Etna Park. Lauria Castle Lauria Castle is located in the center of the town of Castiglione, born as a defensive fortress of the city on sandstone, surrounded by majestic defensive walls, it forms a perfect military defense with the rest of the Alcantara valley. From the highest point of the castle, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the valley. Currently, the castle only has the bell tower and some ruins of the walls and passages. Cuban Byzantine Church Near the Castiglione di Sicilia you can find a typical Byzantine building called Santa Domenica Cuba, one of the very few buildings of this architecture still standing in Sicily. This church is in the shape of a Greek cross with a square plan, a dome. Built of lava stone, stucco, and terracotta, Santa Domenica Cuba has been a national monument since 1909. The Alcantara . gorges Alcantara River Park is one of the most beautiful parks in Sicily. The fast-flowing Alcantara River has magnificently sculpted the surrounding area to its liking. Next to it are deep gorges with lava basalt walls created by the ancient eruptions of the Etna volcano. Therefore, it is said that the scenery here gives visitors a sense of the strange power of water and fire. Etna Park Etna Park is a protected natural area whose main purpose is the absolute preservation of the Etna Range, a world heritage site. This park is home to many animals such as hedgehogs, foxes and Etna wild cats… It also has a luxuriant flora including chestnuts, olives, oaks, birch, Etna broom… with vibrant colors, effectively contrasting with the black color of the lava rock. Piano Provenzana ski area. Piano Provenzana . ski area Piano Provenzana is a ski area located just a few minutes from town. A magical and fascinating place that combines the beauty of the typical alpine landscape with the landscape of the sea. From above, visitors can admire the whole area with 360-degree views.

The ruins of the ancient city of Tikal, where the Teotihuacan population was discovered. Autonomous zone in the city To the naked eye – and on archaeologists’ maps – the structure looks like a hill amid the undulating landscape of Tikal, the ancient Maya city-state in the lowlands of northern Guatemala. But when the researchers zoomed in on the image with a laser scanning device called LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), they saw a man-made pyramid structure. , hidden under the soil and vegetation accumulated for thousands of years. This structure is actually part of an old residential area, different from most structures that have existed in Tikal. It has a distinctive shape, orientation and architectural features commonly found in Teotihuacan, a powerful city-state belonging to another civilization, near present-day Mexico City, 1200km west of Tikal. Upon closer inspection, archaeologists found that the complex appeared to be a copy of the giant Citadel square in Teotihuacan but was only half the size. The new discovery of a massive monument at the heart of Tikal – one of the most widely excavated and studied archaeological sites on Earth, shows that LiDAR is revolutionizing archeology in Central America, where these sites The jungle often renders satellite imagery useless. From here, however, a difficult question also arises: What role does an area of ​​the remote Teotihuacan city-state play in the heart of this Maya capital? After studying images from LiDAR, Edwin Román-Ramírez, Director of the South Tikal Archaeological Project conducted excavations in the summer of 2020. Digging tunnels into the site, his team made the discovery. Building tools, funeral offerings, pottery, and weapons are typical of early fourth-century Teotihuacan. From censers decorated with the rain god Teotihuacan, to darts made of green obsidian in central Mexico, the site is likely a quasi-autonomous neighborhood in central Tikal. Román-Ramírez said: “We know that the Teotihuacans had some presence and influence in Tikal and nearby Maya areas before 378. But it is not clear how well the Mayans were associated with the most powerful kingdom in the region. . Now there is evidence that their relationship is even closer than that.” Relationship between two civilizations The ruins of the Citadel Square of the Teotihuacan civilization. Thomas Garrison – a geographer at the University of Texas – Austin (USA), specializing in the use of digital technology for archaeological research, said that the above findings proved to a certain extent that the America’s old town isn’t too different from today’s cosmopolitan cities. “There is a mixture of cultures and people of different backgrounds and languages ​​coexist, maintaining their identity in one city,” he said. A study funded by the Pacunam LiDAR Initiative, which published groundbreaking findings in 2018, reveals a vast network of ancient cities in the Maya lowlands, home to millions of people. people, more than previously thought. Scientists Edwin Román – Ramírez noted that the above findings do not confirm that the builders of the complex came from Teotihuacan. “But what we found shows that, for more than a century people who are more or less familiar with Teotihuacan culture and traditions have lived there, in their own region,” he said. Based on ceramic designs found in the ruins, the team estimates that construction at the site began at least 100 years before 378, an important date in Mayan history. According to the Maya inscriptions, the king of Teotihuacan sent a general called the Born of Fire to overthrow the king of Tikal, Jaguar Paw, and put his young son in charge of the country. Born of Fire arrived in Tikal on January 16, 378, the same day that Jaguar Paw “entered the water” – a Mayan metaphor for death. After being annexed, Tikal flourished for several centuries, conquering and pacifying neighboring cities, and spreading their culture throughout the plains. Tikal’s hegemony during this period is well documented, but it is not clear why, after decades of friendly coexistence, Teotihuacan turned his back on his former ally. Further excavations at Tikal may provide new insights, but a recent discovery in Teotihuacan suggests that cultural conflict may have sparked the breakup between these two powerful city-states. A team of scientists led by Nawa Sugiyama, an archaeologist at the University of California, Riverside (USA), has discovered a “Maya house” at Teotihuacan. The opulent buildings here are decorated with splendid Mayan murals, suggesting that the inhabitants were either elite diplomats or aristocratic families. But just before Tikal was annexed in 378, the murals were smashed to pieces and buried. A nearby pit was filled with shattered human skeletons, indicating the sudden shift from diplomacy to violent confrontation between the two city-states. “What went wrong in that relationship, when a bunch of elite Maya residents were massacred, their buildings were demolished, all their belongings were thrown away, and then their homeland was conquered. ruled by a child king?” asked Francisco Estrada-Belli, an archaeologist at Tulane University. It is also one of the great mysteries of Central America that scientists are trying to answer.

Ruins of the “golden city” of King Amenhotep III. What they found was very impressive, it was a labyrinthine city with mud-brick walls, creating an ancient metropolis built by King Tutankhamun’s grandfather King Amenhotep III. The work of the richest Pharaoh On the banks of the Nile, in the city of Luxor adjacent to the Valley of the Kings of Egypt, about 480km south of Cairo, a century ago, archaeologists discovered a very impressive tomb of the king. Tutankhamun. However, the “lost city of gold” built by King Amenhotep III is equally impressive. “Because the area is close to some major monuments and because it is a relatively flat desert, the wind accumulates sand on the surface very quickly and the mud brick walls also disappear easily” – Egyptologist Betsy Bryan of John Hopkins University talks about the city buried under the sand (she was not directly involved in this research). Within weeks of starting excavations, Hawass’s team discovered mud bricks stamped with the name of King Amenhotep III. That helps them estimate the city was built 3,400 years ago when King Amenhotep III ruled from 1391 BC to 1353 BC. “I call it the ‘golden city’ because it was built during the golden age of Egypt,” Hawass said. According to Betsy Bryan, King Amenhotep III was “the richest pharaoh”. He ruled in times of peace and this enabled him to amass unprecedented wealth. “He was never at war. All he did was sit down and count money for 40 years, so he kept building,” she said. However, the exact location of the “golden city” has not been found for nearly a century. “Many foreign missions have come looking for it and have never found it,” Hawass said in a press release, adding that it could be the largest ancient city ever found in Egypt. In 1934 and 1935, a French excavation team went to Luxor to find the “lost city of gold” but found nothing. According to Hawass, the attempt failed because archaeologists were looking in the wrong place. To date, Mr. Hawass’ team has discovered ruins of the city in an area of ​​at least 800 square metres, but it is likely that the city is much larger. It could extend straight to the king’s palace in Malkata, about 3km south of the twin statue depicting King Amenhotep III called Colossi of Memnon, according to Bryan. An unprecedented discovery The newly discovered city appears to be divided into industrial and residential areas. To the south, archaeologists found an ancient bakery with a cooking and meal preparation area, an oven, and pantry pottery. Another neighborhood has many workshops, a mud brick factory used to build temples and amulet factory. Another part of the city is the houses. Beyond the size of the city, Mr Hawass said the “huge amount of artifacts” his team discovered there made it an unprecedented archaeological find. It gives us a rare glimpse into the life of the ancient Egyptians at a time when the empire was at its richest. Buildings surround the street and have walls as high as 2.7 meters. Scattered throughout the buildings, Mr. Hawass’ team found rooms filled with pottery, glass, metalwork and weaving tools. The ancient Egyptians used these objects in their daily lives. However, they have not been touched for millennia. In addition, Mr. Hawass’s team also found a large cemetery north of the city. It is not known how large the cemetery is, but they have discovered a cluster of underground tombs with stairs leading to the entrance to the tomb. In one area of ​​the cemetery, they found a grave containing a skeleton with a rope wrapped around the knee. Mr Hawass is still looking into why the body was buried this way. “For those of us who care about people and how they do things, this place is a treasure trove,” Ms. Bryan said. Near the cemetery, Mr. Hawass’s team found a piece of pottery containing dried meat, possibly from a butcher at a slaughterhouse. The urn has an inscription indicating that the meat was for a festival commemorating the rule of King Amenhotep III. According to Ms. Bryan, the city’s residents are skilled craftsmen, making ceramic vases, glassware and temple decorations under the name Amenhotep III. In addition, Hawass’s research team has also discovered amulets, rings and wine caskets in the city. Many more mysteries will be revealed as the secret of the “golden city” continues to emerge, but what archaeologists have discovered so far, can see the wealth and bustle in a city. Egypt in its heyday.

Ruins of a former children’s play area in Chernobyl. A dust-covered nuclear power plant, nestled among rubble piles and abandoned buildings is not a reminder of UNESCO’s world cultural heritage. But the Ukrainian government has ambitions to win this title for the Chernobyl plant. If successful, Chernobyl will join the ranks of the most iconic monuments to human culture and civilization, such as the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, the great pillars of Stonehenge, the Forbidden City of Beijing and the high-rise Easter Island in Rapa Nui. According to the UNESCO website, in order to be considered for inclusion on the World Heritage List, a site “must have outstanding universal value” and ensures at least one quality that matches the agency’s selection criteria. this. Some of the locations on the list represent spectacular and unique examples of natural grandeur, such as Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks in the United States; Halong Bay of Vietnam; Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Pristine Białowieża Forest between Russia and Belarus. Other locations, China’s Great Wall, Mexico’s Chichén Itzá ruins and the city of Venice, Italy, have earned a spot on the list for their importance in human history as well as its rare beauty. them. The sites on the list have certain legal protection and may receive financial support from the World Heritage Fund to help conserve it, according to UNESCO. In order for a site to be eligible for UNESCO listing, it must first be added to the list of historical and cultural heritage in its country of origin. According to the Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko: “We believe that the inclusion of Chernobyl on the UNESCO heritage list is the first and important step towards making this wonderful place a featured tourist destination for all mankind. care. The importance of the Chernobyl region goes far beyond Ukraine’s borders. It is not only about memories, but also about history and human rights ”. In fact, the tourism industry has been booming in the forbidden zone. One of the cities in the region – Pripyat, home to about 49,000 people in 1986 – is today an apocalyptic ghost town; The homes, schools and hospitals are uninhabited and are home to plants and wildlife. The forbidden zone was first opened to visitors in 2010, and Pripyat’s bizarre, overgrown buildings quickly became a popular destination for photographers and travel enthusiasts. disaster site. But the Chernobyl tourism industry really took off after the success of the 2019 thriller series on HBO, “Chernobyl”. Guides in Ukraine reported tour bookings in 2019 were up 30% from the previous year. About 124,000 tourists visited Chernobyl last year and about 100,000 of them came from outside Ukraine. Scientists are also monitoring Chernobyl to track how wildlife in the forbidden area adapts to levels of radiation exposure making the area unsafe for humans – and some findings They are surprisingly positive. For example, recent surveys show that gray wolves (Canis lupus) are thriving near Chernobyl, partly because they have many prey and many territories that have not yet been affected by humans. And a rare Asian wild horse known as the Przewalski (Equus ferus przewalskii) is also thriving in the restricted area.

Gara Medouar reappeared in the 2001 sequel ‘The Mummy Return’ in 2001. The eerie location then becomes the wicked lair of 007 Bond character Franz Oberhauser in the 2015 Specter film Oberhauser His cave is located inside a crater, but in reality, Gara Medouar is a crater. Gara Medouar, which in the local language means “round mountain”, is the remains of a large mass of limestone that has been eroded away. The current state is 50 meters higher than the desert, about 50 hectares in area. The central region collapsed, forming a valley. The partially broken circular mountain mass creates a central entrance. The bizarre crater attracts tourists in Morocco The interior was quite flat and probably because the water had washed away all the material long ago. The unique irregular terrain of the Gara Medouar makes it a very impressive natural haven. Many caravans choose this area to hide when they encounter a sandstorm during their desert journey. Later, at a time Gara Medouar became a temporary detention area for slaves sold from Africa to Portugal. In the 11th century, it developed into a fortress capable of protecting the nearby commercial city of Sijilmasa, where gold coins were minted and trade routes from the south. The defensive wall, built around a third of the mountain’s natural circumference, is currently the remains of the fortress. But the most impressive is the wall straight through the large ravine blocking the only entrance to the mountain. The wall was about 8 meters high, some were 12 meters long and 80 meters long and 4 meters thick. The wall has an extremely solid structure, limestone blocks bound together by lime mortar. The fortress with high ground is well protected, providing extensive control, from the height of the Gara Medouar, one can observe the area with a radius of up to 50 km. After Gara Medouar appeared in the famous movie ‘The Mummy’, the site became more and more popular, attracting many tourists. However, tourism activities also disrupt archaeological investigations.