TEN MOST VISITED MONUMENTS

(2.5 million visitors a year)

Besides its architecture, it is a symbol of love, having been built by the emperor Shah Jahan as a posthumous offering for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died after giving birth to their fourteenth child.

(3 million visitors a year)

The Pyramids of Giza are one of the largest pyramids of Egypt and were ordered to be built by the pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt Khufu, while the architect was Hemiunu, who finished it in about 2570 B.C.

(more than 3 million visitors a year)

The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex. Declared a World Heritage Site, it is the most visited monument in Spain. It consists of a defensive side, the Alcazaba, the Nasrid Palaces and the Generalife Gardens.

(4.24 million visitors a year)

The actual name of the Statue of Liberty is Liberty Enlightening the World, and it was a gift from the French to the Americans to celebrate the centennial of the Declaration of Independence of the country. It opened in 1886 and was designed by Frédéric Bartholdi; the internal structure was planned by the engineer Gustave Eiffel.

(5.11 million visitors a year)

The Roman Colosseum is an amphitheater made during Roman times; it was built in the first century, originally called the Flavian Amphitheatre (Amphitheatrum Flavium) in honor of the Flavian dynasty that built it, and then was called Colosseum due to a statue that was placed next to it. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1980 and one of The New Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

(6 million visitors a year)

Lincoln Memorial is a monument in memory of former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the primary statue – Abraham Lincoln, 1920 – was Daniel Chester French. It was dedicated in 1922.

(6.7 million visitors a year)

The Eiffel Tower is the symbol of both France and its capital, Paris, where it is located. It was designed and built by engineer Gustave Eiffel for the Universal Exhibition of 1889, held in Paris.

(7.4 million visitors a year)

The Sydney Opera House was declared a World Heritage Site and is considered one of the most famous and distinctive buildings of the twentieth century. It headquarters the Australia Opera Company, the Sydney Theatre Company and the Sydney Symphonic Orchestra.

(9 million visitors a year)

The Great Wall of China, a series of fortifications, was named a World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It is considered the largest cemetery in the world because 10 million construction workers who died while building it were buried in its surroundings.

(12 million visitors a year)

The Catholic cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris is one of the oldest and finest examples of French Gothic design. It was completed in 1345 and today is the seat of the archbishop of Paris.

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