Simply the greatest architectural achievement on earth, not to mention a testament to love- Taj Mahal is among the Travellers’ Choice Top 25 Landmarks in the World for 2015, selected by TripAdvisor users around the globe. For its sheer beauty made out of white marble, Taj Mahal has always been considered as one of the wonders of the world. It is indeed among the most recognisable buildings on this globe.
Not surprisingly though, the top place in the list goes to Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia’s Siem Reap. Another of man-made wonders Machu-Picchu in South American country of Peru is at 2nd position. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre at Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates is at 4th position and Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Spanish city of Barcelona completes the top five landmarks.
Next two positions are held by two other cathedrals in Italy, St. Peter’s Basilica at Vatican City and Milan Cathedral (Duomo) at Milan. Alcatraz in San Franciso, California is 8th, Corcovado – Cristo Redentor at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is 9th and another of San Francisco’s landmark- Golden Gate Bridge is at 10th. Two of world’s most famous landmarks are surprisingly out of top 10- Eiffel Tower in Paris is at 11th and Church of the Savior on Blood at St. Petersburg in Russia at 12th. Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is at 13th and The Alhambra at Granada in Spain is at 14th. Hagia Sophia Museum / Church (Ayasofya) at Istanbul in Turkey completes the top 15 list.
Continuing human fascination for bridges Charles Bridge (Karluv Most) at Prague, Czech Republic has earned 16th position. Very surprisingly, one of the landmarks that we study about since our childhoods- The Great Wall of China is only at 17th spot. Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool at Washington DC, District of Columbia in USA is 18th. Next two are probably the most newest structures in the list- Burj Khalifa at Dubai is at 19th and The National September 11 Memorial & Museum New York City, New York at 20th. Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho) at Bangkok, Thailand is 21st and Chichen Itza at Mexico is at 22nd position. Sydney Opera House at Sydney is Australia’s only entry to the list. Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur are at 24th and the 100-year old crossroad for world commerce and a feat of human ingenuity- Panama Canal at Panama City completes the most fascinating list.