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Architecture, as a solidified art, a history book of stone, brings together structure, modeling, sculpture, painting, etc., condensing the wisdom, sweat, ingenuity and dreams of architects and front-line builders. Since its completion, it has stood quietly, silently watching the changes of the times and the changes of the years.
Today, you may wish to follow the LP cloud to travel the world and pursue those monuments of the architectural world, some are timeless classics, some are tributes to history and tradition, and some are unexpected
#01 Pyramid of Gizakhov
Cairo | Egypt
©sculpies/shutterstock
Bigger is not necessarily better. But in 2570 BC, before Pharaoh Khufu built his own pyramid, apparently no one told him this sentence.
©Lonely Planet
The Pyramid of Khufu is the oldest pyramid in Giza and the largest in Egypt, with a height of 146 meters and was completed in 2570 BC. After nearly 4600 years of weathering, its height has been reduced by 9 meters.
©MusikAnimal, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
More than 2 million pieces of limestone make up the main body of the building, each weighing more than 2 tons, and they were lifted up to create a behemoth about 146.5 meters high – making it the world's tallest building record for 4,000 years.
©Gurgen Bakhshetyan/shutterstock
But don't worry about it being too big, feel the quality. Its design is super precise, each side is 230 meters long, and the error between them is only a few centimeters. Moreover, the ventilation shafts inside the pyramids are pointed to important stars, such as the North Star – which is truly amazing.
Tips
The Pyramids of Giza are open every day and two are usually open to the public. Arriving before 8:00 is most likely to buy a ticket.
#02 Hagia Sophia
Istanbul | Turkey
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No, it wasn't named in honor of a certain saint, Sophia, the breathtaking building was actually named after "extraordinary wisdom (Greek sophos).
Courtesy of Lonely Planet's Turkey guide
As the name suggests, this classical building, founded by the Byzantine king Justinian in 537, has a breathtaking charm, all thanks to the virtuosity of architects who dare to innovate. They figured out how to support a huge dome with a diameter of 30 meters with bucket arches and hidden pillars to make it look like it was floating in the air.
©Lonely Planet
For hundreds of years, it has been the greatest church in Christendom. Looking up at the magnificent suspended dome, it's hard to believe that this architectural marvel of exquisite frescoes has not single-handedly revived Rome. Glittering mosaics depict scenes and ancient figures from the Bible, including Empress Zoe, one of the three empresses of the Byzantine era.
©Lonely Planet
After the Ottoman Empire occupied Constantinople in 1453, it was turned into a mosque. In 2020, Turkish authorities once again converted Hagia Sophia, which had lost its religious function, into a mosque. The once golden mosaic icon is now obscured, but when a ray of sunlight hits the pillars inside the deep space, it's still a great place to experience a certain sacred atmosphere.
#03 Palau de la Musica Catalana
Spain
©Sopotnicki/Shutterstock
The pinnacle of Barcelona's modernist architecture, the concert hall is a symphony of tiles, bricks, inscribed stones and stained glass.
©CCat82/Shutterstock
The concert hall was built in 1905-1908 by Domènech i Montaner for the Orfeo Català Music Society. It is regarded as a holy site of the Catalan Renaissance.
©Isabel Talleda Guerrero/Getty Images
The element of flowers is heavily used in the Palace of Music, bringing a romantic and aesthetic feeling. The upside-down stained glass mosaic is impressive.
#04 Lalibela Church
Ethiopia
©Lonely Planet
Stone carvings were all the rage long ago — think of the Abu Simbel temple in Egypt, petra in Jordan, and the Ellora Caves in India. But the Lalibela Church in Ethiopia is extraordinary.
©Lonely Planet
The stone-hewn church is still bustling today, and you can come here on Timkat (Also known as Epiphany, January 19) to see the bustling pilgrims, chanters, and smoking cigarettes, as well as a glimpse of the Tabots plaques. At that time, thousands of workers (some of them from heaven according to local legend) began toiling from the 12th century, building 11 churches in Lalibela that stood on the ground.
Tips
Lalibela Church is open every day. To avoid getting caught in the carpet, don't forget to sprinkle flea powder on your socks.
#05 Suzhou Museum
Jiangsu
©superjoseph/GettyImages
Leaving aside the products, the Suzhou Museum, designed by the famous Chinese designer Mr. I.M. Pei, is an architectural masterpiece in itself - taking into account the color of the pink wall of Gusu City, and incorporating modern design elements such as logs, steel frames, and glass, and the flaky rockery and water features in the atrium complement the garden separated by a wall.
© Pillow poem/figure worm creativity
When wandering in the museum, you can also inadvertently discover the beauty of Suzhou gardens, hexagonal glass windows are stacked on top of each other; Sitting in the soft chair of the exhibition hall, looking out the window, you can see the green bamboo and the atrium garden. There are free lectures every day at 9:45, 13:30, 13:45 and 14:15, and some volunteers are even more detailed than the paid docents.
#06 Milo Bridge
France
©Yonel Sasson/eyeem_selected/Figureworm Creative
Concrete, 206,000 tons; Steel, 36,000 tons. It sounds like bragging. But, seriously, it's exciting: sir Norman Foster's Millau Viaduct is a paragon of mundane practicality and exquisite beauty.
©FraVal Imaging/shutterstock
It was a bridge that challenged the limits across the Gorges du Tarn in southern France, and engineers set record-breaking technical achievements: including its length of 2,460 meters, and the world's tallest tower, the tallest mast and the highest cross-sea bridge pavement. But what makes drivers and travelers stop for a look is that the viaduct, seemingly light and fragile, can handle such a busy traffic.
Tips
The toll starts at €6.08, but the entrance to the visitor center is open daily free of charge.
#07 Falkirk WaterWheel
Scotland | the United Kingdom
©Ingram/Figureworm Creative
Boats, which are on the surface of the water, are useless when going down the mountain. What if you want to use it to go up the mountain? It is estimated that it is a fantasy. But if you do have a small boat and want to use it to go uphill, such as the section between the Union Canal, which is 35 meters higher than it, via Scotland's Forth and Clyde Canal, you need a 1.5-kilometer series of locks, or a huge steel device, to spin a pair of huge baskets filled with water.
©Mike Beltzner, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
The basket on the Falkirk Wheel will carry your boat and take you up and down. It used 1,200 tons of steel, more than 15,000 screws, and a super crane that assembled the wheels together in 2001. Unique in the world!
Tips
The 1-hour on-board tour, including ascent and descent, runs daily and costs £8.95 for adults.
#08 Burj Khalifa
Dubai | uae
©Luciano Mortula - LGM/shutterstock
Well, this is really a guy who is all about big novels. As the tallest building in the world, it's not just big, it's very, very big! The Gulf state, where it is located, seems to be taking pleasure in construction projects, having built tree-like oversized artificial islands and the world's first seven-star hotel. In this case, the appearance of burj Dubai is by no means a "sneaky" surpass of its predecessor first, but a roar all the way to the highest peak.
©esherez/shutterstock
Once the world's tallest building, Taipei 101, is 509 meters tall, and the Burj Khalifa is more than 300 meters taller than it. Because it was so high, the temperature on the roof of the building was 6 degrees Celsius lower than the bottom of the building.
Tips
For a closer look, budget travellers can pre-book a suite at the Armani Hotel, which occupies 37 floors below the Burj Khalifa.
#09 Astyran
The Yucatan Peninsula | Mexico
©Thelmadatter, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
The stadium, the pyramids, the carved frescoes, the Maya ruins are fascinating. Yaxchilán (Yucatán) of the Yucatan Peninsula is the coolest of them all. Magically nestled in the jungle-packed rio Uumacinta river basin, it was a wealthy city at its peak (680-800) with unusual, intricately carved facades and roofs.
©Thelmadatter, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
But its controversial and most interesting landmark is gone: a suspension bridge with a center span of 63 meters, which has held the world's longest record for 700 years. The controversy is that the existence of the bridge was extrapolated in the mid-1990s based on archaeological research and computer simulations. But the idea itself has added another temptation to one of america's most fascinating ancient sites.
Tips
There is no road or rail access here, so renting a motorboat from Frontera Corozal takes about 45 minutes.
#10 Guggenheim Museum
Bilbao | Spain
©KseniaJoy/Adobe Stock/Figureworm Creative
Is this a ship? A flower? Or a fish? Frank O Gehry's shiny piece has a unique visual effect. Some call it deconstructivism, or to use the simple phrase of the last King Juan Carlos of Spain, it was "the greatest building of the 20th century."
©Manuel Ascanio/shutterstock
Either way, it's always stunning. With the help of a groundbreaking 3D computer design program, 60 tons of titanium are made into curved sheets just 0.5 mm thick, and specially reinforced glass shows a smooth bend around the limestone shell.
©Basotxerri, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Since opening in 1997, the Guggenheim Museum has hosted a series of dazzling art exhibitions, including works by Warhol, Rothko and Koons. It is the building itself that has given Bilbao a new lease of life.
Tips
The museum (www.guggenheim-bilbao.es) is open from Tuesday to Sunday throughout the year, as well as on Mondays in July and August.
En route
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