Travel in Time to the Ancient World - The Shadows of Life #24

Hello dear passengers; our time travel will commence soon. If you want to come with us please fasten your seatbelts, I will be your guide and don’t forget that the ancient world can be enchanting. Let’s start!

Our first destination is Cambodia. Angkor Wat is a massive temple-capital city, which was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century. It is the largest spiritual place in the World (1,626,000m2). It was first constructed as a Hindu temple but later it changed into a Buddhist temple. It is not only a wonder of art but also a wonder of architecture. In Anghor Wat, there are lots of statues which belongs to different religions. Some people believe that the temple was built in one night by a “divine architect”. Angkor Wat has lots of mysteries; like  how it was built? Why Angkor Wat is facing to the west instead of east, which all other temples are facing? The statues’ faces on the walls belongs to whom? Who are the goddesses in the glyphs? Mysteries goes on.......

Our second destination is Jordan. Petra was the capital city of the Nabataeans. Rose City is the other name of Petra because of the stone’s colour which it is carved into. Archeologists think that Petra was built to protect a secret treasure and graves of kings. Also people believe that this place is where Moses parted the Red Sea. Petra has rock-cut architecture and a water channel system. It’s area is almost 100 km and it consists of houses, temples, graves and an amphitheatre.

​Our third destination is Myanmar. Bagan was the capital city of the Pagan Kingdom in the 9th century to the 13th century. Bagan consists of buddhist temples, pagodas and abbeies (Over 2,200 temples and pagodas). The Bagan temples can be divided into two types; Stupa temples and the Gu-style hollow temple. Stupa has a relic chamber inside, Hollow temple is built for meditation and Buddhist rituals.

​Our fourth destination is Mexico. Chichen Itza was one of the largest Mayan cities if not the largest. The name "Chichen Itza" means "At the mouth of the well of the Itza”. Chichen Itza was also dedicated to a Mayan God named Kukulkan, who was depicted as a feathered serpent. The setting sun on the spring and fall equinoxes turns the shadows of the steps into an illusion of a serpent slithering down the banister.

​Our last destination is Peru. Machu Picchu was a city of Inca. It is located on top of the Andes.(2.430 meters high). It was built by Pachacutec Yupanqui around 1450. ’Machu’ means old, ‘Picchu’ means summit. In Machu Picchu’s construction, massive dressed stones were used without any mortar and this technic is called Ashlar.
Our time travel ends now. I hope you liked it. We, as people who love the history, culture and architecture should protect the Ancient World’s beauty and teach the importance of these places to the new generations.

Leo Cansu Ündeyoglu
Agora Leo Club Turkey