Search Results: Temples

The megalithic temples of Malta and Gozo rank amongst the oldest free-standing buildings in the world. Construction of these temples started c. 3500 BCE, an impressive architectural feat for their time, particularly given that the builders...

There are at least a thousand reasons to visit Sicily, the great island – indeed the largest in the Mediterranean – that forms the triangular football to the boot that is the Italian peninsula. They are all very good reasons, including amazing...

Characteristics of Sicilian Archaic Temples The large dimensions of the components, the presence of a propteron, an adyton, and other specific elements of the plan and elevation speak for an originally very autonomous development of Sicilian...

The history of Pattadakal goes back to a time when it was called Kisuvolal, a valley of red soil. It even found a mention in Ptolemy's Geography in the 2nd century CE. Presently Pattadakal is located in the district of Bagalkot, state of...

Temples have been raised in honor of a peoples’ deities since before recorded history as evidenced by sites now regarded as religious centers including Gobekli Tepe, Stonehenge, Newgrange, among many others. Temples met the needs of the people...

The sunbaked plain of the Alentejo region in central Portugal is called planicie dourada (golden plain) by the Portuguese, and it is dotted with cork oak forests, vineyards, olive groves, and hilltop towns with whitewashed houses. 'Alentejo'...

Fire Temples are places of worship in the Zoroastrian religion. They were known as ataskada (“house of fire”) by the Persians but are best known today by their Greek name pyratheia (fire temple). They are thought to have originated from the...

The temple in ancient Egypt was the home of the deity it was built for, and the clergy attended the statue of that god or goddess as they would a living person. Every temple was designed with a forecourt, a reception area for public gatherings...

The architects of the ancient Greek world believed that temples should not just fulfil their purpose of housing a statue of a god or goddess but that they should be admired from both close-up and from afar. Consequently, a great deal of effort...

The sacred pool at Katas Raj Temples, said to have sprung from the tears of Shiva at the loss of his wife Satti. It is said to be the twin of the pool at Puruksha at Ajmer and is considered to be where the Pandawa brothers of the Mahabharata...