There are places on our planet, which has always attracted tourists, even now, when they ceased to perform its mission. Today we tell about the ten most visited ruins in the world.
Badaling, China
9-10 million people a year
A rare visitor will pass along the Great Wall on foot, but the most beautiful part of it is just a hundred kilometers from the capital, so many travelers coming to Beijing, are committed to reach it and climb this magnificent building. Construction of the wall began in the III century BC during the reign of Qin Shi Huang to protect against the nomads and lasted over a millennium. Although it has not been completed, the best of times the length of "fence" was more than 50 kilometers, but then most of them were destroyed.
Rome, Italy
6.9 million people a year
In the old days, about 50,000 spectators could watch the bloody drama that unfolded in the arena of the Coliseum: a merciless gladiator battles, with the terrible killings of wild animals and for the brutal executions of infidels. Now a huge amphitheater occupied by tourists, who can walk through the underground part, where the massacre were kept waiting for the men, and climb to the upper ranks, with panoramic views of the Eternal City.
Rome, Italy
5.1 million people a year
Public meetings, meetings of the Senate, trade - all of social life in ancient Rome, took place on the square in the center of the city and the buildings around it. Now from the grandeur of the ruins were only a few in which you can guess the shape of a triumphal arch, the temple of Saturn and some of the other sanctuaries, and yet this is the place which now bears little resemblance to the main square of the big city - a real magnet for the many tourist groups from all over the world.
Xian, China
3.6 - 4.5 million people a year
In 1974 he was made an amazing discovery - China's terracotta army unearthed a whole. It turns out that in the necropolis of Emperor Qin Shi Huang was buried about 700 statues of clay infantrymen, archers, generals, each of which seems to have been sculpted with a specific person, and has some unique features. Together with the "war" on the ground proved to be a hundred chariots of terra-cotta statues and about 400 horses. Now most of the army excavated, installed above the roof, to protect this treasure from the vagaries of nature ..
pyramids
Giza, Egypt
4 million people a year
The magnificent tombs of pharaohs - the symbol of Egypt and one of the Seven Wonders of the World, which appeared near the banks of the Nile about four and a half millennia ago, of course, attract many tourists. Now they are on the outskirts of the noisy and bustling capital of 11 millionth. Cairo dirt and heat, annoying pristavuchie traders - to see these buildings, we must endure many inconveniences, but nothing stops the tourists who have decided to look at the three pyramids and the Sphinx guarding them. By the way, since you get to these places, it's worth looking into other less popular, but also quite interesting tombs in the vicinity.
Giza, Egypt
4 million people a year
The magnificent tombs of pharaohs - the symbol of Egypt and one of the Seven Wonders of the World, which appeared near the banks of the Nile about four and a half millennia ago, of course, attract many tourists. Now they are on the outskirts of the noisy and bustling capital of 11 millionth. Cairo dirt and heat, annoying pristavuchie traders - to see these buildings, we must endure many inconveniences, but nothing stops the tourists who have decided to look at the three pyramids and the Sphinx guarding them. By the way, since you get to these places, it's worth looking into other less popular, but also quite interesting tombs in the vicinity.
Italy
2.5 million people a year
At the end of the first century AD, a terrible earthquake destroyed the wealth of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, and a few years later he was waiting for an even more terrible disaster - a few hours the village was buried under a layer of ash spewing terrible Vesuvius, who came to my ears, even to the shores of Syria and Egypt. Only in Pompeii killed more than 2,000 people, many victims have been completely destroyed and neighboring cities - Herculaneum, and Stabiae. Animals and people were killed, their bodies have disappeared, but in a dense ash formed cavities, filling the archaeologists who made a very accurate casts, telling about life in those times.
Athens, Greece
2 million people a year
Several centuries ago on the majestic Acropolis dedicated to Athena, the main temple of the Parthenon, no one remembered the 156-meter hill was densely built up, and the sculptures of the temples, and even taken to the Louvre and the British Museum. And only at the end of the XIX century the hill tried to make the original look: later the building was demolished, and the place of the original marble set up. Acropolis Now was one of the most popular attractions in the world. Even during the hottest time of the year, despite the scorching sun, the hill is constantly covered with tourists.
Turkey
2 million people a year
If you decide to learn more about the ancient Roman cities, you should not go to Italy, and Turkey, as in the present territory of this country is a lot of ancient settlements and well-preserved ruins. One of the most interesting places - Ephesus - a real city, where you can see not only the foundation, but the whole of the building, walk through the streets surrounded by shops and even see the oldest in the world advertising a brothel.
Mexico
1.9 million people a year
The modern capital of Mexico, built just 50 kilometers from the great city founded in the II century BC. It's - the oldest town in America from all known to man. In its heyday, it lived 200 thousand inhabitants, but in the VII century, for some unknown reason the settlement was abandoned, its buildings were destroyed, tombs desecrated and looted. Since then, the once-giant metropolis is a heap of ruins, among which are two large terraced pyramid of the Sun and the Moon and the Temple of Quetzalcoatl. Contemporary researchers in this place attracts not only the ruins of many mysterious disappearance of an entire civilization.
Turkey
1.6 million people a year
White bath-pools of Pamukkale, the healing water - in this area has many interesting things to attract tourists, and because even those who are not especially interested in ancient ruins along the way and examine the well-preserved Greco-Roman city of Hierapolis, which was for the ancients than-a bit on the hot springs resort. To this day there are ruins of temples, a theater and a sacred pool, where guests can swim among the columns.
