1. The Great Wall of China is not one consistent wall, butis rather a collection of walls. It is a 20,000 kilometer long network of walls.

1. During the Qin Dynasty, the convicted criminals were given duties at the Great Wall for regular construction and maintenance.

1. The Great Wall has been considered the longest cemetery in the world as many people have died while it was under construction. There is a well-known story of the “Men Jiangnu’s Bitter Weeping”— the story of a woman whose husband died while building the wall; her cry was so bitter that a part of the wall collapsed and revealed the bones of her husband which she could bury herself.

1. The Great Wall of China, ironically, is not a part of the Seven Wonders of the World, but rather it is a part of the “Seven Worlds of the Medieval World.”

1. After immense research it has been proven that The Great Wall is not visible from space even though it can be sighted from low orbits.

1. During the period of 1960s-1970s, the bricks of The Great Wall were taken in order to build houses for the civilians.

1. Unknown parts of The Great Wall were recently discovered in 2012. According to some archaeologists, the northernmost sections of the Wall are yet to be discovered.

1. The Great Wall has been built with an amazing material including the glutinous rice, also known as “sticky rice.” The substance which makes it sticky— amylopectin, has resulted in The Wall’s strength to endure.

1. It is believed that to provide the dead laborers with peace, the mourners used to cross the Wall with a rooster in tow in order to guide the soul away from the Wall.

1. The Wall has been given several names since the time it was constructed. The Americans, Germans, French and the people of United Kingdom commonly referred to it as the “The Great Wall Of China.” While the other Western countries called it the “The Chinese Wall.” Ultimately, the name it was given by the Chinese was “The Long Wall.”

1. There have been predictions that the Wall might lose its several sections before 2040.

1. The Great Wall was mainly built in order to keep out the invaders from China. But the Manchurian invasion was through the Great Wall, leading to the failure of its main aim.

1. The Wall is visited by over 10 million tourists every year. Its most famous sight—Badaling, is visited by over 300 heads of states and VIPs from across the world.

1. The Great Wall has several temples built on it to pay homage to the Chinese general, Guan Yu.

1. An ancient Chinese poem, The Shijing, had predicted the proper construction of The Wall.

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Machu Picchu

Present in the south of Peru, Machu Picchu is one of the most beautiful places that one can visit which holds a great historical significance. This ruined city is located on a mountain top and was discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911 and is also known as the “Lost City of the Incas” (even though it is Vilcabamba). It was in 1983, that the Machu Picchu was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The entry of increasing number of tourists has become a serious concern.

Tikal

One of the largest and also most preserved ruins of the Maya civilization is the city-state of Tikal from the Classic Period (200-900 AD). Tikal has beautiful temples and one can experience great views from the top of the temples. One can feel the adventure gushing in during early mornings and late nights in the jungles.

The Pyramids of Giza

As old as one ruin could be, the Pyramids of Giza are 3,000 years old and were built by the Pharaoh Khufu in Egypt. The tourists have very limited access to it. The three pyramids have a number of chambers out of which only a few have been opened till now.

Angkor Wat

Known for being the centre of Khmer Empire is the ancient city of Cambodia. Even though the empire fell, it left its mark through breathtaking temples and buildings. Angkor Wot is a temple complex which is the heart and soul of Cambodia. It is famous for its structure and its level of detailing.

Petra

Rediscovered in 1812 by a Swiss explorer is the city of Petra known for its historical and archaeological sites in southern Jordan. The exact time of its discovery is still unknown but it had been estimated to be around the 6th century BC. Petra, later, in 1985 was made one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stonehenge

Founded over 3,000 years ago is the megalithic structure known as the Stonehenge near Salisbury, England. It is said that the stones are from Wales even though the explanation about getting the stones here is still very vague. The tourists are allowed to only walk around the structure but it is considered to be worth it.

The Colosseum

Known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, the Colosseum was inaugurated in AD 80. The construction started through the reign of Emperor Vespasian and was completed during the reign of his successor, Titus. Since it was built way back in time, it is slowly crumbling and therefore, the entry in the Colosseum is restricted.

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La Tomatina is a week-long festival that is celebrated with music, dancing, parades and fireworks. There is a cooking competition also, a night before the tomato fight, for the participants. The festival starts around 11 a.m., where the first event of the festival begins. On a Cockaigne pole (greased pole), ham is placed and the participants of the tomato fight have to climb up and bring the ham down. The tomato fight starts only when the ham is brought down. After people struggle and climb upon each other to get the ham down, the main event starts.

Many trucks get the tomatoes to the centre of Buñol, Plaza del Pueblo. The fight begins with firing of the canon. The fight continues for about an hour or two and ends when another canon is fired. At this moment, no one is allowed to throw anymore tomatoes. Then is the cleaning process where the trucks spray water on the streets and people clean themselves with the water from BuñolRiver.

There are serious rules that the participants have to follow while in the tomato fight like no one is allowed to throw hard objects or bottles, it is prohibited to tear t-shirts, one has to squash the tomatoes before throwing, one needs to maintain distance from the trucks, and one has to stop throwing tomatoes once the second canon is fired.

People come from across the world to attend this amazing festival. There are about 30,000 people from different countries present for the festival every year while Buñol has a population of about 9,000 only. Being a small town, Buñol does not have enough place to accommodate the large number of tourists. People stay in Valencia and travel to Buñol either by bus or train which about 38 km outside the city.

The festival started to honor the town’s patron saints— Luis Bertrar and the Mare de DeudelsDesemparats, title of Virgin Mary in 1944 or 1945.

Featured Image Source: Excel Entertainment (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara)

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1. New Zealand used to be governed as a part of territory of New South Wales and then later of Australia.
2. It has two national anthems of equal standing. One is ‘God Save the Queens’ and another is ‘God Defend New Zealand’.
3. People of New Zealand are also known as Kiwis. This is not because of the fruit but because Kiwi was the native flightless bird of New Zealand.
4. It was the first nation to have equal universal suffrage. In 1893, all the males and females were allowed to vote.
5. In order to become a member of New Zealand, one needs to swear the oath to be loyal to the Queen Elizabeth.
6. In New Zealand, one must drive on the left side of the road.
7. The Auckland City Sky tower is about 328 meters tall which is the tallest freestanding structure in the southern hemisphere.
8. New Zealand is known for its indigenous people who are the descendants of a Polynesian explorer who settled in Pacific Ocean about 1000 years ago.
9. It is the least corrupted nation according to the corruptions perception index.
10. It is home to the wold’s smallest dolphin species.
11. Blue lake in New Zealand has the clearest water in the world.
12. Bungee jumping first began in New Zealand.
13. The first man to climb up the mount Everest was a Kiwi (native New Zealand)
14. It is a home to more species of penguin than any other place.

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Kamakhya Temple, Assam

Located on Nilachal Hills in the western part of Guwahati, Assam on the adjoining banks of Brahmaputra river is one of the oldest and most sacred temples of the 51 Shakti Peethas— Kamakhya Temple. It was built and renovated in the period of 8th-17th century quite a few times. Around the main temple are various individual temples of seven other goddesses of Mahavidyas. The main festival celebrated by the followers is the ‘AmbubachiMela.’ It is one of the most important places of worship for Hindus and especially tantric worshippers.

DimapurKalibari, Nagaland

A Hindu temple located in the town of Dimapur, Nagaland is the DimapurKalibari temple dedicated to the goddess Kali. Built in the 17th century (1956) is this temple on a hill which overlooks the Kamalasagar Lake. As the temple is dedicated to goddess Kali, the festival most dear to the followers is the Durga Puja.

Govindajee Temple, Manipur

Shree Govindajee Temple— the largest Hindu, Vaishnav temple in the Imphal city of Manipur is located next to the palace of the former rulers of Manipur. The temple was originally built by Maharaja Nara Singh in 1846 A.D. but after being severely damaged later due the earthquake of 1868 A.D., it was renovated by Maharaja Chandrakirti and was devoted to LordGovinda and His consort Radha. The main festivals celebrated here are Janmashtami and Kang.

Sundari Temple, Tripura

Located in ancient Udaipur, Tripura is one of the holiest shrines present in the North East region of the country. The temple is dedicated to the goddess Parvati, Tripura Sundari being one of her names. The custom most popular here is the animal sacrifice that takes place. Spreading across 6.4 acres of land is the KalyanSagar which lies on the eastern side of the temple. The temple is a small, square edifice which has a shrine resembling the shape of a tortoise. One of the prized offerings here is the red hibiscus flower.

NaritangDurga Temple, Meghalaya

Located in the Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya is the temple where it is believed that the Sati Devi’s left thigh had fallen. It is, therefore, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas of Hindu Mythology. The rites performed here are a blend of Hindu and Khasi traditions.

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1. The Eiffel tower was going to be demolished in 1909 but it got saved as it served as a radio antenna.
2. It is the most visited and paid monument in the world. 6.98 million people visited it in 2011.
3. A con artist named Victor Lustig sold the Eiffel tower to a scrap metal dealer.
4. The project for the Eiffel tower was originally made for Barcelona, Spain but it got rejected.
5. Its height varies at times by 5.9 inches due to the temperature changes.
6. There are 1,665 steps to climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
7. A woman named Erika married the Eiffel Tower in 2007 and is named Erika La Tour Eiffel.
8. There are about 20,000 light bulbs in Eiffel Tower.
9. The paint that was used on the Eiffel tower weighs almostequivalent to 10 elephants.
10. There are approximately 30 copies of the Eiffel Tower made around the world.
11. Engineer Gustave had a personal apartment on the top of the tower for himself.
12. At the time of construction, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world.
13. There were about 300 workers, 18,038 pieces of wrought iron and 2.5 million rivets to build this tower.
14. It would cost about US$31 million, if the tower was made today.
15. In 1902, lightening caused damaged to the upper section of the Eiffel Tower.

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