Great Wall of China

why Great wall of china is special

The Great Wall of China is by far mankind's most extensive construction endeavor.In its heyday in the 16th and 17th centuries, it snaked 6400 kilometers (4000 miles) across northern China

It zig-zags up and down steep ridges and is punctuated with imposing watchtowers, making the Great Wall of China one of the most photogenic man-made structures on earth

Today, the Great Wall is the travel icon of China.- and one of the leading vacation travel destinations in the world

Why the Great Wall of China was built

Among the many reasons: 0

To serve as lookout postsThe ancient Chinese had rational fears about being invaded by nomad armies from the north

To provide the army with a swift early warning system - Fire signals (nighttime) and smoke signals (daytime) were relayed from one Great Wall watchtower to another. Messages could be rapidly sent over great distances

To create an elevated military roadway through the rugged terrain - This helped speed the deployment of soldiers from one area to another along the Great Wall of China

To impede invaders - This worked against feeble armies. However, the Great Wall of China would serve more as a psychological than a physical barrier against a determined, well-manned military force. A formidable invader could easily breach a lightly guarded part of the wall. Or, it could muscle its way through one of the gaps between the individual wall sections

Debunking a Great Wall myth

It is popularly written that the Great Wall of China is so long that you could see it with the unaided eye from an orbiting spacecraft (and some say from the moon) That would be impossible. Despite the Great Wall's extraordinary length, it's too narrow to be seen from an orbiting spacecraft without a telescope or super binoculars. Spotting the Great Wall from that height is analogous to being able to see a stretched-out mile-long thread on the ground while standing on top of a ten-story building

Explore my other three web pages on the Great Wall of China

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Alamout in Ghazvin

about Alamout in Ghazvin province

(in IRAN)

Those who favor ambitious excursions and unusual historical episodes are recommended to go near the source of the Alamut river on the southern foothills of the Alborz Mountains.
There, fortified eagles` nest recall unbelievable but authentic adventures of the (Old Man of the Mountains) - Hasan Sabah, the Grand Master (1040-1124) - and of his sect of (Assassins) or (Hashashins). The historical fortresses are known as the Castle of the Assassins, which were first introduced into European literature by the Returning Crusaders, and made famous this century in Dane Freya Stark`s classical Valleys of the Assassins.
These were the heavily fortified lairs of the adherents of a bizarre religious cult, based loosely on the precepts of the Ismaili Sect. Hasan Sabah founded the Cult in the 11th century. This heretical and widely feared Sect sent out killers throughout the region to murder the leading political and religious figures.

Its followers, the Hashishiyun, were so called because of their leader`s alleged cunning ruse of taking them into beautiful secret gardens (filled with equally enticing young maidens), getting them stoned on hashish and then sending them out on their homicidal assignments under the illusion of Hasan Sabah had the power to transport them to paradise

The cult at its height extended from Syria to Khorasan. Until 1256, when the Mongols captured its castles, the Assassins spread fear throughout the region, although some scholars claim that their reputation was exaggerated.
As one might expect. The outlaw mountain hideaways were designed to be impregnable and inaccessible, and to this day it is still extremely difficult to visit them; a complete tour of the castle in this region would take about a week on horseback with a local guide. Many of them are only accessible to experienced and well-equipped mountaineers

...YES! IRAN IS BEAUTIFUL