PYRAMIDS OF GIZA
The “calling card” of Egypt is the pyramids. There are about a hundred pyramids in the country – large and small, stepped and with smooth sides, which have come down to us almost unchanged and poorly preserved. They are located along the left, western bank of the Nile in small groups, not far from the place where the capital was located in the era of the Old Kingdom countries – Memphis. The most famous of the pyramids are on the outskirts of Cairo, on the edge of the desert Giza plateau, hanging over the green Nile Valley. Here, in Giza, there are three great pyramids – Cheops, Khafre and Mikerin. At the foot of the Giza plateau are mortuary temples and the Great Sphinx.
VALLEY OF THE KINGS
Luxor is not without reason considered one of the most visited places in Egypt because it is next to it that the so-called Valley of the Kings passes – this is a valley on the western bank of the Nile, where in the period from the 16th to the 11th centuries. BC, e., built tombs for the burial of the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. On the territory of archaeological excavations, which began at the end of the 18th century, there are two valleys, Western and Eastern, where the most important tombs are concentrated.
This place, known as the “City of the Dead,” retains its mysterious status to this day despite the flow of tourists. The legend of the “curse of the pharaohs” is still alive after the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 brought several archaeologists to the grave. However, this legend only attracts tourists here even more strongly.
It is difficult to imagine what wealth the tombs of the pharaohs contained in ancient times since they were looted more than once, including, allegedly, by the guards of the “City of the Dead.” The most famous tomb in the Valley of the Kings is Tomb 320, discovered in 1871 by two ordinary Egyptians who quietly sold off the finds from there for some time. Subsequently, the Antiquities Service learned about the tomb, thanks to which the mummies of Ramesses I, Ramesses II, Thutmes III and Set I were delivered to the Cairo Museum. In total, approximately 50 tombs were discovered in the Valley of the Kings, and archaeological excavations in this area do not stop. Also, however, the flow of tourists does not stop.
BATHS OF ANTONIA
The Baths of Antony in Carthage are the ruins of the largest Roman baths outside the Roman Empire. These baths were built at the end of the Punic Wars on the site of the ruins of an ancient city. They were named after Emperor Antonius Pius. Green gardens once surrounded this large architectural ensemble with high columns. It included huge swimming pools, gymnastics rooms and recreation rooms. The baths were destroyed by barbarians in 439, and only the remains of the foundations have survived to this day.
SIGIRIYA PALACE
In the centre of the island of Sri Lanka is one of the main attractions of the country – the picturesque Mount Sigiriya. It is one of the sites protected by UNESCO. Here, at an altitude of 200 m, there are the ruins of an ancient fortress city of the 5th century, built by King Kasapa. A long staircase carved into the rock leads to the top, at a height of 370 meters, through the paws of a giant lion. In the old days, the staircase was hidden in the lion’s mouth, which has not survived to this day. The foot of the rock itself called the Lion’s Rock, is surrounded by a protective moat, ramparts and famous gardens with ponds. The main attraction of the palace is the gallery of frescoes depicting beautiful women. Unfortunately, out of 500 ancient frescoes, only 17 have survived, but they also make a strong impression with the brightness of natural colours. The giant royal throne is also well preserved.
AMPHITHEATER IN EL JEM
The theatre in El Jem is located 42 kilometres from Mahdia and is a significant historical monument. It was built in the 3rd century and could simultaneously accommodate up to 30 thousand spectators. Only three floors of arcades have survived to this day; the stairs and benches have been reconstructed. There are rooms and underground passages under the arena. Today, the theatre hosts festivals and symphonic and jazz music concerts.
TERRACOTTA ARMY
The Terracotta Army is an archaeological site that is a graveyard of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the complex of which, in addition to the mausoleum of the most ancient ruler of China, also includes more than 8 thousand life-size clay sculptures of warriors and horses. The complex is located in the northwestern Chinese province of Shaanxi, near the city of Xi’an.
The unifier of China, the emperor who united all the fragments of the Great Wall of China, Qin Shi Huang, was buried in this place in 210 – 209 BC. He built his mausoleum in 246 BC – the year of his accession to the throne.
The construction of the tomb lasted 38 years; the length of the outer wall of the finished structure was 6 km. In China of that era, there was a tradition according to which all the king’s concubines and his army should be buried alive along with the deceased emperor. In this case, the army was replaced by clay figures, but 48 concubines and 70 workers who created the mausoleum were buried alive along with their families.
The statues were discovered under a layer of soil by a local farmer who was drilling a well in March 1974. Archaeologists arrived in the province and began excavations that took place in three stages: in 1978-1984, in 1985-1986, and the stage that began in 2009 continues to this day.
The clay army, standing in the form of a battle column, is made very carefully: no face repeats another, and the clothes, weapons and uniforms of the statues also correspond to the rank and position in the army. Moreover, the statues have almost the same height – about 190 cm. The statues were created by ancient Chinese potters from clay, fired in a kiln and painted with mineral paints. The weight of the warrior statues is 135 kg, the horse statues – 200 kg.
In 1987, the site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
GAZI MUSTAFA FORTRESS
The Gazi Mustafa Fortress is the most monumental landmark of Djerba, located on the barrier of the island’s capital, the city of Houmt Souk. Its long and glorious military history dates back to the 9th century when the Arab conquerors of North Africa erected a fortified citadel on the coast – the ribat – to protect against pirates. However, this did not always help cope with pirates: in the 16th century, the great and terrible Dragut Reis literally massacred the local Spanish garrison and built an ominous pyramid of severed heads, which already existed in the form of skulls until – incredibly! – mid-19th century. Built from coastal sandstone, the fortress is exceptionally beautiful in the rays of the rising or setting sun – it seems to radiate a soft light. And from its walls, there is a magnificent view of the serene Mediterranean Sea.
EL BADI PALACE
In the Medina (the old part of the city), behind a huge wall, there is the El Badi Palace, created in 1578-1603, an incomparable example of Maghreb architecture, a “miracle of miracles”, a model of architectural balance, extolled by poets in the past. He was fabulously handsome; it’s not for nothing that his name translates as “incomparable.” It was erected for one of the representatives of the Saadian dynasty, Sultan Ahmad al Mansur, who was madly in love with luxury, for which he was nicknamed “Golden”. The palace became a symbol of ruler Ahmad al Mansur’s victory over the Portuguese army in a battle known as the Battle of the Three Kings.
But, alas, the history of the palace was not so long and happy. In 1683, Sultan Moulay Ismail from the Alawite dynasty, having moved the capital to Maknes, decided to build a new palace for himself and ordered the “Incomparable” to be dismantled. For almost a decade, El Badi was systematically plundered, destroyed and destroyed. All his treasures and finishing materials were taken to the Alawite palace.
And today, the El Badi Palace is the ruins of a once luxurious, rich palace, a shadow of its former splendour, an empty shell. Only the impressive walls remind me of its splendour. The yard was overgrown with grass, and on the site of a huge swimming pool, orange trees grew, where storks built their nests.
