Monument Sights
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Bent Pyramid
Experimenting with ways to create a true, smooth-sided pyramid, Sneferu's architects began with the same steep angle and inward-leaning courses of stone they used to create step pyramids. When this began to show signs of stress and instability around halfway up its eventual 105m height, they had little choice but to reduce the angle from 54 degrees to 43 degrees and begin to lay the stones in horizontal layers. This explains why the structure has the unusual shape that gives it its name.
Most of its outer casing is still intact, and inside (closed to visitors) are two burial chambers, the highest of which retains its original ancient scaffolding of great cedar beams to…
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Gunung Kawi
In the bottom of this lush green valley is one of Bali's oldest and largest ancient monuments. Gunung Kawi consists of 10 rock-cut candi (shrines): memorials cut out of the rock face in imitation of actual statues. They stand in 7m/23ft-high sheltered niches cut into the sheer cliff face.
A solitary candi (memorial) stands about a kilometre further down the valley to the south; this is reached by a trek through the rice paddies on the western side of the river.
Each candi is believed to be a memorial to a member of the 11th-century Balinese royalty, but little is known for certain. Legends relate that the whole group of memorials was carved out of the rock face in one…
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Freedom Monument
Over the canal from Līvu Laukums you'll find the Freedom Monument. During the Soviet years the Freedom Monument was off-limits, and placing flowers at its base was a crime for which people were deported to Siberia.
Topped by a bronze female Liberty holding up three stars facing west, representing three regions of Latvia - Kurzeme, Vidzeme and Latgale - it bears the inscription Tēvzemei un Brīvībai (For Fatherland and Freedom).
During the Soviet years the Freedom Monument was off-limits, and a statue of Lenin, facing the other way down Brīvības iela, was placed two blocks east. Lenin was removed on the night of 20 August 1991, after the collapse of the Moscow coup…
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Buddhas
Along the western side of the cloister is a pile of Buddhas that were damaged during the 1828 Siamese-Lao war. And in the sǐm (ordination hall) a slightly damaged Khmer-style Naga Buddha - which depicts the Buddha seated on a coiled cobra deity (naga), sheltered by the naga's multiheaded hood - is also on display just in front of the main seated Buddha; it is believed to date from the 13th century and was brought from a nearby Khmer site.
The sǐm is surrounded by a colonnaded terrace in the Bangkok style and topped by a five-tiered roof. The interior walls bear hundreds of Buddha niches similar to those in the cloister, as well as beautiful - but decaying - Jataka…
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Borisova Gradina
Sofia's most attractive expanse of greenery is home to the Vasil Levski Stadium, CSKA Stadium and Maria Luisa Pool, as well as bike tracks and tennis courts. It's laid out with countless statues and flowerbeds, and is a relaxing place to take a leisurely stroll on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
The eastern end of the park is dominated by a gigantic communist monument built in 1956 and known as the Mound of Brotherhood, featuring a 42m-high obelisk and socialist-realist icons including a pair of partisan fighters, dramatically gesturing comrades clutching Kalashnikovs, and smiling, stoic workers. It has long been neglected by the authorities, and several of the socialist heroes…
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Red Pyramid
The world's oldest true pyramid is the North Pyramid, which is better known as the Red Pyramid. It derives its name either from the red tones of its weathered limestone, after the better-quality white limestone casing was removed, or perhaps from the red graffiti and construction marks scribbled on its masonry in ancient times.
Having learnt from their experiences building the Bent Pyramid, the same architects carried on where they had left off, building the Red Pyramid at the same 43-degree angle as the Bent Pyramid's more gently inclining upper section. The entrance - via 125 extremely steep stone steps and a 63m-long passage - takes you down to two antechambers with…
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Borobudur
Looming out of a patchwork of bottle-green paddies and swaying palm tops, this colossal Buddhist relic is one of southeast Asia's marvels. It has survived Gunung Merapi's ash flows, terrorist bombs and the wear and tear of a million pairs of tourist flipflops to remain as enigmatic and beautiful as it must have been 1200 years ago.
Borobudur is built from two million block stones in the form of a massive symmetrical stupa, literally wrapped around a small hill. It stands solidly on its 118m x 118m (387ft x 387ft) base. Six square terraces are topped by three circular ones, with four stairways leading up through finely carved gateways to the top. The paintwork is long…
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Bocca della Verità
A round piece of marble once used as an ancient manhole cover, the Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth) is one of Rome's great curiosities. Legend holds that if you put your hand in the carved mouth and tell a lie, it will bite your hand off.
The mouth lives in the portico of the beautiful, medieval Chiesa di Santa Maria in Cosmedin. Originally built in the 8th century, the church was given a major revamp in the 12th century, when the seven-storey bell tower and portico were added and the floor was decorated with Cosmati inlaid marble. Opposite the church are two small Roman temples: the round Tempio di Ercole Vincitore and the Tempio di Portunus. Just off the piazza, the
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Children's Peace Monument
Just north of the road crossing through the Peace Memorial Park is, for many, the most poignant memorial in the park - the Children's Peace Monument, inspired by leukaemia victim Sadako Sasaki. When Sadako developed leukaemia at 10 years of age she decided to fold 1000 paper cranes - an ancient Japanese custom through which it is believed that a person's wishes will come true.
The crane is the symbol of longevity and happiness in Japan and she was convinced that if she could achieve that target she would recover. She died before reaching her goal, but her classmates folded the rest. The story inspired a nationwide bout of paper-crane folding, which continues to this day.
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Site of Pushkin’s Duel
This is a point of literary pilgrimage for those who mourn the loss of Russia’s poetic genius, Alexander Pushkin, who was senselessly killed in a duel with the Frenchman Georges d’Anthès on 8 February 1837. The story has developed a certain mythology around it in the past two centuries. A marble monument now stands on the place where Pushkin was shot and there are always fresh flowers here. From the metro station at Chyornaya Rechka, walk down Torzhkovskaya ul and turn left at the first light on Novosibirskaya ul. Walk straight to the end of the road, cross the train tracks and enter the park. The monument is across the park to the left.
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White Tower
The history of Thessaloniki's most famous landmark, the pacific White Tower , is actually bathed in blood. In 1826, Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II ordered here the massacre of janissaries (elite troops made up of forcibly Islamicised Christian boys) deemed disloyal. After Greeks captured the city in 1913, the 'bloody tower' was whitewashed to expunge the dark memories.
The whitewash has long been removed, though the name stuck. At time of writing, the tower's small Byzantine Museum was about to get a new permanent exhibit; it's up a wide circular stairway, where stands a small café offering impressive views of the city and sea.
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Patuxai
Reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the Patuxai is Vientiane’s most prominent monument. The name is approximately equivalent to Arch ( pátųu, also translated as ‘door’ or ‘gate’) of Triumph ( xái, from the Sanskrit jaya or ‘victory’), but unlike its Parisian namesake the Patuxai boasts four, rather than two, archways. It was built in the 1960s with US-purchased cement that was supposed to have been used for the construction of a new airport. Hence it’s sometimes called ‘the vertical runway’.
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That Dam
Sitting at the centre of a quiet roundabout near the centre of Vientiane, legend has it that the stupa now known as That Dam was once coated in a layer of gold. The gold is said to have been carted off by the Siamese during their pillaging of 1828, after which the stupa took the ‘black’ sobriquet in memory of the dastardly act. However, another myth is slightly at odds with this. It says That Dam is the abode of a dormant seven-headed dragon that came to life during the 1828 Siamese–Lao war and protected local citizens, though apparently not the stupa’s gold…
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Ellipse
That elliptical road that circles the expansive park on the south side of the White House? It’s imaginatively known as the Ellipse. The park is studded with a random collection of monuments, such as the Zero Milestone (the marker for highway distances all across the country) and the Second Division Memorial. But the more important function of the Ellipse is hosting sporting events, parades and festivals – from lighting the national Christmas tree, to military drill performances to Lance Armstrong’s final ride.
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Mother Armenia
Symbolism abounds in the huge statue of Mother Armenia. She looms over the city in line with Mesrop Mashtots Poghota, on a classic Soviet plaza complete with tanks and jets set on pedestals at the eastern end of Haghtanak (Victory) Park. The 23m-high Mother Armenia glares out across the city towards the Turkish border with a massive sword held defensively in front of her. She replaced a Stalin statue in 1967.
Two soldiers died when his statue was wrenched off unannounced one night, leading to grim muttering about Stalin still killing from beyond the grave.
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Tjörnin
Tjörnin is the placid lake at the centre of the city. It echoes with the honks, squawks and screeches of over 40 species of visiting birds, including swans, geese and artic terns; feeding the ducks is a popular pastime for the under fives. Pretty sculpture-dotted parks line the southern shores, and their lacing paths are much used by cyclists and joggers. In winter, hardy souls strap on ice skates and turn the lake into an outdoor rink.
For a self-guided art tour round Tjörnin, buy the brochure 'The City Statues' (around Ikr200) from the tourist office.
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Gandhi's Shrine
Near the source of the Nile plaque is a small memorial garden commemorating Mahatma Gandhi, the centrepiece of which is a bronze bust donated by the Indian Government. This area is becoming quite a pilgrimage site for Ugandan Indians, as this is one of the places where Gandhi's ashes were scattered. (It seems that on Gandhi's death in 1948, his ashes were divided up and sent to many locations around the world to be scattered - and some ended up in the Nile River in Uganda.)
So Gandhi was rafting the Nile long before the Adrift team came to town.
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Holy Trinity Column
The town's pride and joy is this 35m-high (115ft) baroque sculpture that dominates the square and is a popular meeting spot for local residents. The trinity column was built between 1716 and 1754 and is allegedly the biggest single baroque sculpture in Central Europe. In 2000, the column was awarded an inscription on Unesco's World Heritage list.
The individual statues depict a bewildering array of Catholic religious motifs, including the Holy Trinity, the twelve apostles, the assumption of Mary, and some of the best-known saints. There's a small chapel at the base of the column that’s sometimes open during the day for you to poke your nose in.
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Cellular Jail National Memorial
A former British prison that is now a shrine to the political dissidents it once jailed, Cellular Jail National Memorial is worth visiting to understand the important space the Andamans occupy in India’s national memory. Built over a period of 18 years in 1890, the original seven wings contained 698 cells radiating from a central tower. Like many political prisons, Cellular Jail became something of a university for freedom fighters, who exchanged books, ideas and debates despite walls and wardens.
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Victory Monument
This obelisk monument was built by the then military government in 1941 to commemorate a 1940 campaign against the French in Laos. Today the monument is primarily a landmark for observing the social universe of local university students and countless commuters. It’s worth exploring the neighbourhood around Victory Monument, which is reminiscent of provincial Thai towns, if not exactly hicksville. It's also something of a transport hub, with minivans to Ko Samet, Kanchanaburi and Ayuthaya stopping here, and there's a useful BTS stop.
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Sohano Island
You can also take a boat ride to explore the idyllic islands near the southern mouth of the passage and beyond. Good swimming spots are on these islands. The most easily accessible is Sohano Island, a few minutes by boat from Buka. It was the provincial capital from WWII until 1960. It's a beautiful place with lawns and gardens, a Japanese monument, and war relics, steep craggy cliffs and panoramic views over town, the passage and Bougainville Island. There are some colonial-period buildings.
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11 March 2004 Memorial
In the modern northeastern corner of the Antigua Estación de Atocha, the 11 March 2004 Memorial is a moving monument to the victims of the 2004 terrorist attack at the station. Although partially visible from the Paseo de la Infanta Isabel, the memorial is best viewed from below. A glass panel shows the names of those killed, while the glass-and-perspex dome is inscribed with messages of condolence and solidarity left by well-wishers in a number of languages in the immediate aftermath of the attack. The 12m-high dome is designed so that the sun highlights different messages at different times of the day, while the effect at night is akin to flickering candles. It's…
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Monumento Nacional a La Bandera
Manuel Belgrano, who designed the Argentine flag, rests in a crypt beneath the colossal 78m-high Monumento Nacional a La Bandera, a chillingly nationalistic construction in pitiless stone. The monument’s redeeming attributes are its location near the Paraná waterfront, with stirring views of the river and its islands from the tower, accessed by elevator (no disabled access). The museum contains the original flag embroidered by Catalina de Vidal.
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Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park
Kealakekua Bay is one of the Big Island's (and the state's) premier snorkelling spots. In the pristine waters, a spectacular diversity of marine life thrives. The bay is both a state park and a marine-life conservation district. Among the protected species here are spinner dolphins that frequently swim into the bay.
In nearby Ka'awaloa Cove you can find the Captain Cook Monument which marks the spot where the explorer died during a skirmish in 1779.
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Quattro Canti
The busy intersection of Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Maqueda marks the Quattro Canti, the centre of the oldest part of town, neatly dividing the historic nucleus into four manageable sectors.
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