10 Architectural Landmarks: World's Best Tourist Attractions

Travel the world and see some of its most beautiful architectural landmarks. These landmarks may not belong to the highest bracket of the most famous but certainly they aren't less beautiful. As a matter of fact, these landmarks belong to the most visited places in the world.

1. Wat Phra Kaew

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Thailand, known as "The land of The Free", is one of the most visited countries in the world. One of its beautiful

architectural landmarks that attract tourists from all over the world is the Wat Phra Kaew or Temple of the Emerald

Buddha in English. It is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. It is located in the historic center

of the country's capital - Bangkok.

2. The Great Bath and The Roman Bath in the city of Bath

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The Roman Empire had been gone for so long but scores of its structural legacy like aqueducts, triumphal arches,

baths and others can still be found anywhere else in its former colonies around the world. .One of the surviving

structures built by the Romans is the Roman Baths complex, a site of historical interest in the English city of Bath.

The complex is a very well-preserved Roman site of public bathing. The Baths are now a major tourist attraction and,

together with the Pump Room, receive more than one million visitors a year. Visitors can see the Baths and Museum

but cannot enter the water. An audio guide is available in several languages.

3. Persepolis

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Persia is the ancient name of a country which is now known as Iran, a country located in the Middle East. One of the

major attractions of this country is the Persepolis. It was the ceremonial capital of the Persian Empire during the

Achaemenid dynasty. The UNESCO declared the citadel of Persepolis a World Heritage Site in 1979. Persepolis is

a major tourist site because of its historical significance.

4. Hagia Sophia

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Turkey is a country which is located in two continents, part of it belongs to Asia and the other part belongs to Europe.

It is one of the most historic countries in the world and has so many natural and structural landmarks to offer, one of

which is the Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom). It is one of the most visited structural landmarks in the world. Hagia Sophia

is a former patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. Famous in particular for its massive

dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture. It was the largest cathedral ever built in the world for nearly

a thousand years, until the completion of the Medieval Seville Cathedral in 1520.

5. The Alhambra

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Spain was once the mightiest country in the world. It contains plenty of beautiful and historic landmarks. One other

most visited landmark of Spain and one of the most visited in the continent of Europe is The Alhambra. Literally,

The Alhambra means "the red one"; the complete name is Qal'at al-Hambra, which means "The red fortress". It is

a palace and fortress complex of the Moorish rulers of Granada in southern Spain. It was once the residence of the

Muslim rulers of Granada and their court, the Alhambra is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions exhibiting the

country's most famous Islamic architecture, together with Christian 16th century and later interventions in buildings

and gardens that marked its image as it can be seen today.

6. Christ The Redeemer

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One of the largest countries in the world and the largest country in South America is Brazil. One of its major tourist

attraction and one of the most famous architectural landmarks in the world, especially among Christians is the statue

of Christ the Redeemer. It is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's former capital. This famous statue

stands 38 meters (120 ft) tall weighs 700 short tons (635 tons), and is located at the peak of the 700 meters (2,300 ft)

Concovado Mountain in the Tijauca Forest National Park overlooking the city. It is the tallest of its kind in the world. A

symbol of Christianity, the statue has become an icon of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil

7. St. Peter's Basilica

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Vatican City is the smallest state in the world indeed but it attracts one of the highest numbers of tourists from around

the world. One of its major attractions is the Basilica of Saint Peter. It occupies a unique position as one of the holiest

sites and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom". St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage, for its liturgical

functions and for its historical associations. It is associated with the papacy, with the Counter-reformation and with

numerous artists, most significantly Michelangelo. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of

its age. Contrary to popular misconception, Saint Peter's is not a cathedral, as it is not the seat of a bishop. It is properly

termed a basilica.

8. Statue of Liberty

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One of the most visited places in the world is New York and when one visits New York, the Statue of Liberty is surely

included in the itinerary. Liberty Enlightening the World, commonly known as the Statue of Liberty is one of the most

popular architectural landmarks in the world. Worldwide, the Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable icons

of the United States and was, from 1886 until the jet age, often one of the first glimpses of the United States for

millions of immigrants after ocean voyages from Europe. Visually, the Statue of Liberty appears to draw inspiration

from the Colossus of Rhodes.

9. Vatican Museum

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When you visit the "City within a City", one of your major tourist destinations will be "The Vatican Museums". It is located

in Viale Vaticano in Rome, inside the Vatican City. Vatican Museums are one of the greatest museums in the world,

since they display works from the immense collection built up by Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries.

The museums were founded in the 16th century by Pope Julius II. The Sistine Chapel and the Stabze della Segnatura

decorated by Raphael are on the visitor route through the Vatican Museums. As of 2007, it was visited by 4,310,083

people for the year

10. National Mall & Washington Memorial Park

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The United States of America, young compared to the historic countries in Europe and Asia but it contains some of the

most popular landmarks frequently visited by tourist from all over the world. One of these landmarks is the "The

National Mall", an open-area national park in downtown Washington D.C., the capital of the US. Officially termed by

the National Park Service the "National Mall & Memorial Parks", the term commonly includes the areas that are

officially part of West Potomac park and Constitution Gardens to the west, and often is taken to refer to the entire

area between the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol, with the Washington Monument providing a division slightly

west of the center.

The world's most familiar architectural landmarks in the world are the Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, Taj Mahal in India,

Colosseum in Rome, The Great Wall of China, Eiffel Tower of Paris and the Parthenon of Athens in Greece.

Undoubtedly, these are the most famous architectural landmarks in the world but the above-mentioned architectural

landmarks are popular as well.

For spectacular bridges from around the world see

20 World's Most Notable Bridges: Architectural and Engineering Feats

15 World's Most Notable Bridges: Architectural and Engineering Feats-2

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