In the XXI century, there are still architectural structures whose age is estimated for thousands of years. All of them are objects of great interest to tourists, carefully protected by states and the world cultural community. Thanks to the invention of photography, we can see how much their condition has changed since the last centuries and how they looked before the intervention of restorers. It will be interesting. The Great Wall of China. The beginning of its construction dates back to the 3rd century BC.
The initial goal is to protect the state from enemies. The total length with branches is about 21200 km . It was built for several centuries. It looks a little different now than in the past, that’s how it was in 1907……………………………… And here is its modern look…….. For the Chinese, the wall has become a symbol of unification, although it has no practical significance. It is actively destroyed by time, but the places of tourist “pilgrimage” are maintained in excellent condition. It is very popular with foreigners.
The Great Sphinx. This is the oldest monumental sculpture on the planet. The approximate period of creation -2500 BC is located in Giza, Egypt, on the west bank of the mighty Nile. It represents a lion – sphinx lying on the sand, whose face, as has long been considered, has been given a portrait resemblance to Pharaoh Khephren, whose funeral pyramid is located nearby. But many did not even know that before the sphinx was partially hidden under the sands, this is evidenced by a photo taken around 1880…………
But now the sphinx looks different. It was completely exposed from the sand only in 1925 and still continues to attract thousands of tourists. The next ancient place is the Parthenon. The ancient Greek temple of white marble as part of the Athenian Acropolis, was created during the V century BC. During its history, it has experienced many wars, brutal shelling from cannons, alterations and looting. In the daguerreotype photograph of 1839, a mosque built in the XVII century is visible inside, but now the Parthenon has a completely different look…..
Although it is in a dilapidated state, it is still not in such a deplorable state as in the very first existing photo. To prevent the final destruction, in 1975, the Committee for the Preservation of the Monuments of the Acropolis was founded. In 2019, the Central Archaeological Council approved a project to restore the internal structure and the northern wall of the Parthenon. The pyramid of Kukulkan. In the VIII century, the Mayan city of Chichen Itza appeared on the territory of modern Mexico, around the same time a pyramid was built.
It is dedicated to the god Kukulkan, who was considered by the Maya to be the founder of the world. By the time of discovery, the pyramid was heavily overgrown with vegetation, which is clearly visible already in the photo of 1892. But time does not stand still and tourist interest has transformed the pyramid, and now it seems that the once overgrown ruins have nothing in common with a modern temple structure. El Khazneh. This temple was entirely carved into a sandy rock in the 1st century AD. It is located in the ancient city of Petra, Jordan.
There are different legends, but each of them says that untold treasures are hidden in the temple. The temple was reopened to the world in 1812, when it was discovered by a Swiss traveler. It has not changed much since the beginning of the 20th century, but restoration changes and a flat, not overgrown area near the complex are already noticeable in modern photographs. Machu Picchu is an ancient city on the territory of the state of Peru, founded around 1450. The height of the settlement above sea level is 2400 m .
The city has not been heard of for more than four centuries. Then he was accidentally seen from the plane by American pilots. Scientists failed to establish the purpose of its construction and even the “original” name. The photo of 1912 shows the ruins of the ancient city, about the same time the clearing and restoration of the settlement began, its modern appearance is already difficult to correlate with that photo, it has noticeably transformed.
Now Machu Picchu is called the new wonder of the world. And it is visited by hundreds of tourists, who are mostly delighted with the beauty of this place. Careful preservation of the world’s cultural monuments is the most important task of mankind for all ages. They are saved by our respect for the past and the happy desire of tourists to see everything with their own eyes.