The magnificent Shalimar Gardens were built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in 1641 A.D. in the style of the Persian gardens. An important feature of this style of enclosed garden is water; the Shalimar Gardens have a total of 410 fountains in marble pools spread across the three descending terraces. The ingenious Mughal engineers […]
Samarra, which is located on the banks of the Tigris River, is one of the four Islamic Holy Cities of Iraq. Once the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, which stretched from Tunisia to Central Asia, the ancient city of Samarra has maintained its original city plan and contains traces of remarkably preserved architecture. The Great […]
Zabid, the capital of Yemen from the 13th to 15th centuries, was known for the University of Zabid, a center of Islamic learning. As one of the oldest cities in Yemen, it is an interesting archaeological site with many historic buildings still intact. However, Zabid has been placed on the list of world heritage sites […]
The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago of 19 volcanic islands situated 1,000 km off the coast of Ecuador. The youngest of these islands are still being formed by volcanic eruptions. The incredible ecological variety of the island and the unique adaptations of its animal species inspired Charles Darwin to propose his theory of evolution by […]
The ancient citadel of Bam in the Kernan Province of Iran was listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List as well as the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2004. Bam’s history dates back to the Achaemenid Empire from the 6th to 4th centuries BCE, though many of the city’s remaining structures were constructed during […]
