving an average of 1,500 a day prior to the introduction of the quota, sometimes peaking to over 5,000 in one day. Visits to the structure's roof was banned after restoration works were completed in 2006 to avoid further structural damage. Visitorship quotas were raised to 2,300 daily to accommodate a 30% increase in visitorship since the opening of the Qingzang railway into Lhasa on 1 July 2006, but the quota is often reached by mid-morning. Opening hours were extended during the peak period in the months of July to September, where over 6,000 visitors would descend on the site

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potala_Palace

Petronas Twin Towers Malaysia

Petronas Twin Towers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Below the twin towers is Suria KLCC, a shopping mall, and Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, the home of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petronas_Twin_Towers

PETRONAS
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http://greenstructures.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/top-five-tallest-buildings/

Petronas Twin Towers Malaysia

The Petronas Twin Towers (Malay: Menara Berkembar Petronas) (also known as the Petronas Towers or just Twin Towers), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are twin towers and were the world's tallest buildings before being surpassed by Taipei 101. However, the towers are still the tallest twin buildings in the world. They were the world's tallest buildings from 1998 to 2004 if measured from the level of the main entrance to the structural top, the original height reference used by the international organization Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat from 1969 (three additional height categories were introduced as the tower neared completion in 1996).

Comparison with other towers

In accordance to CTBUH, the pinnacles contributed to the overall height of the towers, thus surpassing the Willis Tower.

The Petronas Twin Towers were the tallest buildings in the world until Taipei 101 was completed in 2004, as measured to the top of their structural components (spires, but not antennas).Spires are considered integral parts of the architectural design of buildings, to which changes would substantially change the appearance and design of the building, whereas antennas may be added or removed without such consequences. The Petronas Twin Towers remain the tallest twin buildings in the world.

The Willis Tower and the World Trade Center towers were each constructed with 110 occupied floors – 22 more than the Petronas Twin Towers’ 88 floors. The Willis Tower and the World Trade Center’s roofs and highest occupied floors substantially exceeded the height of the roof and highest floors of the Petronas Twin Towers. The Willis Tower’s tallest antenna is 75 m (246 ft) taller than the Petronas Twin Towers’ spires. However, in accordance to CTBUH regulations and guidelines, the antennas of the Willis Tower were not counted as part of its architectural features. The spires on the Petronas Towers are included in the height since they are not antenna masts. Therefore, the Petronas Twin Towers exceed the official height of the Willis Tower by 10 m, but the Willis Tower has more floors and much higher square footage.

History

Designed by Argentine-American architect César Pelli, the Petronas Towers were completed in 1998 after a seven year build and became the tallest buildings in the world on the date of completion They were built on the site of Kuala Lumpur's race track.Because of the depth of the bedrock, the buildings were built on the world's deepest foundations. The 120-meter foundations were built within 12 months by Bachy Soletanche, and required massive amounts of concrete.

The 88-floor towers are constructed largely of reinforced concrete, with a steel and glass facade designed to resemble motifs found in Islamic art, a reflection of Malaysia's Muslim religion.[10] Another Islamic influence on the design is that the cross section of the towers is based on a Rub el Hizb (albeit with circular sectors added to meet office space requirements).

Due to a lack of steel and the huge cost of importing steel, the towers were constructed on a cheaper radical design of super high-strength reinforced concrete.[12] High-strength concrete is a material familiar to Asian contractors and twice as effective as steel in sway reduction; however, it makes the building twice as heavy on its foundation than a comparable steel building. Supported by 23-by-23 meter concrete cores[13] and an outer ring of widely spaced super columns, the towers use a sophisticated structural system that accommodates its slender profile and provides 560,000 square metres of column-free office space.[14] Below the twin towers is Suria KLCC, a shopping mall, and Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, the home of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.

Other buildings have used spires to increase their height but have always been taller overall to the pinnacle when trying to claim the title. In the aftermath of the controversy, the rules governing official titles were partially overhauled, and a number of buildings re-classified structural antenna as architectural details to boost their height rating (even though nothing was actually done to the building).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petronas_Twin_Towers
http://architecture.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/70087/

Big Ben Clock Tower London

Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, and is often extended to refer to the clock or the clock tower as well.Big Ben is the largest four-faced chiming clock and the third-tallest free-standing clock tower in the world.It celebrated its 150th anniversary in May 2009 (the clock itself first ticking on 31 May 1859), during which celebratory events took place.

The nearest London Underground station is Westminster on the Circle, District and Jubilee lines.

A clock tower was built at Westminster in 1288, with the fine-money of Ralph Hengham, Chief Justice of the King's Bench.

The present tower was raised as a part of Charles Barry's design for a new palace, after the old Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire on the night of 16 October 1834.

http://www.visitingdc.com/london/big-ben-picture.asp

The new Parliament was built in a Neo-gothic style. Although Barry was the chief architect of the Palace, he turned to Augustus Pugin for the design of the clock tower, which resembles earlier Pugin designs, including one for Scarisbrick Hall. The design for the Clock Tower was Pugin's last design before his final descent into madness and death, and Pugin himself wrote, at the time of Barry's last visit to him to collect the drawings: "I never worked so hard in my life for Mr Barry for tomorrow I render all the designs for finishing his bell tower & it is beautiful."The tower is designed in Pugin's celebrated Gothic Revival style, and is 96.3 metres (315.9 ft) high (roughly 16 stories).

The bottom 61 metres (200 ft) of the Clock Tower's structure consists of brickwork with sand coloured Anston limestone cladding. The remainder of the tower's height is a framed spire of cast iron. The tower is founded on a 15-metre (49 ft) square raft, made of 3-metre (9.8 ft) thick concrete, at a depth of 4 metres (13 ft) below ground level. The four clock faces are 55 metres (180 ft) above ground. The interior volume of the tower is 4,650 cubic metres (164,200 cubic feet).

Despite being one of the world's most famous tourist attractions, the interior of the tower is not open to the general public due to security concerns,although from time to time press and other VIPs are granted access. However, the tower has no elevator, so those escorted must climb the 334 limestone stairs to the top.

Because of changes in ground conditions since construction (notably tunnelling for the Jubilee Line extension), the tower leans slightly to the north-west, by roughly 220 millimetres (8.66 in) at the clock face, giving an inclination of approximately 1/250. Due to thermal effects it oscillates annually by a few millimetres east and west.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben

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Guilin China

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Guilin (Chinese: 桂林; pinyin: Guìlín) is a prefecture-level city in China, situated in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on the west bank of the Li River. Its name means "forest of Sweet Osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus trees located in the city. The city has long been renowned for its unique scenery.

History

In 314 BC, a small settlement was established along the banks of the Li River.

In 111 BC, during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Shi An County was established, which could be regarded as the beginning of the city.

In 507 AD, the town was renamed Guizhou.

Guilin prospered in the Tang and Song dynasties but remained a county. The city was also a nexus between the central government and the southwest border, and it was where regular armies were placed to guard that border. Canals were built through the city so that food supplies could be directly transported from the food-productive Yangtze plain to the farthest southwestern point of the empire.

In 1921, Guilin became one of the headquarters of the Northern Expeditionary Army led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen.

In 1940, the city acquired its present name.

In 1981, this ancient city was listed by the State Council as one of the four cities (the other three being Beijing, Hangzhou and Suzhou) where the protection of historical and cultural heritage, as well as natural scenery, should be treated as a priority project.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilin

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Guilin (Chinese: 桂林; pinyin: Guìlín) is a prefecture-level city in China, situated in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on the west ...
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Mont Saint Michel in France

Mont-Saint-Michel was used in the sixth and seventh centuries as an Armorican stronghold of Romano-Breton culture and power, until it was ransacked by the Franks, thus ending the trans-channel culture that had stood since the departure of the Romans in AD 460.
Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey, albumen print, ca. 1865-1895

Before the construction of the first monastic establishment in the 8th century, the island was called "monte tombe". According to legend, St. Michael the Archangel appeared to St. Aubert, bishop of Avranches, in 708 and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet. Aubert repeatedly ignored the angel's instruction, until St. Michael burned a hole in the bishop's skull with his finger.

The mount gained strategic significance in 933 when William "Long Sword", William I, Duke of Normandy, annexed the Cotentin Peninsula, definitively placing the mount in Normandy. It is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, which commemorates the 1066 Norman conquest of England. Ducal patronage financed the spectacular Norman architecture of the abbey in subsequent centuries.

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Mont Saint Michel in France

In 1067, the monastery of Mont-Saint-Michel gave its support to duke William of Normandy in his claim to the throne of England. It was rewarded with properties and grounds on the English side of the Channel, including a small island located at the west of Cornwall, which, modelled after the Mount, became a Norman priory named St Michael's Mount of Penzance.

During the Hundred Years' War the English made repeated assaults on the island but were unable to seize it due to the abbey's improved fortifications. Les Michelettes, two wrought-iron bombards left by the English in their failed 1423–24 siege of Mont-Saint-Michel, are still displayed near the outer defense wall.

When Louis XI of France founded the Order of Saint Michael in 1496 he intended that the abbey church of Mont Saint-Michel be the chapel for the order, but because of its great distance from Paris his intention could never be realized.
Some of the old buildings in the village

The wealth and influence of the abbey extended to many daughter foundations, including St Michael's Mount in Cornwall. However, its popularity and prestige as a centre of pilgrimage waned with the Reformation, and by the time of the French Revolution there were scarcely any monks in residence. The abbey was closed and converted into a prison, initially to hold clerical opponents of the republican régime. High-profile political prisoners followed, but by 1836 influential figures, including Victor Hugo, had launched a campaign to restore what was seen as a national architectural treasure. The prison was finally closed in 1863, and the mount was declared a historic monument in 1874. The Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979, as it was listed with criteria such as cultural, historical, and architectural significance, as well as human-created and natural beauty.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Saint-Michel

Mont-Saint-Michel, Normandy, France
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Le Mont-Saint-Michel (English: Saint Michael's Mount) is a rocky tidal island and a commune in Normandy, France. It is located approximately one kilometre ...
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Mount St. Michael
Le Mont-Saint-Michel, rocky, cone-shaped islet in northwestern France, in the Gulf of Saint-Malo, connected by a causeway with the mainland. ...
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Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
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Mont Saint Michel and Chartres: With an in ... - by Henry Adams, Ralph Adams Cram - 450 pages
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