Friday, October 30, 2009

World’s Notable Buildings with the Most Remarkable Domes

TAJ MAHAL


Taj Mahal’s white domed marble is its most familiar component. The Taj Mahal, a mausoleum is located in Agra, India, built by Muhal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Indian and Islamic architectural styles, especially those of Persia and Turkey. In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was cited as “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage.” Building began around 1632 and was completed around 1653, and employed thousands of artisans and craftsmen.

HAGIA SOPIA


HAGIA SOPIA
Hagia Sophia is popular for its massive dome. It is a former patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, now a museum located in Istanbul, Turkey. It was the largest cathedral ever built in the world for nearly a thousand years, until the completion of the Seville Cathedral in 1520.

St. Peter’s Basilica


St.PETER'S BASILLICA
The dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is remarkable because it is crowned by a double cylindrical cupola, or lantern, with a conical spire and was designed by Michelangelo. The dome was not completed until 1590. The Basilica of Saint Peter is in a “unique position” as one of the holiest sites and as “the greatest of all churches of Christendom”.

PANTHEON

The Pantheon is notable not only because it is the best preserved of all Roman buildings and perhaps the best preserved building of its age in the world but also because it is the oldest standing domed structure in Rome. The Pantheon is a building in Rome which was originally built as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome, and rebuilt circa 125 AD during Hadrian’s reign. It has been in continuous use throughout its history. The height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are the same, 43.3 meters (142 ft).

St.BASIL'S CATHEDRAL

This religious edifice has one of the most notable domes in the world. The Cathedral of Intercession of the Virgin on the Moat (The Cathedral of the Protection of the Mother of God, or simply Pokrovskiy Cathedral); better known as the Cathedral of Saint Basil the Blessed , Saint Basil’s Cathedral is a multi-tented church on the Red Square in Moscow that also features distinctive onion domes.

DOME OF THE ROCK



One of the greatest architectural designs in the world with notable dome is the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine and a major landmark located on the Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem. It was completed in 691, making it the oldest extant Islamic building in the world. The Dome is in the shape of a Byzantine martyrium, a structure intended for the housing and veneration of saintly relics, and is an excellent example of middle Byzantine art. It was reported that surplus funds consisting of 100,000 gold dinar coins were melted down and cast on the dome’s exterior, “which at the time had a strong glitter that no eye could look straight at it.”

SAINT PAULS CATHEDRAL



One religious edifice found in Europe with a distinctive dome is St, Paul’s CathDome of the Rockedral in London. It was the inspiration for the US Capitol in Washington, which in turn inspired domes of most of the US state capitols. St Paul’s Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the London, and the seat of the Bishop of London.

SAINT ISSAC CATHEDRAL

Another cathedral located in Russia with notable dome is the Saint Isaac’s Cathedral or Isaakievskiy Sobor is located in St. Petersburg. It is the largest cathedral in the city and was the largest church in Russia when it was built (101.5 meters high). It was dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Great who had been born on the feast day of that saint.

THE MOSQUE OF THE PROPHET



Mosque of the PrOPHET.The dome of Masjid al-Nabawi is documented as existing in the 12th century making it one of the oldest buildings with dome. The Mosque of the Prophet (or Prophet’s Mosque) in Medina, is the second holiest mosque in Islam. It is the final resting place of Muhammad

IMAM RIDHA HOLY SHRINE

IMAM RIDHA HOLY SHRINE


building with remarkable dome is Imam Reza Shrine because it is covered with gold-coated bricks. It was built in 1333 AD) and is located in Mashhad, Iran. Imam Ridha shrine is a complex which contains the mausoleum of Imam Ridha, the eighth Imam of Twelver Shi’ites. This complex is the center of tourism in Iran with approximate visitors of 15 to 20 million pilgrims every year.

The Papal Palace or Palace of the Vatican – Vatican City
The Papal Palace is the official residence of the Pope .For more related articles see

EXPLORE:
World’s Notable Buildings with the Most Remarkable Domes Best-Preserved and Surviving Roman Triumphal Arches Famous Commemorative and Triumphal Arches in the World World’s Most Historic and Notable Columns Top 10 Most Famous Tombs in the World The World’s Most Spectacular Obelisks
My Passion for Buildings: Spain (this site)
The Palace of Holyroodhouse (this site)
10 Things to See in Madrid (Trifter)
What Would Jesus Do (On Facebook) (Mainstreet)
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The Palace of Versailles

FRANCE

It was once the center of power and the former official residence of the French Monarchy.
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The Potala Palace




Potala Palace was the former chief residence of the Dalai Lama. Today the Potala Palace has been converted into a museum by the Chinese.

The Winter Palace -St PETERS BURG


St PETERS BURG,RUSSIA
The Winter Palace was the winter residence of the Russian tsars.

The Forbidden City- World’s Largest Palace Complex



BEJING,CHINAThe Forbidden City which is the world’s largest palace complex, is neither occupied as a residence nor is it one continuous building.
Splendid Features of the Palace
The total square footage of the complex is just less than 7,750,000 square feet, but with the vast open courtyards of the complex, the totaled square footage of the Forbidden City’s collective buildings is smaller than that of Istana Nurul Iman
For almost five centuries, it served as the home of the Emperor and his household, and the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government
The complex consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms and covers 720,000 square meters
The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture
The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987 and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world
The construction of the palace lasted 15 years, and required more than a million workers
The Forbidden City is the world’s largest surviving palace complex and covers 72 hectares
The Forbidden City is surrounded by a 7.9-meter high city wall and a six-meter deep, 52-meter wide moat. The walls are 8.62 meters wide at the base, tapering to 6.66 meters at the top.
At the four corners of the wall sit towers with intricate roofs boasting 72 ridges
The Hall of Supreme Harmony which was the ceremonial center of imperial power, is the largest, and rises some 30 meters above the level of the surrounding square. It is the largest surviving wooden structure in China.
The northern ramp, behind the Hall of Preserving Harmony, is carved from a single piece of stone 16.57 meters long, 3.07 meters wide, and 1.7 meters thick. It weighs some 200 tons and is the largest such carving in China.
The Forbidden City is surrounded on three sides by imperial gardens.
The Forbidden City contains Equestrian painting of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1735-1796) by Giuseppe Castiglione.
The collections of the Palace Museum are based on the Qing imperial collection. Some 1.17 million items were stored in the Forbidden City.
The imperial libraries housed one of the China’s largest collections of ancient books and various documents
The Palace Museum holds 340,000 pieces of ceramics and porcelain
The Palace Museum holds close to 50,000 items of paintings. Of these, more than 400 date from before the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). This is the largest such collection in China.
The Palace Museum’s bronze collection dates from the early Shang Dynasty (founded c. 1766 BC). Of the almost 10,000 pieces held, about 1600 are inscribed items from the pre-Qin period (to 221 BC)
The Palace Museum has one of the largest collections of mechanical timepieces of the 18th and 19th centuries in the world, with more than 1000 pieces. The collection contains both Chinese- and foreign-made pieces.
The Museum’s collection of jade includes some 30,000 pieces

These palaces are amazingly beautiful. Other palaces with notable features are; the Russian Imperial Palaces in St Petersburg, the Papal Palace in Rome, Potala Palace, Palace of Versailles in France, and many others.

Stockholm Palace, Sweden



SWEDEN


The Largest Royal Palace in the World that is Still in Use for its Original Purpose.

Stockholm Palace is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch. It is “the largest royal palace in the world that is still in use for its original purpose.”
Notable features of the Palace
The personal offices of the monarch and the other members of the Swedish royal family as well as the administrative offices of the Royal Court of Sweden are located there.
The palace is used for representative purposes by the king whilst performing his duties as the head of state
The palace is guarded by the Hogvakten, a royal guard of members of the Swedish Armed Forces which dates back to the early 16th century
The palace is built of brick, with midsections of the west, south, and east facades covered by sandstone.
The roof is covered with copper and is surrounded by a stone balustrade which stretched around the entire main building
The palace has 609 rooms and is one of the largest royal palaces in the world still in use for its original purpose
The palace contains Sweden’s oldest museum, which includes old weapons and uniforms.
The Palace Church is situated at the east
The Treasure Chamber which contains the Swedish crown jewels is located at the west
Museum of antiques is located in the northeast wing and contains ancient sculptures found in Italy.

Royal Palace of Madrid in Spain



The largest palace in Western Europe is the Royal Palace of Madrid in Spain. The Palacio Real de Madrid, also called Palacio de Oriente – Eastern Palace, is the official residence of the King of Spain. However, the king and the royal family do not actually reside in this palace, instead choosing the smaller Palacio de la Zarzuela.
Distinct Features of the Palace
The palace has the distinction of being the largest royal palace in Western Europe in size, with over a combined area of over 135,000 m² or 1,453,122 square feet.
The palace has more than 2,800 rooms
The vast palace is richly decorated by artists such as Velasquez, Tiepolo, Mengs, Gasparini, Juan de Flandes, Caravaggio and Goya.
Royal Armory and weapons dating back to the 13th century are kept in the palace
The world’s only complete Stradivarius string quintet is kept in the palace, including collections of tapestry, porcelain, furniture, and other objects of art of great historical importance

COUNTRIES AND CAPITALS

SOURCE:BLOGGER S VIEW:TODAY IM THINKING ABOUT THE POST THEN IMMEDIATELY CAME INTO MY MIND THAT IS COUNTRIES AND CAPITALS.
AFGHANISTAN:KABUL
ARGENTINA:BUENOS AIRES
AUSTRALIA: CANBERRA
ALGERIA :ALGEIRS
ALBANIA: TIRANE
ANGOLA: LUANDA
BRAZIL:RE DE JANERIO
BOLIVIA:LA PAZ
BELGIUM:BRUSSELS
BHUTAN:THIMPU
BRITIAN :LONDON
BANGLADESH:DHAKA
BULGARIA:SOPHI
COSTARICA:SAN JOSE
CZECH::PRAGUE
CANADA:OTTAWA
CAMEROON:YAOUNDE
CONGO:BRAZVILLIE
CUBA:HAVANA
CHILIE:SANTIAGO
CHINA:BEJING
CYPRUS:NICOSIA


COLUMBIA:BOGOTA
DENMARK:COPENHEGAN
EQUADOR:QUITO
ETHIOPIA: ADDI ABABA
EL SALVADOR:SAN SALVADOR
EGYPT:CAIRO
FINLAND:HELSENKI
FRANCE:PARIS
GERMANY:BERLIN
GREECE:ATHENS
GHANA:ACCRA
GAUTEMALA: GAUTEMALA CITY

HUNGARY:BUDAPEST
ICE LAND:REYKJAVIK
IVORY COST:ABIDJAN
INDIA:NEW DELHI
INDONASIA:JAKARTA
IRELAND:DUBLIN
ITALY:ROME
IRAQ:BHAGHDAD
IRAN:TEHRAN
ISRAEL:JERUSELM
KUWAIT:KUWAIT CITY
LIBIA:TRIPOLI
JAMAICA:KINGSTON
JORDAN:AMMAN
JAPAN:TOKYO
K ENYA:NAIROBI
KOREA(SOUTH):SEOUL
KOREA(NORTH)PYONG YONG)
LIBIA:TRIPOLI
LEBANON:BEIRUT
LIBERIA:MONROVIA
LUXEMBOURG:LUXEMBOURG
MYNMAR:RANGOON/YANGOON
MARITIUS:PORT LOUIS
MONGOLIA:ULAN BATOR
MALAYSIA:KUALA LUMPUR
MEXICO:MEXICO CITY

MORACCO:RABATT
MOZABIQUE:MAPUTO
NAMIBIA:WINDHOCK
NETHERLAND:OSLO
NEW ZELAND:WELLINGTON
NORWAY:OSLO
NIGERIA: LAGOS
NEPAL:KHATMANDU
O
PERU:LIMA
PHILLIPPINES:MANILA
PARAGUAY:ASUNCION
PANAMA:PANAMA CITY
PORTUGAL:LISBAN
POLAND:WARSAW
ROMANIA:BUCHAREST
RWANDA:KIGALI
SAOTOME AND PRINCIPE:SAO TOME
SOUTH-AFRICA:CAPE TOWN
SENEGAL DAKAR
SOMALIA:MOGADISHU
SPAIN:MADRID
SUDAN:KHARTOUM
SYRIA:DAMASCUS
SWEDEN:STOCKHOLM
SWITZERLAND:BERN
SIERRA LEONE:FREE TOWN
TOGO:LOME
THAILAND:BANGKOK



RUSSIA:MOSCOW
UKRAINE:KEIVE
SAUDI ARABIA:RIYADH
SRI LANKA:COLOMBO
TURKEY:ANKARA
TUNISIA:TUNIS
TANZANIA:DAR-ES-SALAAM
UGANDA:KAMPALA
U.S.A:WASHINGTON
VIETNAM:
VENEZUELA:CARACUS
YOGOSLAVIA:BELGRADE
YEMEN:SANA
ZAIRE:KINSHASA
ZIMBABWE:HARARE