Our beautiful world – Asia

There are a lot of beautiful places. Nature and humans have created a fantastic landscape. In this article, we’ll take a look at some examples of this from Asia. These are ten of the most special places on the continent.

1. Shiraz | Iran

Iran may not be the most popular place to travel but the country has many beautiful places. The country has had a bad reputation since 1979. It has been called a dangerous place where women are badly treated and nice places are only dust.

NB! Several governments, including those of Norway, Canada, the UK and the US, advise their citizens to avoid all travel to Iran.

There are many very old landmarks in Iran and especially in Shiraz. One of them is the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque. Here you find painted rainbow glass windows which shine really brightly. It is almost like you are standing in a jewelry box. The mosque was built in the late 1800s and the decorations are very luxurious.

The burial chamber of Shah Chéragh lies close to here. This was built in the 12th century. Inside, you find a green chamber filled with tiny mirrors that spark in the light. It is one of the most fascinating experiences in the Islamic world.

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2. Pamukkale | Türkiye

Of the 1000 World Heritage Sites, only 38 are both natural and cultural wonders. Pamukkale is one of them – limestone ponds that flow into a village.

Pamukkale is located in Western Türkiye. Calcium water was pumped to the surface and then the water pouring down vanishes and white “steps” of limestones were created. This created terraces through the valley and got the name Pamukkale. It looks like a fairytale.

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3. Burj Khalifa | Dubai

For many years it has been discussed what the tallest building in the world is. Is it the World Trade Centre, the tallest building, or is it the Sears Tower, with the world’s highest floor in use? And what exactly is a building? In 2010 one building that smashed all kinds of records was finished. This was the Burj Khalifa in Dubai which has offices, apartments, swimming pools, a restaurant and nine world records.

Burj Khalifa is 828 meters high, more than twice the height of Taipei 101, which used to be the tallest building. It was shaped the way it is to lower the impact of the wind almost a kilometer up in the air.

Watch these crazy people skydive from the Burj Khalifa:

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4. Petra | Jordan

Petra is one of the old cities that can really surprise you. It lies on the mountainside of the mountain Jebel al-Madhbah. This is a magical city of rose-coloured stone and wonderful things to see. The way Petra was built is also very interesting.

People came to live in Petra 11,000 years ago. But its real development started when Arab nomads moved there in 400 BC. They became rich in trade with different goods from Yemen, like Chinese silk, Indian spices and cotton. They created a beautiful city with beautiful buildings and gardens.

There are a lot of burial chambers by the southern cliffs. Petra has more than 400 burial chambers in rows on a large area.

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5. Ha Long bay | Vietnam

The Vietnamese people believe that the islands of Ha Long Bay were made by God. It is not difficult to understand why. It is beautiful, with large sculptures that rise from the turquoise water. Suddenly, the sky opens, the sun breaks through, and for a moment, it feels like you are looking into creation itself.

Legend has it that the Vietnamese were troubled by attacks by the sea from the north. The gods were so tired of this pain that Mother Dragon was sent to help with her children. In the battle, the enemy set fire to the dragons. They spit out jewels that later changed into the limestone landscape that we now see along the coast.

More than 200,000 people live in the Ha Long area, and 1,000 of them live on the waters of Ha Long Bay. The 4,000 houseboats are spread over three houseboats towns.

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6. Taj Mahal | India

The architecture of the Taj Mahal is wonderful. But it hides a love story behind it. Legend says that all the workers who built it were killed or badly injured when it was finished, so that nothing like it could be built again. There is no evidence for this, but it is still an exciting story.

Taj Mahal has more than seven million visitors a year. It is one of the seven wonders of the world and a part of the World Heritage. It took 22 years and 20,000 workers to finish the Taj Mahal. Rumors say that they used 1,000 elephants to transport the building material. It is truly a wonderful sight.

The story behind the Taj Mahal is that the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan’s wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died in 1631 giving birth to their 14th child. The shah got people to build the Taj Mahal in her memory and as a symbol of their love. Taj Mahal is said to be short for her name and means “crown of palaces.” Either way, the Taj Mahal is the jewel of India.

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7. Angkor Wat | Cambodia

The city of Angkor is known for its mysterious temples. Together they form a whole that is really amazing. It’s a mix of Hindu Buddhist art forms and the ambitions of the Cambodian god-kings. How they built different buildings shows how powerful they were.

Angkor Wat is the biggest temple, a magnificent Hindu temple that is seen as the center of the universe. It was built by Suryavarman II and dedicated to Vishnu in the early 12th century. With its five tall towers, it is one of the world’s largest religious monuments.

In Angkor Wat, you will find several previous hidden paintings and other art. The main attraction is the reliefs which are really high and are all around the outer walls. They are very detailed and tell us a lot about the history of the battles between the gods and the demons.

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8. The Great Wall | China

One of the most fantastic sights in the world is the Great Wall of China. It is only an hour and a half outside of Beijing. The wall is about 21,000 kilometers long.

It all started between 700 and 400 BC. Chinese states started to build their own forts. This continued for a period of time and it was the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, who connected the walls. He did this to stop an invasion from the north.

Later the Han Dynasty continued to improve the wall to protect the trade on the Silk Road, and then the Ming Dynasty added watchtowers and forts to the wall between the 14th and 17the centuries.

The wall became known as “the longest cemetery on earth” because many workers died there. Stories say that they are buried in the wall, but no one knows if it is true.

The wall was built to stop enemy invasion. This didn’t work. The first Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan, was able to break through the wall and beat northern China in the early 13th century.

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9. Samarkand | Uzbekistan

Samarkand, also called Timur’s royal city, is a turquoise pearl in the desert of Uzbekistan. The historic buildings are very beautiful. This city in Uzbekistan was built off the trade from the Silk Road but it was the vision of a cruel ruler that made the city what it is today.

Timur was a ruthless warlord from the Middle Ages. He also had big visions. He dreamt of making the city of Samarkand into a center of Islamic knowledge and culture. He forced people to move to the city and travelers were amazed by the city.

Registan is the center. It is a public square with three Islamic schools/universities around it. Under the blue domes, there are golden ceilings and perfect tiles. Men from the whole Timurid Empire came here to study the Quran and also mathematics, poetry and art.

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10. Himalaya | Asia

The Himalayas are an amazing mountain range with a beautiful landscape. It is ten times the size of France, crosses several national borders and is home to different religions and political views. The Himalayas stretch for 2,500 kilometers through India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and China.You see some of the highest mountains, deepest valleys and fantastic wild forests.

You can’t find the same variety of living organisms anywhere else in the world. Different human cultures have made the Himalayas their home and have adjusted to the conditions there.

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Sources:

101 steder du må oppleve (før du dør) (2020)
Orage Forlag AS

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