Monumental

- Blurb -

A stunning photo book featuring portraits and summaries of 169 masterpieces from 10,000-plus years of architectural history, from churches and temples, castles and caves to pyramids and palaces, walls, towers, and more! The iridescent play of light through Gothic windows. Skyscrapers gleaming in the sun. The worn steps of a Mayan pyramid. Indian temples rich in detailed reliefs. Buildings move us, protect us, and give us places for devotion and contemplation, political debate, and artistic expression. Here, humankind' s architectural masterpieces are presented in outstanding photographs, accompanied by texts that highlight interesting facts about each monument' s history. Presented chronologically, this organization reveals often-overlooked parallels among cultures worldwide: Who would have thought that while the Romans were discussing politics at the Forum, life was flourishing in the Mexican city of Teotihuacan? Or that the Great Mosque of Djenne and St. Patrick' s Cathedral were built at the same time? This captivating book will take you on a global exploration of humanity' s greatest architectural achievements, all of which bear witness to their time. SELLING POINTS: . A gorgeous large-format photo book brings together diverse masterpieces from more than 10,000 years of architectural history . Deluxe linen-cloth edition, perfect for gift tables and coffee tables . Features full-colour photographic portraits of 169 of the world' s greatest buildings and UNESCO World Heritage Sites 350 colour images CONTENTS / List of Places Gobekli Tepe 14 Newgrange 16 Stonehenge 18 Ring of Brodgar 20 Pyramids of Giza 22 Great Sphinx 24 Luxor Temple 26 Karnak Temple Complex 28 Abu Simbel 30 Abu Simbel: Temple of Hathor 32 Persepolis 34 Delphi 36 Acropolis of Athens 38 Philae Temple of Isis 40 Petra 42 Nemrut Dagi 44 Wailing Wall 46 Roman Forum 48 Colosseum 50 Pantheon 52 Ephesus 54 Copan 56 Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem 58 Basilica of Saint Mary Major 60 Palenque 62 Chichen Itza 64 Tikal 66 Hagia Sophia 68 Ellora Caves 70 Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi 72 Masjid al-Haram 74 Hagia Sophia 76 Uxmal 78 Teotihuacan 80 Leshan Giant Buddha 82 Borobudur Temple 84 My Son 86 Aachen Cathedral 88 Great Wall of China 90 Dambulla Cave Temple 92 Ruins of Angkor 94 Imam Reza Shrine 96 Itchan Kala 98 Khajuraho Group of Monuments 100 Rani Ki Vav 102 Speyer Cathedral 104 Piazza del Duomo of Pisa (Cathedral Square, Pisa) 106 Canterbury Cathedral 108 Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey 110 St. Stephan' s Cathedral in Vienna 112 Strasbourg Minster 114 Great Mosque of Djenne 116 St. Patrick' s Cathedral, Dublin 118 Chartres Cathedral 120 Minaret of Jam 122 Lalibela Church 124 Salamanca Cathedral 126 Doge' s Palace 128 Piazza del Campo 130 Durham Cathedral 132 Chan Chan 134 Reims Cathedral 136 St. Mary' s Basilica, Krakow 138 Toledo Cathedral 140 Cologne Cathedral 142 Kotoku-in 144 Roskilde Cathedral 146 Florence Cathedral 148 Palazzo Vecchio 150 Westminster Abbey 152 Castles of King Edward in Gwynedd 154 Albi Cathedral 156 Cite de Carcassonne 158 St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague 160 Alcazar of Seville 162 Alhambra 164 Ayutthaya City 166 Bagan 168 Himeji Castle 170 Ulm Minster 172 Milan Cathedral 174 Sukhothai Historical Park 176 Meteora Monasteries 178 Moai 180 Shah-i-Zinda 182 Gur-e Amir 184 Forbidden City 186 Machu Picchu 188 Sistine Chapel 190 Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba 192 Sacsayhuaman 194 Amber Fort 196 Jeronimos Monastery of Belem 198 St. Peter' s Basilica 200 Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial 202 Registan 204 Selimiye Mosque 206 Kremlin Cathedrals 208 Saint Basil' s Cathedral, Moscow 210 Sultan Ahmed Mosque 212 Taj Mahal 214 Palace of Versailles 216 Shah Jahan Mosque 218 St. Paul' s Cathedral 220 Opera Garnier 222 Wurzburg Residence 224 Potala Palace in Lhasa 226 Meherangarh Fort 228 Melk Abbey 230 Library of Trinity College 232 Margravial Opera House, Bayreuth 234 Pilgrimage Church of Wies 236 Schonbrunn Palace 238 Summer Palace, Peking 240 Teatro alla Scala 242 Abbey Library of Saint Gall 244 Grand Palace, Bangkok 246 United States Capitol 248 City Palace, Jaipur 250 Saint Isaac' s Cathedral 252 Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls 254 Walhalla 256 Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II 258 Vienna State Opera 260 Spanish Synagogue, Prague 262 Neuschwanstein Castle 264 Natural History Museum 266 Brooklyn Bridge 268 Kunsthistorisches Museum of Vienna 270 Museum of Natural History of Vienna 272 Tower Bridge 274 Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ 276 Hungarian Parliament Building 278 Eiffel Tower 280 Basilica de la Sagrada Familia 282 Palace of Catalan Music, Barcelona 284 Mount Rushmore National Memorial 286 Chrysler Building 288 Empire State Building 290 Golden Gate Bridge 292 St. Joseph' s Church, Le Havre 294 Cathedral of Brasilia & National Congress Building 296 Sydney Opera House 298 Arche de la Defense 300 Hassan II Mosque 302 Oriental Pearl Tower 304 Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao 306 Petronas Towers 308 Burj al Arab 310 Valencia Opera House 312 Shanghai World Financial Center 314 National Center for the Performing Arts, Peking 316 Oslo Opera House 318 Sheikh Zayed Mosque 320 Burj Khalifa 322 Abraj Al-Bait Towers 324 Guangzhou Opera House 326 Marina Bay Sands 328 One World Trade Center 330 Tokyo Skytree 332 The Shard 334 Wuzhen Grand Theater 336 Harbin Grand Theatre 338 Dubai Opera 340 Shanghai Poly Grand Theater 342 Zhuhai Opera House 344 Louvre Abu Dhabi 346 V&A Dundee 348