Our beautiful world – Asia

Our world is made up of countless unique, magical and beautiful places. Over the course of millions of years, nature has formed the landscape we know today. Humans have settled and enhanced the landscape with magnificent architecture and beautiful art. 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 travel destination but the country has a lot to offer. Since the 1979 revolution, this beautiful country has gained a bad reputation as a dangerous and lawless place where women are oppressed and everything worth seeing has been reduced to dust.

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

Iran is home to some of the oldest historical landmarks in the world, and the town of Shiraz lies at the heart of it all. Perhaps the most beautiful thing to see in Shiraz is the rainbow glass of the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque. When you stand by the brilliant stained-glass windows and can see the light shining in, it is like being inside a jewelry box. The ruling Qajar dynasty built the mosque in the late 1800s, and the style of decoration is certainly in line with their opulent taste.

Not far from here lies the burial chamber of Shah Chéragh. This attraction was built in the 12th century. Found inside the blue dome is an emerald green chamber filled with tiny mirrors that sparkle when they catch the light. This is one of the most overwhelming experiences in the entire Islamic world.

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2. Pamukkale | Türkiye

There are more than 1,000 World Heritage Sites, but only 38 of these sites qualify as both natural and cultural wonders, and only one of these is a stunning cascade of white limestone ponds flowing into a village with both Roman and Greek influences. This is Pamukkale.

Pamukkale is located in Western Türkiye and it is an incredible sight. For 14,000 years, natural hot springs have pumped calcium water to the surface. Eventually, the mineral-rich thermal water evaporated and calcium carbonate deposits formed the white ‘steps’ of travertine, a form of limestone. This created natural terraces through the valley. It was named Pamukkale, “cotton castle” in Turkish, by the locals and is an extremely apt description for something that looks like it belongs in a fairytale.

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3. Burj Khalifa | Dubai

For decades, there has been a debate about 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 occupied floor? And what defines a building? In 2010, one building decided that enough was enough when it came to this debate, and simply smashed all the debate, running away with all the records – tallest building, highest floor in use, most nervous window cleaners – the whole lot! That building was the Burj Khalifa in Dubai which contains apartments, offices, swimming pools, a restaurant and nine world records.

Burj Khalifa towers a staggering 828 meters into the sky – more than twice the height of the previously tallest building, Taipei 101. By comparison, Taipei 101 is over 60 percent taller than the Chrysler Building – the tallest building in 1930. Burj Khalifa is so tall that its spiraling Y-shape was developed to reduce the impact of wind almost a kilometer up in the air.

Watch these crazy people skydive from the Burj Khalifa:

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4. Petra | Jordan

As for ancient cities of the world, there are few that are as surprising and exciting as Petra located on the mountainside of the mountain Jebel al-Madhbah between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea in Jordan. This is a magical city of rose-coloured stone and wonderful things to be seen in every corner. In contrast to many other monuments, Petra is not only exciting on the surface, but also because of the way iit was built. There genuinely isn’t anything like it anywhere on the planet.

Petra was first inhabited around 11,000 years ago, but its real development started when a tribe of Arab nomads called the Nabataeans settled there from 400 BC. They grew rich on the trade routes that crossed through their land, trading in myrrh and other precious goods from Yemen such as Chinese silk, Indian spices and cotton. They created a majestic world city characterized by its beautiful buildings and gardens.

There are several carved burial chambers in the southern cliff face on what is known as Street of Façades. In other words, there is more to see in Petra than the most famous attraction, as there are more than 400 burial chambers in rows covering a vast area.

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5. Ha Long bay| Vietnam

It’s easy to understand why the Vietnamese believe that the islands of Ha Long Bay are the creation of God. The wind throws rain through the morning fog. Large towering limestone islands rise from the turquoise water, looking like they may fall over at any point. Suddenly, the sky opens, the sun breaks through, and for a moment it feels like you are looking into creation itself.

According to Vietnamese legend, the Vietnamese were plagued by constant invasions by sea from the north. The gods were finally so fed up with this nuisance that Mother Dragon was sent to help with her children. In the heat of the battle, the enemy set fire to the dragons, and they spit out a mass of jewels that formed a defensive barrier – which in turn protected the land from northern attacks for forever more. These jewels later transformed into the limestone landscape and islands that now line the coast of Ha Long Bay.

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 houseboat towns, situated on the crystal clear water, a monument to a historic way of life.

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6. Taj Mahal | India

The Taj Mahal is an architectural wonder, but its beauty hides a love story. Legend has it that the beauty of the Taj Mahal is so overwhelming that all the architects and workers who built it were killed or maimed when it was finished, so that nothing like it could ever be built again. Historians have of course argued that there is no evidence that this is true, but it helps to increase the almost mythical status of the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal is not only one of the Seven Wonders of the World and a World Heritage Site, but with more than seven million visitors a year, it is the world’s most visited landmark – and with good reason. It took 22 years and 20,000 workers to complete this masterpiece. It is said that 1,000 elephants were needed to transport the construction material. Standing at a height of 73 meters, the structure – made of gleaming marble and semi-precious stones – is truly a sight to behold.

Mughal ruler Shah Jahan’s wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died in 1631 giving birth to their 14th child. A year later the shah commissioned the Taj Mahal in her memory. He is said to have been devastated after her death and vowed to build an eternal resting place for her, a symbol of their love. Taj Mahal is supposed to be a shortened version of her name and means ‘crown of palaces’. Whether you believe the story or not, the Taj Mahal is definitely a jewel in India’s crown.

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7. Angkor Wat | Cambodia

The city of Angkor was once the capital of the Khmer Empire and is known for all its enigmatic temples. Together they form an architectural entity that is unmatched. It’s a beautiful blend of Hindu Buddhist iconography and a true testament to the ambitions of the Cambodian god-kings. Their great determinism to build increasingly more impressive structures shows how powerful they were.

The largest of the temples is Angkor Wat, a magnificent and well-preserved Hindu temple that is so important that it positions itself as the center of the universe. It was built by Suryavarman II and dedicated to Vishnu in the early 12th century. It has five towers that can be seen from more than a kilometer away. They rise towards the sky like pointers and are among the world’s largest religious monuments.

Angkor Wat is richly decorated with once-hidden paintings and decorative pillars, but the main attraction is the reliefs with a height of almost two meters that stretch over a couple of kilometers – an enormous task that speaks volumes for the size of the building. They go around all four sides of the outer walls and are still incredibly detailed more than a thousand years after they were made. They tell the story of the battles between the gods and the demons.

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8. The Great Wall | China

One of the most legendary sights in the entire world is the Great Wall of China, and a visit there makes a lifetime memory. It is only an hour and a half outside of Beijing. Recent estimates suggest that the wall is approximately 21,000 kilometers long.

The humble beginnings of the Great Wall were made between 700 and 400 BC, when various Chinese states began to build their own fortifications.This continued into the Warring States period until the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang of the Qin Dynasty, connected the walls in the third century BC to prevent an invasion from the north.

The wall was then further developed by the succeeding Han Dynasty to protect the flourishing trade along the Silk Road, before the Ming Dynasty added watchtowers and fortifications to the wall between the 14th and 17th centuries to strengthen its defenses while restoring the oldest parts of the wall.

The wall became known as “the longest cemetery on earth” due to the number of workers who died during its construction. There are stories that the dead bodies were all buried in the wall, although there is no evidence that this is true.

Although the purpose of the wall was to stop enemy invasion, unfortunately it failed to do so. The first Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan, managed to break through the wall and conquered northern China in the early 13th century. His grandson Kublai Khan completed the Mongol conquest of China when he defeated the Song Dynasty in the south in 1279.

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9. Samarkand | Uzbekistan

Timur’s royal city is a striking turquoise gem, deep in the desert of Uzbekistan. Samarkand’s historic buildings are as beautiful as the Indian fabrics and Chinese silk that once flowed through the city on their long journey along the Silk Road. This city in Uzbekistan, in the middle of the barren plains of Central Asia, was built on the back of trade riches from the Silk Road, but it was the vision of a cruel ruler that transformed the city into the cultural jewel it is today.

Timur was a merciless medieval warlord who had no problem slaughtering anyone who got in his way. He was also a man of far-reaching visions, and he dreamed of turning the city of Samarkand into a center of Islamic knowledge and culture. He forced important intellectuals and artisans to settle in the city, and travelers passing through the city were overwhelmed by how magnificent everything was.

The centerpiece is the almighty Registan – which means “sandy place” – a public square surrounded by three imposing madrassas (Islamic schools/universities). Beneath the blue domes, golden ceilings and perfectly patterned tiles, men from all across the vast Timurid Empire came to study the Quran as well as mathematics, poetry and art.

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10. Himalaya | Asia

Crossing the Himalayan mountain range completely overwhelms you with the grandeur of the landscape. How can one navigate through an area ten times the size of France, that crosses several national borders and connects several different ecosystems, religions and political views? The Himalayas wind for 2,500 kilometers through India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and China, taking you on a journey over the highest mountains, the deepest valleys and incredible trails of wild forests.

The entire area is bursting with impressive biological diversity that is unmatched anywhere in the world. Unlike many places in the world, the Himalayas are a place of wilderness melted into beauty. Different human cultures have adapted to some of the harshest weather conditions known to man, and made the Himalayas their home.

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Sources:

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

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