Building Sights
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Old Town
If you're short on time head straight to the old town. It's here that Quito distinguishes itself from all other cities in the world. Be certain to see the Plaza and Monastery of San Francisco, the Plaza de la Independencia (Plaza Grande), La Compañía de Jesús and the Museo de Arte Colonial.
With its narrow streets, restored colonial architecture and lively plazas, Quito's Centro Histórico (aka the old town) is a marvel to wander. Built centuries ago by indigenous artisans and laborers, Quito's churches, convents, chapels and monasteries are cast in legend and steeped in history. It's a bustling area, full of yelling street vendors, ambling pedestrians, tooting taxis,…
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Dargah of Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti
Situated at the foot of a hill and in the old part of town is the dargah of Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti, India's most important Muslim pilgrimage site. This is the tomb of a Sufi saint Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti, who came to Ajmer from Persia in 1192 and died here in 1236. The tomb gained its significance during the time of the Mughals - many emperors added to the buildings here. Construction of the shrine was completed by Humayun, and the gate was added by the nizam (ruler of Hyderabad).
Akbar used to make the pilgrimage to the dargah from Agra every year. You have to cover your head in certain parts of the shrine, so remember to take a scarf or cap, although there are…
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Gare Montparnasse
Brittany and places en route from Paris (eg Chartres, Angers, Nantes); TGV Atlantique Ouest and TGV Atlantique Sud-Ouest trains to Tours, Nantes, Bordeaux and other destinations in southwestern France.
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Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil
Approximately 2km northeast of the centre, the Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil is the most impressive religious building in Jaffna and one of the most significant Hindu temple complexes in Sri Lanka. Its sacred deity, Murugan (or Skanda), is central to temple activity, especially during the punctual, cacophonic pujas (5am, 10am, noon, 4pm and 5pm), when offerings are made to his brass-framed image and other Hindu deities like Ganesh, Murugan’s elephant-headed brother, in shrines surrounding the inner sanctum.
The kovil’s 15th-century structure fell victim to Portuguese destructive ruthlessness in the 17th century; the current one dates from 1734. Its beautifully maintained…
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Kasthamandap
Kathmandu owes its very name to the Kasthamandap, in the southwestern corner of the square. Although its history is uncertain, local tradition says the three-roofed building was constructed around the 12th century from the wood of a single sal tree. At first it served as a community centre where visitors gathered before major ceremonies - a mandap is a 16-pillared pilgrim shelter.
Later it was converted to a temple dedicated to Gorakhnath, a 13th-century ascetic who was subsequently linked to the royal family.
The last disciples were kicked out in the 1960s.
A central wooden enclosure houses the image of the god, which is noteworthy since Gorakhnath is generally…
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North Berkeley
Just north of campus is a neighborhood filled with lovely homes, parks and some of the best restaurants in California. The popular Gourmet Ghetto stretches along Shattuck Ave north of University Ave for several blocks, anchored by Chez Panisse. Northwest of here, Solano Ave, which crosses from Berkeley into Albany, is lined with lots of funky shops, more good restaurants and a couple of movie theaters.
North Berkeley, heading up into the hills, is also chock-full of magnificent homes. You can see many examples of Bernard Maybeck's superb architecture, including 1515 La Loma Ave and at 2704, 2711, 2733, 2751, 2754 and 2780 Buena Vista Way. Wander these and other streets to…
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Banya Bashi Mosque
Sofia's only working mosque was built in 1576 by the celebrated Ottoman architect Kodja Mimar Sinan, who also designed the Selim II Mosque in Edirne, Turkey. It's certainly an eye-catching edifice and the red brick minaret makes a convenient landmark. At the rear of the building is a small, recently excavated section of the bathhouse that once joined onto the mosque and a hot-water drinking fountain. Visitors are welcome outside prayer times if modestly dressed.
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Temple Of The Five Immortals
Not far from the mosque is the Taoist Temple Of The Five Immortals . It dates back to 1377 and is named after the mythical founders of Guǎngzhōu. A statue of the immortal five depicts three men and two women riding their legendary rams through the clouds. The temple includes a main hall, built in typical Ming fashion. To the east of the hall is a small pond with a foot-shaped depression, said to be the footprint of one of the immortals.
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St Nicholas' Cathedral
The black-spired Orthodox Church of St Nicholas' Cathedral was first built in wood in 1392 and replaced by a Gothic stone church in 1495 by the Wallachian prince Neagoe Basarab (r 1512-21), later embellished in Byzantine style. In 1739 the church was enlarged and its interior heavily redecorated. Inside are murals of Romania's last king and queen, covered by plaster to protect them from communist leaders and uncovered in 2004.
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Sri Chamundeswari Temple
At a lofty height of 1062m, on the summit of Chamundi Hill, stands the Sri Chamundeswari Temple, dominated by a towering 40m-high gopuram (entrance gateway). It’s a fine half-day excursion, offering spectacular views of the city below; you can take bus 201 (Rs10, 30 minutes) that rumbles up the narrow road to the summit. A return autorickshaw trip will cost about Rs250.
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Buildings
North Berkeley, heading up into the hills, is also chock-full of magnificent homes. You can see many examples of Bernard Maybeck's superb architecture, including 1515 La Loma Ave and at 2704, 2711, 2733, 2751, 2754 and 2780 Buena Vista Way. Wander these and other streets to examine the elaborate gardens and Asian-influenced front gates that are a feature of this neighborhood.
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Gran Casino Murcia
Murcia's resplendent casino first opened as a gentlemen's club in 1847. Beyond the decorative facade, completed in 1901, are an Arab-style vestibule and a patio. Penetrate as far as the magnificent ballroom and pop €1.00 in the slot for the 320 lamps of its candelabra to shimmer with light as Strauss's Radetsky March wafts from all corners.
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Sveti Sava
Started in 1935 and interrupted by Hitler, communism and lack of cash, Sveti Sava is billed as the biggest Orthodox church in the world. The church lies on the reputed site where the Turks burnt the relics of St Sava, the youngest son of a 12th-century ruler and founder of the independent Serbian Orthodox church.
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Tran Quoc Pagoda
On the eastern shore of West Lake, this is one of the oldest pagodas in Vietnam. The current structures are very impressive and date back to 1842. The pagoda is just off the road that divides West Lake and Truc Bach Lake.
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High Plains Western Heritage Center
The church-like building overlooking the interstate east of downtown Spearfish is the High Plains Western Heritage Center. Displays are a tad scattershot, but include many on cowboys and a big barbed wire collection.
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Centro
Rio's bustling commercial district, Centro is a blend of high-rise office buildings with remnants of its grand past still present in looming baroque churches, wide plazas and cobblestone streets.
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I Magnin Building
Downtown Oakland has plenty of buildings adorned with art nouveau or art deco details; the stellar I Magnin Building is an art deco beaut, gracefully clad in green terra cotta tiling.
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Cathedral Building
North of the center, where Telegraph Ave angles off Broadway, stands the 1913 flatiron Cathedral Building .
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Mamluk Buildings
Overshadowed by the splendours of the Haram ash-Sharif/Temple Mount, and clustered outside its northern and western walls, stand excellent examples from the golden age of Islamic architecture: Palace of the Lady Tunshuq (1388), Tomb of the Lady Tunshuq (1398), Ribat Bayram Jawish (1540), Tariq Bab al-Hadad St (1358 to 1440), Souq al-Qattanin, Sabil Suleyman and the Tomb of Turkan Khatun (1352).
This area was developed during the era of the Mamluks (1250-1517), a military dynasty of former slaves ruling out of Egypt. They drove the Crusaders out of Palestine and Syria and followed this up with an equally impressive campaign of construction, consolidating Islam's presence…
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University of Hawai'i at Manoa
Born too late to take advantage of the tweedy academic architecture of the mainland, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, the central campus of the statewide university system, is a modern complex filled with shade trees and well-bronzed students. UH has strong programs in astronomy, second-language studies, geophysics, marine sciences, and Hawaiian and Pacific studies. The campus attracts students from islands throughout the Pacific.
Staff at the Ticket Information & ID Center provide campus maps and can answer general questions about the university. Free one-hour walking tours of the campus, emphasizing history and architecture, leave from the Campus Center at 14:00 on…
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Seto Machhendranath Temple
Southwest of Asan Tole, this important temple attracts both Buddhists and Hindus - Buddhists consider Seto (White) Machhendranath to be a form of Avalokiteshvara, while to Hindus he is a rain-bringing incarnation of Shiva. The temple's age is not known but it was restored during the 17th century. The arched entrance to the temple is marked by a small Buddha figure on a high stone pillar in front of two metal lions.
In the courtyard there are numerous small shrines, chaityas and statues, including a mysteriously European-looking female figure surrounded by candles who faces the temple. It may well have been an import from Europe that has simply been accepted into the…
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Cathedral Church of St Deiniol
Also called the Cathedral Church of St Deiniol, the cathedral - surprisingly squat, partly due to lack of cash for a central spire - occupies one of the oldest ecclesiastical sites in Britain. Dedicated to St Deiniol, who founded a cell here in AD 525 and who was consecrated as bishop in AD 546, the cathedral's earliest traces are of a 12th-century stone building, while some of what you see today is based on reconstruction work in the late 13th century.
Responsibility for damage can be blamed on King John, whose men also burned the city, seized the bishop and ransomed him for 200 falcons. Further ravages took place at the turn of the 15th century, during the Glyndŵr…
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University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, by the river southeast of Minneapolis' center, is one of the USA's largest campuses, with over 50,000 students. Most of the campus is in the East Bank neighborhood. A uni highlight is the Weisman Art Museum (www.weisman.umn.edu; 333 E River Rd), which occupies a swooping silver structure by architect Frank Gehry. Works inside include early 20th-century American paintings. Dinkytown, based at 14th Ave SE and 4th St SE, is dense with student cafés and bookshops.
The University of Minnesota at Minneapolis, straddling both banks of the Mississippi River, is one of the USA's largest campuses with over 55,000 students. The university was founded in…
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Ichon-Qala
The main entrance to the Ichon-Qala is the twin-turreted brick West Gate (Ota-Darvoza, literally 'Father Gate'), a 1970s reconstruction - the original was wrecked in 1920. The two-day ticket gives you access to all the sights and museums in the Ichon-Qala besides the Islom-Hoja Minaret, the Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum and the Akshaikh Baba Complex in Kuhna Ark. One highlight for which you do not need a ticket is the walk along the northwestern section of the wall, best at sunrise or sunset. The stairs are at the North Gate. The 2.5km-long mud walls date from the 18th century, rebuilt after being destroyed by the Persians.
Despite what the guards at the West Gate say, you…
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Heilig-Bloedbasiliek
The Heilig-Bloedbasiliek takes its name from the relic of Christ's blood brought here after the Crusades, sometime between 1150 and 1200. The church has two distinct and highly contrasting sections: the sombre 12th-century lower chapel, built along pure Romanesque lines and almost devoid of decoration, and the much-renovated and lavishly embellished upper chapel, accessed by wide stairs near the lower chapel's entrance.
In the upper chapel is the silver tabernacle containing the phial that holds a few drops of the holy blood. This relic is still venerated in one-hour services at 10:00 and 15:00 every Friday. On Ascension Day it is paraded through the city in Bruges'…
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