15 of The Worlds Greatest Living Rocks

I was looking on one of my favorite sites, oddee.com, and wanted to share this with everyone. These places are amazing and all of them are made of existing rock from the areas in which they are located. These are "15 of the World's Greatest Living Rock Formations." Hope you enjoy! Also if you know of others they missed please post!

1. The Great Sphinx at Giza in Egypt.
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A reclining lion with a human head that stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile, near modern-day Cairo, is the largest monolith statue in the world. It was said to have been built[/url]about 4500 yearrs ago. Many think it has the face of Khafre but there is no real proof of who built it or who it resembles. The Sphinx has always been one of my favorite structures on Earth. Its amazing and surrounded IMO in mystery.
For further reading on The Sphinx here is a pretty good link
www.touregypt.net...


2. Petra located in Jordan

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Ahhh IMO a very beautiful place! Its often called the "Rose City" or the "Lost City of Stone"

The Nabateans constructed it as their capital city around 100 BCE, after their decline, the site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was introduced to the West by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt

www.oddee.com...

If shaping the natural world is a sign of civilization, the Nabataeans were one of the most civilized peoples of antiquity. The spectacular ruins of Petra, chiseled by hand into the sandstone cliffs of southern Jordan, are testimony to Nabataean engineering and artistry—in the form of freestanding temples and nearly 3,000 rock-cut tombs, dwellings, banquet halls, altars and niches. Not only were these structures elaborately carved, but they were also covered with stucco and brightly painted, creating a spectacle of brilliant facades set against a backdrop of rose-colored cliffs.

www.amnh.org... For further reading visit this link..It has a lot of information and amazing pictures of Petra. Its a beautiful place. I can only imagine what it looked like in its prime.

3. Mt. Rushmore in the USA

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Well any American would know what Mt. Rushmore is. I know I learned about in Elementary School! It is located in South Dakota and depicts four of our countries Presidents. The faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln
.

South Dakota state historian Doane Robinson conceived the idea in 1923 to attract more people to the Black Hills of South Dakota with colossal carvings of western heroes. Robinson gained support from major players in South Dakota and Washington DC with the help of Senator Peter Norbeck and Congressman William Williamson. Congress passed legislation authorizing the mountain carving in Harney National Forest Preserve (now Black Hills National Forest).

www.nps.gov...

4. Leshan Giant Buddha located in China

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This is one I had never heard of before and its amazing and huge! I would love to see this in person. Its breath taking [

Built during the Tang Dynasty, the Leshan Giant Buddha is carved out of a cliff face that lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province in China, near the city of Leshan. The sculpture, which is seventy one meters (about 230 hundred feet) tall dwarfs the tourists that flock to see it. It is positioned so that it faces Mount Emei and stands at the meeting place of three rivers. Although the Government of China has promised a restoration program, the statue has suffered from the effects of pollution, particularly over the last twenty years. Fortunately, the statue was not damaged in the Sichuan earthquake of 2008.

www.oddee.com...
Further reading en.wikipedia.org...


5. Mahabalipuram Shore Temple (India)

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Built on the shores of the Bay of Bengal in Mahabalipuram (India) in the early 8th century by the Pallava King Rajasimha. The shore temple actually consists of 2 back to back shrines, one facing the east (the Bay), and the smaller one facing west.

www.oddee.com...
For further reading, this site has some good information and videos on this Temple
www.tamilnation.org...


6. Abu Simbel (Egypt)

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Another great structure in one of my favorite locations, Egypt! This place is amazing There are two temples at the border of Egypt and Sudan which were built for Ramses II also known as "Ramses The Great" during the 19th Dynasty (13th Century BC)
Ramses II information en.wikipedia.org...
Further reading on Abu Simbelen.wikipedia.org...

7. Dazu Rock Carvings (China)

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Located in Chongqing, China these are hewn in the cliffside, featuring more than 5,000 statues and over 100,000 Chinese characters of inscriptions or epigraphs.

The Dazu Rock Carvings was built from 650 in the Tang Dynasty and continued to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911).

Further reading en.wikipedia.org...

8. The Church of St. George (Ethiopia)
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The Church of St. George is a monolithic church in Lalibela, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. It is the most well known and last built (early thirteenth century) of the eleven churches in the Lalibela area, and has been referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World".

www.oddee.com...
further reading en.wikipedia.org...
I wasnt able to find much information on this place. Mostly it takes you to links about Ethiopia and very little on the Church. Either way its still a wonderful place.

9. Borobudor (Indonesia)
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Officially, Borobudur is a ninth-century Mahayana Buddhist monument in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. There is no written record as to who built it or why.
www.pbs.org...
en.wikipedia.org...

10. Cappadocia (Turkey)

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An extraordinary landscape formed millions of years ago by the combined work of lava spitting volcanoes, wind and water, there is culture too: the inhabitants of the area hew rooms, chapels, even whole villages out of the rocks. Religious Byzantine paintings can be found on the walls of the churches and monasteries.

www.oddee.com...
Here is a great site for further reading. I might have to do a thread on this place all by itself. I had never heard of this place before. The following link has a bunch of beautiful pics as well..
www.cappadociaturkey.net...


11. Bingling Temple(China)

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The Bingling Temple is a series of grottoes filled with Buddhist sculpture carved into natural caves and caverns in a canyon along the Yellow River.

www.chinabravo.com... for further reading


12. Hypogeum of Hal-Saflieni (Malta)

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The Hypogeum in Hal-Saflieni, Paola, Malta, is a subterranean structure dating to the Saflieni phase in Maltese prehistory. Thought to be originally a sanctuary, it became a necropolis in prehistoric times. It is the only prehistoric underground temple in the world.

www.oddee.com...
I vaguely remember reading about this place recently and what they have done to preserve the site. It seems they have walkways and glass walls surrounding the structures so that it is preserved and people can view. Personally I think they should leave it alone but thats just me
Here is a great thread by Skyfloating www.abovetopsecret.com...

13. Buddhas of Bamiyan (Afghanistan)
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The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km (143 miles) northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters (8,202 ft). Built during the sixth century, the statues represented the classic blended style of Indo-Greek art.

www.oddee.com...


[edit on 9/19/2009 by mblahnikluver]

cont......

They were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban, on orders from leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, after the Taliban government declared that they were "idols" (which are forbidden under Sharia law).
This to me is just insane but doesnt surprise me with that group. Its quite sad they destroyed an amazing piece of art/structure and part of their history.

14. Mada'in Saleh (Saudi Arabia)

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Madain Saleh, also known as al-Hijr, is one of the best known archaeological sites in Saudi Arabia, located near Ula (previously known as Dedan), some 400 kilometers north of Madina. Madain Saleh was once inhabited by the Nabataeans some 2000 years ago, Petra (located in Jordan) being the capital of the Nabataean kingdom. The Nabataeans are of Arab origin who became rich by their monopoly on the trade of incense and spice in particular between the East and the Roman, Greek and Egyptian empires. Madain Saleh has about 130 dwellings and tombs that extend over some 13 kilometers.

www.zubeyr-kureemun.com...


15. Naqsh-e Rustam (Iran)

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Naqsh-e Rostam is a site believed by archaeologists to have been a cemetery for Persepolis, where Achaemenid, Parthian and Sassanid royalty were laid to rest. Located about 3-4 kilometers northwest of Persepolis in Iran's Fars province, the site contains funerary related works belonging to the Elamite (second millennium BCE), Achaemenid (550-330 BCE) and Sassanid (226-651 CE) eras.

www.oddee.com...
Further reading en.wikipedia.org...



Ok so this was my first real thread as I call it I love oddee.com, I find many things on there I would like to post on here but someone usually beats me to it. I did a search for this one and didnt find it on here...If it is sorry but this took forever!
Many of these places I have never heard of. All of them are amazing and unique in their own way with a long history to go along with them Enjoy!

Article link www.oddee.com...


Edited to fix links

[edit on 9/19/2009 by mblahnikluver]

reply to post by mblahnikluver


WOW, fantastic find! Thanks for sharing! I've seen some of these, most notably Mount Rushmore which I've seen in person, but most I had never even heard of.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


VERY NICE thread M! I have never seen a few of those, truly astonishing feats of human culture. Very well laid out and presented, star and flag for sure. I would love to visit any one of those sites in person and actually be around such great achievements of human innovation. Thanks for making this for us.

Originally posted by JaxonRoberts
reply to post by mblahnikluver

 

WOW, fantastic find! Thanks for sharing! I've seen some of these, most notably Mount Rushmore which I've seen in person, but most I had never even heard of.

Thanks yeah I hadnt heard of most of them either. I swear if I hit the lotto I will be traveling A LOT! I have never seen Mt. Rushmore which is most accessible to me being in the US...

LOVE the new avatar!

reply to post by jkrog08


Thank you

Yeah while doing this I was reading about each place and its amazing how they did these so long ago. I still dont think we give our ancestors much credit when it comes to building things. IMO they were very innovative and creative. I personally love the structures and architecture from ancient civilizations versus current ones, but that is just me. IMO they took time and had deep meaning for their temples and buildings. I think that speaks a lot of these people in many cases. I sure would love to see some of these places esp Egypt!

Thank you for taking the time to put this together. It is amazing to me how these art/engineering creations were left from the ancient world.

I especially was impressed with the "Lost City of Stone".

reply to post by mblahnikluver


The location is carved from solid rock. The whole mountain top is one giant carving.

El Fuerte Bolivia[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/1e010e9c35aa.jpg[/atsimg]
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Not far away from Samaipata, one of the most important archeological monuments of pre-Columbian time in Bolivia can be found: El Fuerte (The Fortress). This archeological place has been declared Cultural Patrimony of Humanity by UNESCO. This mysterious place has been given many hypothetical explanations for its origins. It is supposed that El Fuerte is the work of the Amazonian pre-Incan 'Chané' culture, and later on was used as an advanced city by the Incas and finally by the Spanish colonists that turned El Fuerte into a fortress.

El Fuerte near Samaipata from aside village near el fuerte El Fuerte is the largest carved stone in the world. This archaeological monument reaches a height of 1.949 metres above sea level and is on the ridge of a hill of a sandy rock where ancient cultures sculptured figures but emphasized snakes and pumas, as well as waterways and wells, triangular and rectangular seats, vaulted niches, among other details.

[edit on 19-9-2009 by SLAYER69]

reply to post by SLAYER69


Wow that place is amazing too! Thanks for sharing....How did you get your information to look like that and not a quote? Thats what I was going for but seemed to have missed how to do that

reply to post by Mahree


You are welcome and thanks...

Yes Petra is a really interesting place. I have only heard of it in passing and I have never really read about it until recently. Its a beautiful place. I can only image what it looked like when it was started and flourishing with people. I have read over the years parts have been damaged due to earthquakes and a flood.

reply to post by SLAYER69


Thanks for the extra pics and information. That place is amazing! I swear that part of the world has some amazing places for our history. I would love to be able to visit a place like this. Thanks!

Great pictures. It's too bad one can't travel back in time to visit these historic places when they were newly built to see their original state. I've always been fascinated by ancient civilizations, especially ones with ornate stone craftsmanship that have lasted into the present day. (Petra is one city I've been interested in for many years, since I saw it onscreen as a background for the third Indiana Jones movie.)

I would love to someday visit Petra, and the many historic places in Egypt as well as other sites. I have been to Chichen Itza and other ruins around the Yucatan and that was well worth the trip.

Originally posted by Orion65
Great pictures. It's too bad one can't travel back in time to visit these historic places when they were newly built to see their original state. I've always been fascinated by ancient civilizations, especially ones with ornate stone craftsmanship that have lasted into the present day. (Petra is one city I've been interested in for many years, since I saw it onscreen as a background for the third Indiana Jones movie.)

I would love to someday visit Petra, and the many historic places in Egypt as well as other sites. I have been to Chichen Itza and other ruins around the Yucatan and that was well worth the trip.

I agree! I would love to go to all of these places esp Egypt and Petra. Yup I have seen that movie I have always been fascinated with Ancient Egypt. Its probably my favorite ancient civilization besides Mars (but thats another thread) It would have been amazing to see them during their time.

Have I just seen too much in my day? I've seen all the pictures you've posted lots of times, so maybe it's just me. Also, isn't this the fourth "___ ___ of the world" type of thread on this forum?

I wonder how long it will be until I see a "25 Incredible Cloud Formations (A MUST SEE!!)" thread.

hey cool OP- appreciate your work.

- quite a few of those I hadnt seen.

It would be nice to throw in the statue of Crazy Horse, a carved mountain in the US and of course there are lots of carved out habitations. I'm thinking of the cone shaped homes in Syria, also the "maisons troglodytes" outside of Tours, I believe, in France.

Enjoyed the OP.

Originally posted by SonicInfinity
Have I just seen too much in my day? I've seen all the pictures you've posted lots of times, so maybe it's just me. Also, isn't this the fourth "___ ___ of the world" type of thread on this forum?

I wonder how long it will be until I see a "25 Incredible Cloud Formations (A MUST SEE!!)" thread.

So you are a world traveler or an avid reader? Well good for you if you have seen all this, but many havent and neither had I and I wanted to share it with those who havent. Also there are dozens of threads on UFOs, swine flu, Obama and so on do you have problems with those too?? There are MANY "of the world" places since the world is pretty big and I dont mind seeing all of these threads personally. You never know what you might see. You might see something you havent.

Machu Picchu instantly came to mind.

www.insidesocal.com...

[edit on 19/9/09 by ROBL240]

Those are some amazing places..

I would love to travel and vist all those places. I looks great in pictures imagine how it is with your own eyes.

Originally posted by ipsedixit
It would be nice to throw in the statue of Crazy Horse, a carved mountain in the US and of course there are lots of carved out habitations. I'm thinking of the cone shaped homes in Syria, also the "maisons troglodytes" outside of Tours, I believe, in France.

Enjoyed the OP.

Thanks! I have never heard of the places you mentioned but I googled them The cone shaped homes are made of mud and are called "Beehives" since they resemble beehives. As for Crazy Horse well its fairly new but beautifully done none the less.

The "maisons troglodytes" are pretty interesting. Well "maison" in French means home and "troglodyte" translated becomes basically cave dweller or someone residing in a cave. Thats from my loose translation If I'm incorrect on the last word someone please tell me. I know the other means home though..

In antiquity, the people of the Troglodytes, who lived in Egypt, near the Red Sea, had settled in the crevices of rocks.

This is a short history behind "troglodyte." This I never knew of or even heard. I might have to read more into this Everything I like always brings me back to Egypt, I love it! Thanks for pointing these out
troglodytes
When I find more on them I will post it. I might have to translate to English since most of the info is in French. I guess I will get some practice on my French skills


[edit on 9/19/2009 by mblahnikluver]