Mosque at St. Sophia

<p style="color:#dbdbdb ;padding:20px; border-left:5px solid #000000;">What do you call a place which began as a church, got converted into a mosque and serves as a museum today? From the Latin Empire to the Ottoman Empire, the massive structure changed the history of architecture. It is the Mosque at St. Sophia. Originally named as Hagia Sophia during the Catholic era, it was a Greek Orthodox Church. Designed with a very high dome, it has been the largest cathedral in the world for almost 1000 years. Hagia Sophia in Greek means ‘Shrine of the Holy Wisdom of God’. The basilica was dedicated to the Logos on the anniversary of the birth of Christ, that is, on 25th December because Jesus Christ is the second person of the Holy Trinity. It is famous around the world for the mystical light that reflects above the nave because of the forty windows. When it was converted into a mosque, it became an inspiration for other mosques such as the Blue Mosque of Istanbul and Sultan Ahmed Mosque during its times. </p>
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Colosseum Of Rome

<p style="color:#dbdbdb ;padding:20px; border-left:5px solid #E8AC74;">When in Rome, you will be charmed by the peace and serenity of the Eternal City with the seven hills and the bright silent moon that illuminates its graceful statues. One such eye-capturing beauty of Italy is the Colosseum of Rome. An iconic symbol of Imperial Rome, it is considered as one of the finest and greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering. Various games were played in the Colosseum and were free to the Ancient Romans. The people who visited then were provided complimentary food and this system had a famous saying, ‘free bread and circus to the people of Rome’. The Colosseum had about 80 entrances and it could accommodate approximately 50,000 spectators. The games and festivals held at the Colosseum could last for about 100 days and it is estimated that it had taken lives of about 5,00,000 people and over a million of wild animals. The Colosseum was originally known as Flavian Amphitheatre and was built by Emperor Vespasian. It was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as animal hunts, re-enactments of famous battles, executions and dramas and is one of the modern Wonders of the World. </p>
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Taj Mahal

<p style="color:#dbdbdb ;padding:20px; border-left:5px solid #7f7f7f;">We all know that one of the most supreme and an iconic image of India is the Taj Mahal. It is well known for its delicate minarets, gracefully curved archways and ice cream-scoop domes. Also, one of the eye capturing features is its changing colours at different times of the day, that is, from a pinkish hue in the morning, milky white in the evening and golden at night. Taj Mahal is regarded as the ‘Symbol of Immortal Love’ as it was built by Shah Jahan, the fifth ruler of the Mughal Empire in India, for his favourite wife, Arjumand Banu Begum, popularly known as ‘Mumtaz Mahal’, who was also his third wife. He built the Taj Mahal in her memory after her death in 1631 during the delivery of their fourteenth child. It is a Modern Wonder of the World and is one of the finest examples of the Mughal Architecture. It is estimated that the rich and cultural heritage was built by approximately 22,000 workers, which included the labourers, painters, stonecutters, embroidery artists and so on. The structure of Taj Mahal is such that its four sides are perfectly identical and it took about 17 long years for it to be completed.</p>
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