Who's ? Right: Top Ten Religious Landmarks

There are numerous religious and sacred landmarks scattered throughout the world, which are venerated as 'holy sites' to all religions and creeds who built them. The following list was chosen in accordance with the top six religions in the modern world and how their cultural traditions sometimes intertwine with one another. The top six religions are Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. This 'Top Ten List of Religious Landmarks' was created by the Who's ? Right blog.

10- The Parthenon, on the Acropolis of Athens, Greece:

 

The Parthenon is an ancient temple on the Athenia Acropolis in Greece and dates back to the sanctuaries in Greek paganism. Construction began in 447 BC and completed in 438 BC and dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron virgin. In the last decade of the 6th century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church called Church of the Parthenos Maria. By the latter 15th century the Parthenon became a mosque; legend states Mehmed II ordered its conversion as punishment for an Athenian plot against Ottoman rule. In 1832, the entire Acropolis reverted back to Greece and the Parthenon has since been an historic national lankmark.

For more information, please visit wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenon
   

9- Mahamuni Statue of Buddha in India:

Per ancient tradition, only five likenesses of the Buddha were said to have been made during his lifetime: two were in India, two in paradise, and the 5th is the Mahamuni (Great Sage) pictured above. Archaeologists believe the image was probably cast during the reign of King Chandra Surya, who ascended the throne in AD 146, some 600 years after the Buddha actually passed away. Little is known of the Mahamuni over the next fifteen hundred years. Brought to Mandalay in 1794, it's the most venerated Buddha in all of Burma (a sovereign state in Southeast Asia).

For more information, please visit wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahamuni   

8- Christ the Redeemer Statue in Brazil:

 

Cristo Redentor (English: Christ the Redeemer) is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; considered the largest Art Deco statue in the world, it is 130 ft tall and is located at the peak of Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city. A symbol of Brazilian Christianity, the statue was constructed between 1922 and 1931. The idea of erecting a large statue atop Corcovado was first suggested in the mid-1850s, when Catholic priest Pedro Maria Boss requested financing from Princess Isabel to build a large religious monument. Princess Isabel did not think much of the idea and it was dismissed in 1889. The second proposal for the landmark was made in 1921 by the Catholic Circle of Rio. The donations for construction came mostly from Brazilian Catholics. 

For more information, please visit wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ-the-Redeemer

7- Sri Harmandir Sahib (aka: Golden Temple) in India:

 

Sri Harmandir Sahib (literally "The Temple of God")  is a prominent Kikh Gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India and was initiated by the fourth Guru, Ram Das ji and completed by his successor, Guru Arjan Dev ji in 1604 AD. The present-day Golden Temple was rebuilt in 1764 by Maharaja Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and other chieftains. While the temple was erected as a Sikh religious center, it was orginally intended as a place of worship for men and women from all walks of life and all religions. Considered a holy site and supreme center of Sikhism (a monothesic religion); their holy scriptures, known as the Guru Granth Sahib, is always present inside the Gurdwara. 

For more information, please visit wikipedia.org/Golden_Temple

6- The Wailing Wall (also called Western Wall) in Israel:



The Wailing Wall is in Jerusalem’s Old City. The wall was built around 516 BC and later renovated by Herod the Great around 20 BC. In the year 1867 AD, nineteen lines were discovered in the underground where the lowest line featured the rocks from the Tyropoeon Valley. In the year 1968 two more lines were discovered and it featured seven layers of stone belonging to the Byzantine and Roman periods. Prayers have been held at this sacred wall since 132 AD.

For more information, please visit wikipedia.org/Wailing_Wall

5- Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Israel:

Also know as Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of the Resurrection [by Eastern Christians] is a sacred church within the Christian Quarter of the walled Old City of Jerusalem. The church rests on the site of Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified, and is said to feature the burial place of Jesus. The church has been a paramount pilgrimage destination since the 4th century AD. Today it serves as the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and the control of the building is shared between several Christian churches, such as: Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholicism and Oriental Orthodox.

For more infomation, please visit wikipedia.org/ChurchoftheHolySepulchre

4- Dome of the Rock in Israel:

The Dome of the Rock is a religious shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem and is one of Islam's most holy sites. The structure (constructed on the site of the Second Jewish Temple, which was destroyed in 70 AD) has been refurbished many times since its completion in 691 AD, and has mainly remained under Islamic rule. The Ottoman Empire held ownership from 1517-1917; British mandate from 1917-1967; and, Israel took control during the Six Day War in 1967. A few hours after the Israeli flag was hoisted over the Dome during the [Six Day]War, the Israelis lowered it on the orders of Moshe Dayan (former Israeli Minister of Defense) and invested the Muslim waaf (religious trust) with the authority to manage the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, in order to "keep the peace".

For more information, please visit wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome-of-the-Rock

 3- Holy City of Varanasi, India:

The City of Varanasi [located along the banks of the River Ganges] in Uttar Pradesh, India is a religious landmark in its own right. It is regarded as a holy city by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The religious culture of Varanasi is closely associated with the River Ganges, as Hindus associate it with the Goddess Shakti and believes the river can cleanse one of sins and ensures release of a person's soul from the cycle of its transmigrations. Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhism, gave his first sermon at Sarnath located near Varanasi. This city has been a most sacred pilgrimage place and religious center for several thousand years. 

For more information, please visit wikipedia.org/Varanasi

2- Holy City of Mecca, Saudi Arabia:

 

The city of Mecca is the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. As the birthplace of Muhammad and site of the Qur'an composition, Mecca is deemed the holiest city in the religion of Islam. From the days of the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century AD until 1925, the sharifs (Muhammad's descendants) ruled the region until it was absorbed into a province of Saudi Arabia. In its modern period, Mecca has expanded considerably, which resulted in the loss of many historic buildings and archaeological sites. The holy city of Mecca is one of the most diverse cities in the Musim world, although the non-Muslim remains prohibited from entering the sacred city. 

For more information, please visit wikipedia.org/Mecca

1- Holy City of Jerusalem, Israel:

The city of Jerusalem is considered sacred ground in a number of religious traditions, including Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Each religion has a significant connection to the holy city. In Christianity, Jesus' life in Jerusalem has great importance, in addition to its place in the Old Testament, and God's relationship with His "chosen people". At the end of each of the Gospels, there are accounts of Jesus' Last Supper in an 'upper room' in Jerusalem, his arrest in Gethsemane, his trial, his crucifixion at Golgotha, his burial nearby and his resurrection and ascension. In Islam, Muhammad was taken to Jerusalem by a miraculous steed (Buraq), where he prayed and was taken into heaven for a single night [where met Abraham, Moses and Jesus] in 610 AD. While the Qur'an does not mention Jerusalem directly, it is believed the Qur'anic verse (17:1) implies that Jerusalem was "the farthest Mosque" (al-masjid al-Aqsa), which was located in Jerusalem. The significance of Abraham, David, Solomon and Jesus as Islamic prophets and mentioned in the Qur'an, also explains Islam's strong association. In Judaism, Jerusalem has been the ancestral and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people since the 10th century BC and given special status in Jewish religious law. Jerusalem appears in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible/Old Testament) 669 times and Zion (meaning "land of Israel") appears 154 times. The Talmud (commentaries of the rabbis) elaborates in great depth the Jewish connection with Jerusalem.

For more information, please visit wikipedia.org/Jerusalem