A Spotter's Guide to Amazing Architecture

Book excerpt: The next in our Spotter's Guide series reveals 120 of the world's great human constructions and where to find them, from cloud-piercing skyscrapers and ancient sites to classic buildings and contemporary designs. Packed with facts, maps and photos, it's a fun and fascinating introduction to the sublime, the strange and everything in between. When we travel it's often to see a building - the Taj Mahal, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Eiffel Tower. They're things of beauty, symbols of their age and emblems of human endeavour. Sometimes, buildings are the reason we decide to go somewhere; think of an icon such as Bilbao's Guggenheim and Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple complex. Other times, buildings help make a visit more enriching and rewarding, like discovering the old district of Pelourinho in Salvador, Brazil and the majestic Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey. Amazing Architecture: A Spotter's Guide is perfect for anyone interested in learning about many of the world's greatest architectural sites. Each entry includes a brief introduction, who designed it and when it was built, plus a map to help you plan a visit. Famous, weird and wonderful places include: Bran Castle in Transylvania, Romania The Crooked House in Sopot, Poland Shah Mosque in Esfahan, Iran Skara Brae in Orkney, Scotland Towers of San Gimignano, Italy Roman Baths in Bath, UK Ayutthaya temple complex, Thailand The Winter Palace, St Petersburg, Russia Millau Viaduct, southern France Chrysler Building, New York, USA Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies The mud-made Agadez Mosque, Niger About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, on mobile, video and in 14 languages, 12 international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more. Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.