Top 3 Mysterious Places of the World

According to experts mysterious sites around the world were created by ancient civilization with the help of advanced knowledge and technology and that possibly can be more advanced than our current one.  Some do not believe that there was any so much advanced ancient civilization on earth and ancient astronauts who came down from heaven handed all of the superb knowledge down to us

Most of scientists do not believe on up stated ideas they try to explain ancient enigmas on the ground of religion and ritual.

According to Discovery Channel there are 3 places, which are the Most Enigmatic Places in the World. But aside from that there are so many other places around the world that capture our imagination because they seem to be so mysterious.

1. Stonehenge

Stonehenge is one of the most popular mysterious places in the world.

It’s a megalithic monument on the Salisbury Plain in Southern England. It’s composed of 30 upright stones, which are called sarsens, each stone is ten feet tall with more 45 tons weight; they are aligned in a circle with 30 lintels (each lintel weight is 6 tons) perched horizontally atop the sarsens in a continious circle. Inside the outer circle there another circle composed of similar stones and constructed in same fashion.

There are so many great monuments around the world now question is that what is so special about Stonehenge? Who built this? Is it was an astronomical observatory, a religious site or something supernatural?  There are no exact answers for these questions.

According to some experts Druids built Stonehenge, but they can’t tell about the builders. It was constructed between 5,000 and 3,000 years ago, from that it’s easy to know that it was built before that the first metal tools were invented.

Apart from that who built this stone monument, but that anyone can understand that in its construction thousands of people were involved. Dragging huge stones from Marlborough Downs, 30 Km to the south of Stonehenge that is remarkable achievement and amazing feat of engineering.

Stonehenge is even mentioned in Arthurian legend that names Merlin as the engineer.

Another interesting thing is that Stonehenge is built on such angle that the sun rising over the horizon appears to be perfectly placed between gaps in the megaliths.

2. Nazca Lines

Nazca Lines the excellent group of geolyphs in the world located in Nazca Desert, between the towns of Nazca and Palpa on the Pampas de Jumana in Peru. Engraved on the surface of the desert pampa sand about 300 figures made of straight lines, geometric shapes and pictures of animals and birds. All these engraved drawn images on the desert can be seen only from the air.

There are three mysterious features about Nazca Plateau:

·        The straight lines in the pattern of crossing lines in all directions are many kilometers long.

·        Many of lines form geometric shapes like angles, triangles, bunches, spirals, rectangles, wavy lines, etc.

·        Those lines form animal patterns also.

It is believed that the people called Nasca drew these lines but how they created this wonder of the world no one had explained. As the Nazca lines cannot be viewed except from the air it is assumed that the Nazca people had never seen their work from this vantage point.

3. Easter Island

Easter Island, which is called Rapa Nui in local language, is located in the southeastern Pacific Ocean and it’s under control of Chile government.

It is small, hilly, treeless island of volcanic origin.  It is one of most isolated inhabited territory on earth but this aspect is cause of its fame, the thing which makes it apart from any other place on earth is its hundreds of megalithic human like statues that face inland from the shore. These statues are called moai.

Approximately all moais are carved out of compressed, easily worked volcanic ash. In these moais largest ones weight is 165 tons and its height is almost 22 meters.

It really looks mysterious that on a barren island how these mega statues were carved? Who built these and why? And how such gigantic statues were carved?

Scholars are unable to answer these questions some suggest that Easter Island inhabitants, the Rapanui who were came from Polynesia.

Easter Island is also known as Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua, meaning “The Navel of the World” and as Mata-Ki-Te-Rani, meaning “ Eyes Looking at Heaven”.

Top 10 Largest Churches of the World

Christianity is the world’s largest religion and church is the place where they go to worship God! There are millions of churches all around the world. Here I had compiled a list of world’s 10 largest churches in terms of their floor area. Thousand of people go to these houses of God.

Here are the top 10 largest churches of the world:

1. St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City

The Saint Peter’s Basilica building is considered one of greatest building of its time. Construction of this church building was started on 15^th April 1506 and it was completed in 15^th November 1626. This great building which we have today taken almost 120 years, its having largest interior with the width of 150 m and length of 220 m. More than 60,000 people can hold prayers together in this holy building. The basilica is the holiest building in all churches of the world. Its official name in Italian is Basilca di San Pietro in Vaticano.

2. Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, Brazil

The new Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida was established as a minor basilica by Pope Saint Pius X in 1908.  Its new building was built in 1955 and it was architected by  Bendito Calixto.  Bendito Calixto designed it in form of Greek cross. This building’s length is 173m, width 168m, height 100 m and dome height is 70 m.  This church is having cpacity for 45,000 people. It was named as most important National Marian Shrine in Brazil by Pope John Paul II.

3. Cathedral of Seville, Spain

Cathedral of Seville in Spanish called as Catedral de Santa Maria de la Sede. This is the third largest church in the world and some claim it largest Gothic cathedral in the world. Its construction was started in 1402 and it was completed in 16^th century. Its building covers total area of 11,520 sq/m.  Christian architects added extra dimension to its height and now its central nave rise to a height of 138 ft.

4. Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, United States

This church’s architect was designed by the George Fredrick Bodley and Philip Hubert Frohman. Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in United States is considered to be the 4^th largest church in the world.  Its interior is having length of 183.2 m and width is 70.7 m. Originally it was designed as Byzantine Romanesque but later on it was changed to Gothic. This church was damaged by huge fire in 2001. Its building is having capacity for almost 20,000 people.

5. Liverpool Cathedral, United Kingdom

Liverpool cathedral of England is considered as 5^th largest church in the world. The total area covered by this church is 9,600 sq meters. Its building is mainly made of sand stone. Its bell tower is largest in the world and houses the world’s highest 219 feet and heaviest 31 tons ringing peal of bells. Those 13 bells are called Bartlett Bells. Its nave height is 116 feet and choir height is 116 feet also. It haves only one tower and that is bell tower.

6. Church of the Most Holy Trinity, Portugal

Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Portugal is the 4^th largest Catholic Church and sixth largest Christian church in the world. It is also known as Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Fatima. This church’s construction was started in 2004 and it was completed in 2007 and it was consecrated on October 12, 2007. Its length is 95 m and width is 115 m. Round about 9,000 people can hold up in its building.

7. Milan Cathedral, Italy

Milan Cathedral is dedicated to Santa Maria Nascente and it taken almost six centuries to be completed. It is referred as one of the greatest churches of the world. Its length is 157m and width is 92 meters. Forty thousand people can sit together in its building to worship God. In Gothic Cathedrals it is largest in world and in Christian churches it’s on 7^th number. It is considered as most famous building in Europe.

8. Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Belgium

Its first stone was laid by the King Leopold II in 1905 and its construction was completed in 1970. It taken time because its construction was stopped twice during both world wars, this church covers 164.5 meters area in length and 107.80 meters area in width. This is sixth largest Roman Catholic Church in the world. Almost 2,000 people can sit in this building.

9. Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, Ivory Coast

Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Ivory Coast is listed as world’s largest church in the Guinness World Records. Its covers area of 30,000 sq meters and almost 18,000 people can worship God in it. Its construction was started in 1985 and it was completed in 1989. This church was consecrated in 1990 by Pope John Paul II.

10. Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lichen, Poland

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lichen is the largest church in Poland. Its 7^th largest church in Europe and 10^th largest in the world, its construction was started in 1994 and it was completed in 2004.  It covers area of 120 meters in length and 77 meters in width. This church was built in hone of the Blessed Virgin Mary and it also holds a 200 year old painting known as the “Our Lady of Sorrows, Queen of Poland.”

10 Amazing Wonders of the Natural World

Earth is full of natural beauties and I don’t think that any one can see all of those in life.  From huge forests to marine life, from mountains to deserts the Earth shares its beauty with us.

We had made a list of such amazing wonders, which are less about places and more about formations and events.

1 – Ice Circles

It’s a rare fact that ice circle occur in slow moving water in cold climates. Ice circles are the large ice discs that rotate slowly in the water. It is believed that they form in eddy currents.

Ice circles are mostly observed in Scandinavia and North America, but in January 2009 one was also recorded in Britain.

2 – Red Tides

Red tide is a common name for a observable fact but correctly its known as an algal bloom, the event in which estuarine, marine, or fresh water algae rapid increase in the water column and results in discoloration of the surface water.

That can be seen only in coastal areas where algae are present in high concentrations.

3 – Columnar Basalt

Columnar Basalts are the rock formations that came in to existent from quick cooling of lava flow.

The most famous basalt flow in the world is the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland; on this basalt the vertical joints form polygonal columns from its appearance it seems as it’s built artificially.

4 – Sun Dogs

Sun Dogs are the particular type of ice halo. This is a colored patch of light at left or right of the sun, 22 degrees distant and at the same distance above the horizon as the sun. That is most usually or 2^nd most commonly seen of the ice halos.

Anywhere in the world in any seasons sundogs can be seen. In Europe or USA the can be seen once or twice in a week they are seen best when the sun is low.

5 – Moeraki Boulders

The Moeraki Boulders are large and spherical boulders lying Koekohe Beach on the wave cut Otago coast of New Zealand between Moeraki and Hampden. Those boulders are scattered on the stretch of the beach where they have been protected in scientific reserve.

The main aspect of these boulders is that they are unusually in the size and highly spherical in shape.

6 – Penitentes

Penitentes are the snow formation usually found on high altitudes. They look like tall thin blades of hardened snow, positioned closely and blades oriented towards the general direction of the sun.

Height of penitentes can be same as a person’s height. Darwin described them in 1839. When on March 22, 1835 he have to squeeze his way through snowfields covered in penitentes near the Piuquenes Pass, on the way from Santiago de Chile to the Argentinean city of Mendoza.

7 – Light Pillars

Light Pillars a visual occurrence created by the reflection of light from ice crystals with near horizontal parallel planar surfaces. Light pillars usually occur because of sunlight but moonlight and strong artificial light can also form light pillars.

The pillars look like the feather of the light that vertically lay out above or below the light source. When the sun is low on the horizon then most sun pillars can be seen.

8 – Catatumbo lightning

World’s largest single generator of Ozone is Catatumbo lightning in Venezuela. This is a cloud storm which forms a voltaic arc above the height of 5km, during 140 to 160 nights a year, 10 hours per day and up to 280 times per hour, over the area where Catatumbo River flows into the Lake Maracaibo.

Catatumbo Lightning can be seen from hundreds of miles away from the lake that is also known as Lighthouse of Maracaibo.

9 – Cave of the Crystals

Cave of Naica Mine is known as the Cave of the crystals. It’s located in Chihuahua, Mexico. This cave contains giant selenite crystals, some these are the largest natural crystals ever found.

The largest crystal in the cave is 26 ft in length, 36 ft in diameter and 55 tons in weight. The cave is about 98 feet in length and 33 ft in width. It’s extremely hot with air temperatures reaching up to 109F with 90 to 100 percent humidity. Without proper protection human can survive only ten minutes in this cave because of extreme temperatures.

10 – Pink and White Terraces

Pink and White Terraces were located in New Zealand but unfortunately they were destroyed by the violent volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886.

Geothermally heated water with large amounts of siliceous sinter that regularly spouted for two geysers located beside Lake Rotomahana and small waterfall on a hill slope, leaving thick pink and white silica, which formed terraces in the shape of water pools.

The white terraces were more beautiful and were covering a large area about 3 hectares and descending 30 meters, while people went to Pink terraces to bathe.

The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing

The Chinese Emperor Yongle designed Porcelain Tower of Nanjing. In China it’s called Bao’ensi, which means “Temple of Gratitude”. It’s situated on the south bank of the Yangtze River in Nanjing, China.

The Porcelain Tower in the view European visitors

The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing the European visitors give this name to it and they labeled it as one of the wonders of the world because of its unique structure, which they witnessed.

This exceptional structure was almost destroyed in 19^th century warfare and became part of history in other words forgotten part of history.

The people who seen it on firsthand they claims it one of the most exalted structure of a Buddhist pagoda.

A French mathematician who visited China in early 19^th century describes it as the best-contrived and noblest structure of the entire East.

Structure Description

Its construction was started in the 15^th century. It was having octagonal base of 97 feet in diameter. The tower was nine stories rose pyramidally with a height of about 260 feet.

An American missionary who visited Nanjing in 1852 according to his information the original plan for tower was of 13 stories with a total height of 330 feet.

Anyhow the smaller though made a little difference but it was not the size that made it a memorable structure for the visitors. The thing made it memorable was the structure’s elegance and beauty.

The white showy white porcelain bricks of the tower made it unforgettable. In daytime the bricks glitters in sunshine and in night those were light up with 140 lamps hanging around the exterior of the pagoda.

The porcelain panels were having the colorful work of stoneware tiles with green, yellow, white, and brown glazes along images if animals, landscapes, flowers, and bamboo.

The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus

This ancient Wonder was not listed as wonder because of its size it got place as Wonder because of its beauty though this also a burial place of a king, it fascinated its visitors for years. Being a burial place of a King haven’t mean that it got place in list of Wonders and neither it got that because of the size like pyramid. It became famous because of its astonishing beauty. It’s situated in the southwest Turkey’s city Bodrum on the Aegean Sea.

The ancient Persian kingdom was expanded to Mesopotamia, Northern India, Syria, Egypt, and Asia Minor because of such vast empire the king failed to have control over it, and it became hard to keep control on all those captured lands. From 377 to 353 BC King Mausollos of Caria and he moved his capital to Halicarnassus. There is nothing that we can found about Maussollos life except construction of his tomb. The idea about this project was conceived by his wife and sister Artemisia and its believed that construction of tomb was started in King’s life.

The Mausoleum was completed around 350 BC, it was completed 3 years after the death of the Maussollos.

It was having rectangular structure, with base dimensions of about 40m X 30m. The total height of Mausoleum was 45m (140 ft). Its height descended almost 20m (60 ft) for the stepped podium, 12 m (38 ft) for the colonnade, 7m (22ft) for the pyramid and 6 m (20ft) for the chariot at the top.

For almost 16 centuries The Mausoleum remained in good condition until it was struck by earthquake that damaged its roof and colonnade. The Knights of St. John of Malta invaded in early 15^th century and there they decided to build a massive crusader castle and it is said that blocks and stones of Mausoleum was used in that castle’s construction. Today that massive castle still stands in Bodrum, and the stones and blocks of Mausoleum can be seen in walls of the castle. On the site of Mausoleum only its foundations remain.

The Colosseum

The most famous monument of Ancient Rome is the Colosseum. Its real name is Flavian Amphitheatre. The Emperor Vespasian started it between 70 and 76 AD and his son Titus in 80AD completed it. Titus dedicated the Colosseum to the Vespasian death year after. It was having a grand opening by holding 100days worth of games there. The site where it was built there Nero was having a huge villa for himself. While Vespasian wanted to build something for people rather than for himself. It was given name the Colosseum because it was built near that place where Nero erected a huge statue of colossus of himself. That statue was 100 feet high and was the largest gilded bronze statue of its time depicting him as god of the sun. It was moved away latterly and it taken 24 elephants to move it from there.

The Colosseum was the great source of recreation and entertainment for all Roman Empire people enjoys to go to theater to watch plays and concerts, and stadium the chariot races and the amphitheater to watch the bloody sports. There were so many types of furious fights were held in the Colosseum like gladiatorial combats, fights with beasts and individual fights. The Colosseum was having capacity of having 50,000 people. Sometimes people spend whole day in the Colosseum watching sports.

The games were really wild and bloody and for almost 4 centuries men died for that only to provide entertainment to crowd. There were the training schools for the gladiators; most of those gladiators were the criminals and slaves.

At first there were fights to the death between wild animals such bear against buffalo, buffalo against elephant, and elephant against rhinoceros. There were fights between men and beasts also such fights were called venations.

The Amphitheater building from outside is built of travertine and interior haves tufa and bricks. Its outside was decorated with the Greek columns but that don’t support the architecture. The enclosing boundary of the Colosseum is of 527m and its height was 50m. It was having 80 entrances and all were having numbers except the 4 main entrances that were wider than other others were reserved for the Emperor. The Colosseum entrances were designed in such way that crowd could get out in five minutes. Its interior was divided into three parts: the arena, the podium, and the cavea.

Presently the two third of the original building had been removed and so many rows of seats in the cavea are missing. Though its structure was similar to other amphitheaters but in size it was lot bigger.

Paricutin Volcano

It was of 20 February 1943 when a Mexican farmer in the Mexican state of Michoacan he was readying his fields for springs sowing when ground nearby opened a crack about 150 feet long. He described that then he felt thunder and the trees were trembling then he seen in the hole the ground swelled and raised itself 21/2 meters high, then a kind of smoke or fine dust-gray like ashes began to rise with a loud whistling sound continuously and there was smell of sulfur in the air. He got so much frightened and tried to help unyoke one of the ox teams.

Eventually that was the volcano which born under the feet of the farmer.  Pulido and the other people escaped from that place. The next morning when they came back they saw that the cone was grown to the height of 30 feet and was uttering with great force. During the daytime it grew 120 feet more and in that night incandescent bombs blew more than 1,000 feet up into the darkness and then a slag like mass of lava rolled over Pulido’s cornfields.

This sudden volcano’s appearance stunned the whole scientific world as well as to that unlucky farmer also. Volcanic eruptions around the world are common but the birth of an entirely new volcano from the surface of the earth is purely rare.

If we look on the history about birth of new volcanoes in North America only two volcanoes have appeared in historic times. One was in Western Mexico’s Jorullo in 1759 almost 50 miles southeast of Dionisio Pulido’s property. The second was born 183 years later in the field of Pulido it was named Paricutin, on the name of nearby village, that village was destroyed because of that volcano appearance.

Paricutin and Jorullo both appeared in the Mexican Volcanic Belt. This belt is about 700 miles from east to west across southern Mexico. According to the geologists that dramatic volcanic eruptive activity deposited a layer of volcanic rock some 6,000 feet thick, which created a high and fertile plateau. During summer season the heights dramatically drags in moist breezes from the Pacific Ocean that make its climate pleasant and ideal that made its lands rich farmlands that’s why this belt is the most populous.

Although this region is already having three largest cities of the region, Mexico city, Puebla and Guadalajara that’s the area around 200 miles west of the capital and was still a peaceful backwater inhabited by Tarascan Indians in the early 1940s. This zone is loveliest place of Mexico that never experienced any volcanic activity during historic times. Though hundreds of no longer burning cones rose around the small valleys, the only breakout of a volcano in human memory had been that of distant Jorullo.

The Tarascan is not having any folk legends regarding volcano births in that area. But the dramatic appearance of Paricutin made them to look back to know to get the indication from past about the great change.

If we look in history record about this area its year wise is like this:

• In 1941 destruction of wooden cross on a hillside.
• In 1942 a plague of locusts.
• In the beginning of 1943 a series of earthquakes started.

Now if we look on the above signs sequence 1^st one was a sacrilege, 2^nd was biblical retribution and 3^rd is a series of earthquakes a resident of this area he told that time there was so many noises coming from the center of the earth.

A day before the break out of volcano in February 19 almost 300 earthquakes shaken the ground then on February 22 the new cone started rising and fiery skyrockets descending. The geologists who were monitoring and mapping the behavior of Paricutin from last nine years arrived. Paricutin was constantly under observation. Because of that constant observation the geologists gained a treasure of information including unique fleeting glimpses of ephemeral features.

New volcanic phenomena and process were sometimes obliterates almost as soon as they were recorded, especially during Paricutin’s first year of violent, explosive growth and change. The cone topped 1,100 feet that year, that’s the four-fifths of its final height and time of its eruption the explosions echoed all over the state of Michoacan, the ash snowed on faraway from Mexico City and almost all the vegetation for miles around the crater was destroyed.

The summer of 1943 was the most violent period of the volcano. Lava rose to about 50 feet below the mouth of the volcano till its outer edge. That opened a new passage explosively at the cone’s base, fountaining lava high into the sky. The lava destroyed all nearby villages that year.

After few years lava flow continued with little interruption. In 1952 right nine years after the birth of the Paricutin, the volcano experienced its last major spasm of activity. But till then all villages and farms were already relocated with help of government.

Monasteries of Meteora, Greece

There are so many beautiful monasteries around the world. But these six monasteries located in Greece that I am going to tell are the most unique ones. These monasteries are build on natural rock pillar on the edge of the Pindus Mountains in central Greece, these six spectacular Monasteries are known as “Monasteries of Meteora” means floating in the air.

1. The Monastery of St. Stephan

This monastery was founded in 14^th century. Now its convent for nuns. It is located almost on the outskirts of Kalambaka, a bridge there makes it easy to get there.

This monastery was badly damaged in World War II and the afterwards in civil war. So many precious and priceless water color paintings on walls were erased and others were totally were destroyed. Fortunately the Monastery’s most sacred asset the head of St. Charlambos was saved, about that its famous it wards off the illness.

Recently the nuns have been attempting to restore the sections of the monastery that are declining.

This monastery has a small museum having collection of ecclesiastical robes and objects.

Most of all this monastery haves a fascinating view.

2. The Monastery of the Holy Trinity

The Holy Trinity Monastery looks familiar, it probably can be that you seen in James Bond movie For Your Eyes only.

Aside from that great honor, the Holy Trinity Monastery boasts one of the most spectacular positions of the six Meteora monasteries – Agia Triada is perched atop a slender pinnacle and accessible only by 140 steep steps.

The one monk who lives there welcomes visitors and shows them around the monastery’s church, refectory and courtyard. Visitors to Holy Trinity can also see the winch system used to bring people and supplies to the mountaintop monasteries.

3. The Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron

If you are not having time to visit all six monasteries of Meteora then visit only one Great Meteoron Monastery. Though other monasteries are worth visiting but this one is top on all.

The Great Meteoron Monastery was founded in the 14^th century but monks built the present monastery in 16^th century that visitors see now.

The lovely church at the Great Meteoron is in the shape of a Greek cross and topped by a 12-sided dome. Inside there are so many watercolor elaborated wall paintings.

The frescoes in the dome feature Christ, the four evangelists, the apostles, and the prophets. Church fathers are by the altar and liturgical feasts are depicted along the walls of the nave. The narthex is decorated with rather frightening images of the Last Judgment and Punishment of the Damned.

Outside the church is a pleasant shady courtyard and a small museum containing icons and illuminated manuscripts. The wine cellar is well stocked with barrels of the sacred drink.

4. The Monastery of Saint Nikolaos Anapafsas

The Monastery of Saint Nikolaos Anapafsas is a little 14^th century monastery approached by a relatively gentle path on the otherwise rugged Meteora in Greece.

It features splendid frescoes by the 16^th century Cretan painter Theophanes the Monk.

5. Roussanou Monastery

Roussanou Monastery is on top of the rocky peaks of Meteora in Thessaly, Greece. Standing tall and strong still yet centuries passed.

It was founded in the 13^th century and now functions as a convent for nuns. The site includes octagonal domed church and beautiful courtyard. Its now easily accessible, thanks to its new bridge.

6. Varlaam Monastery

Varlaam Monastery is named for the monk who first built a tiny chapel on this rocky promontory in the 14^th century.

In the 16^th century two brothers from the monastery at loannina enlarged the chapel and founded the monastery. According to legend, they had to drive away the monster who lived in a cave on the summit before they could move in.

Today, a narrow bridge that runs from the main road on the Meteora can access Varlaam Monastery. Varlaam Monastery’s most pleasant features are the garden and the monk who sometimes sits there and chats with visitors. The old refectory is now a museum.

Varlaam contains frescoes by the well-known iconographer Frangos Katelanos and houses a collection of relics, carved wooden crosses, icons, embroidered epitaphoi and   many other ecclesiastical treasures.

North of the church is the “Parekklesion of the Three” (dedicated to the Three Bishops: St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St. John Chrysostom), which was built in 1627 and decorated in 1637.

The busiest tourist season at Meteora is between May and September. The mountain range to the east and north of Meteora experiences baking heat in summer and severe cold in winter with heavy snowfalls. Summer is the driest time. Storms occur year round, especially at higher altitudes. Most visitors to Meteora stay in Kalambaka or Kastraki, the two closest villages to Meteora.

In my opinion these Monasteries are the standing human hand build wonders of world still standing tall having so many stories along them. A sacred but fascinating place to visit.