Badshahi, Lahore

                                                           Badshahi, Lahore



The Badshahi Mosque or the ‘Emperor’s Mosque’, in Lahore is the second largest mosque in Pakistan and South Asia and the fifth largest mosque in the world. Epitomizing the beauty, passion and grandeur of the Mughal era, it is Lahore’s most famous landmark and a major tourist attraction.

Capable of accommodating 10,000 worshipers in its main prayer hall and a further 100,000 in its courtyard and porticoes, it remained the largest mosque in the world from 1673 to 1986 (a period of 313 years), when overtaken in size by the completion of the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. Today, it remains the second largest mosque in Pakistan and South Asia and the fifth largest mosque in the world after the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) of Mecca, the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Prophet’s Mosque) in Medina, the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca and the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad.

Badshahi Mosque was damaged and misused during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh Ruler of the Punjab. The four domes on top of its four minarets were used by the Sikhs for cannon practice and destroyed. The Mosque was converted into a stable for the horses of Ranjit Singh’s army and also used as a gun powder magazine for military stores.

From 1852 onwards, piecemeal repairs were carried out under the supervision of the Badshahi Mosque Authority. Extensive repairs were carried out from 1939 to 1960 at a cost of about 4.8 million rupees, which brought the mosque to its original shape and condition. The blueprint for the repairs was prepared by the late architect Nawab Zen Yar Jang Bahadur.

On the occasion of the second Islamic Summit held at Lahore on February 22, 1974, thirty-nine heads of Muslim states offered their Friday prayers in the Badshahi Masjid, led by Mawlana Abdul Qadir Azad, the Khatib of the mosque.

A small museum is also attached to the mosque complex. It contains relics of the Prophet Muhammad, his cousin Ali, and his daughter, Fatimah.

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Taj Mehal

                                            Taj Mehal:



Height: 171 m

Opened: 1648

Address: Agra, UP 282001, India

Architectural style: Mughal architecture

Architect: Ustad Ahmad Lahouri

Function: Monument, Mausoleum


Taj Mahal simply means 'Crown Palace'.

 According to legend, Shah Jahan planned to build a mirror image black marble Taj Mahal on the other side of the river, but a war with his sons interrupted plans.

According to another legend, after the Taj Mahal was built, Shah Jahan ordered amputation of the hands of all the workers. Supposedly, he wanted to make sure that no person could recreate its magic.

The Taj Mahal may be tilting and sinking. "Dangerous tilts in its minarets, first noticed in 1942 and mentioned in various reports, have continued to increase over the years," Ram Nath, a former head of history at Rajasthan University, told the Hindustan Times. The drying up of the river Yamuna may well be to blame.

MtRushmore

                                                               MtRushmore


Mount Rushmore, also known as the Shrine of Democracy, is a National Monument and Memorial depicting four of the most prominent presidents of the first 150 years of the United States - George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson. Mount Rushmore was carved into South Dakota’s Black Hills from 1927 to 1941 under the direction of sculptor Gutzon Borglum. The project took a team of 400 drillers and assistant carvers fourteen years to complete. Over 800 million pounds of stone were removed using dynamite, detailed drilling, and finishing processes.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is visited by nearly three million people each year that come to marvel at the majestic beauty of the Black Hills of South Dakota and learn about the birth, growth, development and preservation of the country. From the history of the first inhabitants to the diversity of America today, Mount Rushmore brings visitors face to face with the rich heritage we all share.

Sculptor Gutzon Borglum began drilling into the 5,725-foot mountain in 1927. Creation of the Shrine of Democracy took 14 years and cost a mere $1 million, though it's now deemed priceless.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, located 23 miles southwest of Rapid City, is something you don't want to miss. It's the greatest Attraction in the US!

"Until the wind and the rain alone shall wear them away." Those are the famous words Sculptor Gutzon Borglum used to describe the length of time his most famous work, Mt. Rushmore, will endure.

The granite faces of four American presidents' is scaled to men who would stand 465 feet tall! President Calvin Coolidge believed Mount Rushmore was "decidedly American in its conception, magnitude and meaning. It is altogether worthy of our country," Coolidge proclaimed at the dedication of the project in 1927.

A $56 million redevelopment was completed in 1998 with the addition of a new parking structure, amphitheater, museum/theater complex, Visitor Orientation Center, Presidential Trail, gift shop, bookstore, and dining facilities.

Christ Redeemer Statue

                                 Christ  Redeemer  Statue


RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer), at an impressive 98 feet high and more than 2,326 feet above sea level, is one of Rio’s – and the world’s – greatest attractions. Standing next to the awesome Christ statue atop Rio’s Corcovado Mountain, gazing up at the monument and then out over Guanabara Bay is sure a thrill, but getting there can also be part of the adventure.

Once there, the price for adults is R$43, for children R$21.50 (children under six go for free), includes the round trip transportation and access to the Christ the Redeemer monument.

The statue was struck by lightning during a violent electrical storm on Sunday, February 10, 2008 and suffered some damage on the fingers, head and eyebrows.

On April 15, 2010 graffiti was sprayed on the statue's head and right arm. Mayor Eduardo Paes called the act "a crime against the nation" and vowed to jail the vandals, even offering a reward of R$ 10,000 for any information that might lead to an arrest.[13][14] The Military Police eventually identified house painter Paulo Souza dos Santos as the suspect of the act of vandalism.