Ancient Archaeology and World Heritage

The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a reclining Sphinx (a mythical creature with the head of a human, and the body of a lion). It stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The Great Sphinx of Giza The Great Sphinx is the oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt . Its’ original shape was cut from the bedrock and was subsequently restored with layers of limestone blocks. The nose of the monument was broken at some point during the 2nd Millennium CE. The most famous story is that Napoleon Bonaparte shot the nose of the Great Sphinx with a cannonball during the French invasion of Egypt. However, historical records suggest that the invasion took place between 1798 CE and 1801 CE, whereas there were paintings of the Great Sphinx with its broken nose from as far back as the 17th century CE. The other story is that in 1378 CE, a religious rebel by the name of Mohamed Sa'm al-Dahr was responsible for destroying the nose. Neither story has been

The Colossi of Memnon  are two massive statues constructed using blocks of quartzite sandstone. The statues represent the 18th dynasty  Pharaoh Amenhotep III  who ruled Egypt between 1390 BCE and 1352 BCE. The two statues stand at the front of the  Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III  (built by the main architect  Amenhotep, son of Hapu around 1350 BCE ) which is believed to have been destroyed by an earthquake which occurred around 1200 BCE. At the time of its’ construction, the temple was the  largest in the Necropolis of Thebes .   The Colossi of Memnon Even though, certain inscriptions may differ, the two statues are believed to have been identical to each other when they were initially constructed. The twin statues depict Pharaoh Amenhotep III in a seated position, his hands resting on his knees and facing towards the Nile River. There are two shorter figures carved into the front throne alongside his legs representing his wife Tiye and mother Mutemwiya. The features above the waist

Estimated to have been constructed somewhere around the 13 th Century CE, Wat Si Chum is a Buddhist temple located in the northern zone of the Sukhothai Historical Park , outside the historic walled city of Sukhothai ( the capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom of Thailand in the 13th and 14th Century CE). The temple is best known for its’ Mondop with the massive seated Buddha image which is partially visible from a distance.

Ta Prohm which was originally called Rajavihara (Royal Monastery) was a Mahayana Buddhist temple, monastery and a university. Its’ ruins are located approximately one kilometre  east of Angkor Thom in modern-day Siem Reap, Cambodia . Completed in 1186 CE during the reign of King Jayavarman VII (reigned from 1181 CE to 1218 CE), Ta Prohm is one of the most popular temples among the visitors to Angkor, due to the massive trees and roots growing out of its’ ruins.

Halin (also known as Hanlin ) located in the Sagaing Division of Myanmar was once an ancient city of the Pyu Kingdom : a group of city states founded by the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu people  (the earliest inhabitants of Myanmar of whom records are still available). They were Buddhists of the "Sarvastivada" school. Estimated to have been established around the  1st or 2nd Century BCE , Halin was one of the earliest Pyu city states. It remained prominent until the 9th Century CE.

"Wat Mahathat" (“The Temple of the Great Relic”) was one of the most prominent Buddhist temples of Ayutthaya Kingdom : a Siamese Kingdom which existed from 1350 CE to 1767 CE in modern day Thailand. Located approximately 80 kilometres north of Thailand’s current capital Bangkok, it forms part of the Historic City of Ayutthaya (the capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom) which was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 CE.

Borobudur Temple Compounds comprise of three Buddhist temples situated in the central region of the Indonesian Island of Java. The three temples: namely Borobudur, Mendut and Pawon which fall on an approximate straight line were constructed during the reign of the Sailendra Dynasty around the 8 th and 9 th Century CE.

Angkor Thom (alternatively referred to as "Nokor Thom" in Khmer, which translates to “Great City” ) was established by “King Jayavarman VII” (who reigned from 1181 CE to 1218 CE) during the late 12th Century CE. It was the last capital of the Khmer Empire. Covering an area of approximately nine square kilometres, Angkor Thom contains several monuments established by Jayavarman VII himself as well as his predecessors and successors. Some of the best-known monuments are the Bayon temple , the Terrace of the Elephants and t he Terrace of the Leper King.

Extending up to approximately 78 meters (255 feet) on each of its' four sides, Dhammayangyi Temple is the largest temple structure in Bagan and its' construction was never even completed. Dhammayangyi temple

Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park is located  in   Kamphaeng Phet province of Thailand. It is  about 360km north of Bangkok, about 80km south of Sukhothai and about 350km south of Chiang Mai.  Along with  Sukhothai Historical Park  and  Si Satchanalai historical park , it is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site named  “Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns”  (designated in 1991 CE).