Ancient Archaeology and World Heritage

The Elephanta Caves, also known as Gharapuri Caves, are a collection of cave temples primarily dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. These ancient rock-cut shrines, considered to have been constructed between the 5th and 7th centuries CE are Located on Elephanta Island in Mumbai Harbour, India. The main cave at the island (also called the Great Cave) consists of a square court surrounded by cells and several entrances. The main entrance faces north, while two side entrances face east and west. The temple is enclosed in the cave with only interior walls, without an exterior wall. The Linga shrine of the Great Cave temple is a free-standing square stone cella (the inner area of an ancient temple), with entrances on each of its sides. Each door is flanked by two Dvarapalas (gate guardians) , for a total of eight around the shrine.

  The Temple of Edfu is located on the west bank of the Nile in Edfu, Upper Egypt. The temple was built during t he Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt between 237 BCE and 57 BCE and was dedicated to the ancient Egyptian deities Horus and Hathor. Construction of the temple which stands today is estimated to have commenced during the reign of Ptolemy III Euergetes (reigned from 246 BCE to 222 BCE) and completed during the reign of  P tolemy XII Auletes (reigned from 80 BCE to 58 BCE,  and again from 55 BCE to 51 BCE). The current temple was constructed on the site of an older, smaller temple also dedicated to Horus. The older temple was probably constructed and used in the 19th dynasty , during the reigns of Ramesses I (reigned from 1292 BCE to 1290 BCE), Seti I (reigned from 1290 BCE to 1279 BCE) and Ramesses II (reigned from 1279 BCE to 1213 BCE). The temple was abandoned as a religious monument following the banning of non-Christian worship within the Roman Empire in 39...

Located in northern Jordan,  Jerash  is one of the largest and most well-preserved sites of  Greek and Roman architecture  in the world outside Italy. While the earliest evidence of human settlement in Jerash dates back to 7500 BCE during the Neolithic age, the city flourished during the Greek, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods until its’ destruction by the  Galilee earthquake in 749 CE  and subsequent earthquakes. The archeological site of Jerash

The  Ajanta Caves  are a group of rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments estimated to have been constructed from the 2 nd Century BCE to about 480 CE, located in the Aurangabad District of Maharashtra State in India. It is believed that the caves served as a monsoon retreat for monks, as well as a resting site for merchants and pilgrims in ancient India. The distant view of the Ajanta Caves The currently identified 29 caves constitute of monasteries (Viharas) and worship-halls (Chaityas) attributed to the Buddhist tradition. The interior of the caves also contains "Dry-Fresco" (paintings on top of a dry plaster surface rather than into wet plaster) depicting the past lives and rebirths of Buddha and rock-cult sculptures related to Buddhism. The caves which have been numbered for ease of identification based on the order they could be visited as opposed to the time of their construction have been attributed to two distinct periods. The earliest group of caves are generall...

Ad Deir, widely known as the “The Monastery” is a mid-first century CE structure carved out of rock, in the ancient Nabataean city of Petra, located in modern day southern Jordan. Considered to be one of the largest structures in Petra, the Monastery is approximately 47 meters in height and 48 meters in width. Ad Deir (The Monastery) at Petra The Monastery is believed to have been constructed during the reign of Rabbel II Soter who was the last ruler of the Nabataean Kingdom, reigning for a period of 36 years from 70 CE to 106 CE. The architecture of the Monastery displays the classical Nabataean style , which is a blend of Hellenistic and Mesopotamian styles of construction.  The architecture of the Monastery displays the  classical Nabataean style The Hellenistic influence can be seen in the columns of the Monastery. The columns of the Monastery displays the  Hellenistic   style of construction The Mesopotamian style is evident in the single, large en...

Al-Khazneh, widely known as the Treasury is an elaborate rock cut tomb in Petra , a city of the Nabataean Kingdom (312 BCE – 106 CE) located in Southern Jordan . Al-Khazneh is estimated to have been constructed during the reign of the Nabataean King Aretas IV of Philopatris  (reigned approximately from 9 BCE to 40 CE). It  was carved out of a sandstone rock face and is estimated to be almost 40 meters in height. Al-Khazneh (The Treasury) at Petra The first glimpse of Al-Khazneh upon exiting the Siq, the narrow gorge which leads visitors into Petra The name Treasury is attributed to the legends surrounding the urn made of sandstone which sits high on the second level of the monument . The local Bedouins believed that the urn contained treasures. This myth is linked to the biblical legend of Moses and the Israelites escaping from Egypt. As per the local belief, the Egyptian Pharaoh and at least part of his army escaped the closing of the Dead Sea and continued after Mos...

The Amman Citadel  is an a rcheological site  located in Amman, the capital of Jordan. It is considered to be among the world’s oldest continuously inhabited places, beginning from the Pottery Neolithic Period (5500 BCE – 4500 BCE), followed by the Chalcolithic Period (4500 BCE – 3300 BCE), the Bronze Age (3300 BCE – 1200 BCE), the Iron Age (1200 BCE – 539 BCE), the Persian Period (539 BCE – 332 BCE), the Hellenistic Period (332 BCE- 63 BCE), the Nabataean Period (312 BCE – 106 CE), the Roman Period (63 BCE – 324 CE), the Byzantine Period (324 CE – 635 CE), the Umayyad Period (661 CE – 750 CE), the Abbasid Period (750 CE – 969 CE), the Fatimid Period (969 CE – 1171 CE), the Ayyubid Period (1171 CE – 1263 CE), the Mamluk Period (1250 CE – 1516 CE), all the way up to the Ottoman Period (1516 CE – 1918 CE). The Amman Citadel Currently, majority of the structures still remaining within the Citadel belong to the Roman, Byzantine, and Umayyad periods.   These incudes the...

The Philae Temple Complex is an island-based temple complex located in the reservoir of the Aswan Low Dam, downstream of the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser, Egypt. Originally located on the Philae Island (believed to be one of the burying places of the ancient Egyptian god Osiris), the temple complex was dismantled and relocated as part of UNESCO’s "International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia", to protect the monuments from the rising water levels of the Nile river. The temple complex is considered to be one of the best examples of the survival of pure Egyptian art, centuries after the last of the Pharaohs had ceased to reign over Egypt.  The first religious building on Philae is considered to be a shrine built by the 25th Dynasty Pharaoh Taharqa (estimated to have reigned from 690 BCE to 664 BCE) dedicated to the ancient Egyptian god Amun. However, the oldest temple known to have stood on the island was constructed by the 26th Dynasty Pharaoh Psamtik I (estimated t...