# Top 10 Asia Wonders



## Saigoneseguy (Mar 6, 2005)

Rice terraces are not unique to the Phillippines, other countries in Asia all have this.


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## Saigoneseguy (Mar 6, 2005)

Vision89 said:


> *9* *Qin Terra Cotta Warriors*


Where is this? a fake place?


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## diz (Nov 1, 2005)

^^ No way... I think that's a recently discovered section. I can't remember, but I do recall reading an article not too long ago a farmer discovering a new section of a terra cotta army.



Saigoneseguy said:


> Rice terraces are not unique to the Phillippines, other countries in Asia all have this.


Who said it was?


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## Jude12 (Jun 16, 2007)

^^ I think the Philippines was the first?


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## ady26 (Feb 8, 2007)

I voted for the Forbidden City!


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## foadi (Feb 15, 2006)

angkor wats prolly the most visually impressive.


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## ENRIQUE DANIEL (Jan 6, 2005)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Absolutly i will not agree.
Ankor is magnificent.


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## Lady Arabia (Apr 21, 2009)

the Taj of course


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## phillybud (Jul 22, 2007)

*Thailand left out*

I voted for Angkor Wat, but I think Bagan is equally impressive.

The Grand Palace in Bangkok which contains The Temple Of The Emerald Buddha, should have also been on the list.


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## oliver999 (Aug 4, 2006)

where is 吴哥窑 in combadia?


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## swatch69sg (Mar 5, 2003)

Saigoneseguy said:


> Rice terraces are not unique to the Phillippines, other countries in Asia all have this.


I agree that it is not unique to the Philippines, but comparing it to the rice fields/terraces in bali, china, etc it is more Grandiose, much higher and more intricate in design and have been cultivated for more than 2,000 years ago...


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## null (Dec 11, 2002)

> but comparing it to the rice fields/terraces in bali, china, etc it is more Grandiose, much higher and more intricate in design


Banaue is the highest one, but not the most breathtaking one IMHO.


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## Jude12 (Jun 16, 2007)

^^ well, judging by the sheer size of the one here in the Philippines, i think that's what unique about it.


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## Animo (Oct 6, 2005)

swatch69sg said:


> I agree that it is not unique to the Philippines, but comparing it to the rice fields/terraces in bali, china, etc it is more Grandiose, much higher and more intricate in design and have been cultivated for more than 2,000 years ago...


Sorry to bust on some myths but currently their is a rift in the Philippine Academia that tells that the rice terraces were just made recently around 200-300 years ago. The natives were trying to escape from the Christian low-land inhabitants and taxation by Spain.


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## skyscraper100 (Oct 22, 2007)

for me the rice terraces


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## Saigoneseguy (Mar 6, 2005)

swatch69sg said:


> I agree that it is not unique to the Philippines, but comparing it to the rice fields/terraces in bali, china, etc it is more Grandiose, much higher and more intricate in design and have been cultivated for more than 2,000 years ago...


I disagree. Sorry to burst the pride but Banaue is just similar to any valley in Northwestern Vietnam, let alone China.


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## India101 (Jul 22, 2008)

Taj Mahal for me


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## swatch69sg (Mar 5, 2003)

Saigoneseguy said:


> I disagree. Sorry to burst the pride but Banaue is just similar to any valley in Northwestern Vietnam, let alone China.


I respect what you believe, everyone is entitled to our own opinion. But pls. show us first magnificent pictures of your rice terraces in Vietnam so we can compare if yours' are just as magnificent as our Banaues'.


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## bagak (Feb 26, 2009)

Bali dan Borobudur dong ahh.... (subjective mode on,,, )


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## 7freedom7 (Jun 28, 2007)

swatch69sg said:


> I respect what you believe, everyone is entitled to our own opinion. But pls. show us first magnificent pictures of your rice terraces in Vietnam so we can compare if yours' are just as magnificent as our Banaues'.


Sorry, but I think SG is right. Undoultedly, Banaue is marvelous and sensibly shows the locals' great intelligence and diligence, but as the rice terrace is very common in other asia countries as well, it's hard to say it's a wonder.


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## Cytochrome (Oct 15, 2008)

Hmmm..while I agree that rice terraces are quite common in Asia, people/travelers must have seen something different or "unique" about Banaue's terraces among the others in the region for it to be included in the list, and for it to be constantly acknowledged by many as a "wonder".

I haven't seen it personally but from what I have read, people really swear on its majesty,but those are just still second hand info, so I can't really say. Actually I haven't seen any of the top 10 to say that they are wonders or not.

So I guess the people who could actually question or comment on this list are the people who have seen those places first hand...


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## Htay9500 (Nov 14, 2008)

Vision89 said:


> *6* *Bagan Temples/Pagodas*


:banana:


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## thekh (Mar 2, 2008)

Well, in this video it said that Angkor Wat is one of the great wonder of the world.


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## _00_deathscar (Mar 16, 2005)

Isn't this list a bit China-centric?


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## Arpels (Aug 9, 2004)

a lot of Asian beauty's are not in this list, in this list mi favorites are Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat, Borobudur, Bagan temples, Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and Banaue Rice Terraces, the wall...


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## OtAkAw (Aug 5, 2004)

7freedom7 said:


> Sorry, but I think SG is right. Undoultedly, Banaue is marvelous and sensibly shows the locals' great intelligence and diligence, but as the rice terrace is very common in other asia countries as well, it's hard to say it's a wonder.


Banaue's Rice Terraces were carved in the Mountains of the Philippine Cordilleras by the indigenous Igorot people 2 millennia ago and they differ from usual rice terraces by this (a citation from UNESCO):

"Reaching a higher altitude and being built on steeper slopes than many other terraces, the Ifugao complex of stone or mud walls and the careful carving of the natural contours of hills and mountains to make terraced pond fields, coupled with the development of intricate irrigation systems, harvesting water from the forests of the mountain tops, and an elaborate farming system, reflect a mastery of engineering that is appreciated to the present."

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/722/


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## MoreOrLess (Feb 17, 2005)

_00_deathscar said:


> Isn't this list a bit China-centric?


It is a pretty big place. 

Japan probabley deserves a mention though for somethign like the Todai...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tōdai-ji


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## _00_deathscar (Mar 16, 2005)

MoreOrLess said:


> It is a pretty big place.


Aye, but still.

India's a fairly large nation too.


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## diskojoe (Apr 8, 2009)

Saigoneseguy said:


> Where is this? a fake place?


no that's the real thing. of course there is a copy of the whole city that is at this place called forbidden gardens where i used to live in katy, texas. it still seems really out of place in katy and is basically being used to stop a major freeway from being expanded.


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## Skybean (Jun 16, 2004)

Saigoneseguy said:


> Where is this? a fake place?


You're right this is odd. I don't think the authorities would leave unearthed warriors out in the open like that. I didn't see anything like that during my visit 2 years ago.



diz said:


> ^^ No way... I think that's a recently discovered section. I can't remember, but I do recall reading an article not too long ago a farmer discovering a new section of a terra cotta army.
> 
> Who said it was?


The whole area is *known *to have more warriors, it doesn't even need to be discovered. Xian is full of tombs... there are burial mounds everywhere. Archeologists are not digging anymore because there's already too much material to preserve and catalog. Preservation is very time consuming and expensive.


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## MoreOrLess (Feb 17, 2005)

diz said:


> ^^ No way... I think that's a recently discovered section. I can't remember, but I do recall reading an article not too long ago a farmer discovering a new section of a terra cotta army.
> 
> Who said it was?


All the existing sections were actually destroyed by a revolt a few years after the first emporers death, I doubt they'd have had time to rebuild that many warriors.


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## TextilesERP (Jun 17, 2009)

*My choice is both Taj Mahal and China wall*

My choice is both Taj Mahal and China wall.
In my region I like Tanjore temple
by


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## oliver999 (Aug 4, 2006)

_00_deathscar said:


> Aye, but still.
> 
> India's a fairly large nation too.


:lol::lol::lol:


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## Marathaman (Jul 24, 2007)

I don't like the list. A lot of stunning places have not been included.


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## TeslaCoil (Apr 27, 2009)

i never knew bagan temples... it was great

voted for angkor wat for its architectural detail.


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## WasanUKboy (Jul 10, 2008)

angkor wat are creepy


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## mhek (Sep 26, 2008)

borobudor


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## marching (May 24, 2006)

Great Wall, Forbidden City and Borobudur...


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## Imperfect Ending (Apr 7, 2003)

Potala Palace


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## vnidol (Jan 15, 2009)

Great Wall of China.


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## Rudravarman (Aug 19, 2009)

DanangSuthoWijoyo said:


> Where is it?? thailand or india??


^^^ Cambodiaaaa!! Yeah baby! The Ultimate sky Temple :cheers:


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## Rudravarman (Aug 19, 2009)

The view from the hill!


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## Rudravarman (Aug 19, 2009)

Up top of the temple! This is what i call beautiful!


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## Rudravarman (Aug 19, 2009)

View from up the Ultimate Sky Temple! :lol:


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## Rudravarman (Aug 19, 2009)

The Sky temple of preah vihear is unrival ahaahaha!!


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## Jo (Jul 6, 2003)

Please don't flood the thread with posts of one place 

I think Bagan, the partially abandoned plain with thousands of temples, deserves to be among the top in the poll. It's truly a magical place. But I suspect not many people are familiar with it.


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## Rudravarman (Aug 19, 2009)

Jo said:


> Please don't flood the thread with posts of one place
> 
> I think Bagan, the partially abandoned plain with thousands of temples, deserves to be among the top in the poll. It's truly a magical place. But I suspect not many people are familiar with it.


Angkor contains thousands of temples also and each one have it's own uniqueness! I'm not flooding this thread! I'm just showing you different view of the temple on top of the mountain! If you want to compare scale and size bring it on lolz!


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## Jo (Jul 6, 2003)

No, you are using several posts for something you could easily fit into one post. I've been to that temple by the way, it's great.

Read my post again. I didn't compare anything to Angkor Wat in the first place, I said Bagan deserves more votes than it currently has.


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## Rudravarman (Aug 19, 2009)

Jo said:


> No, you are using several posts for something you could easily fit into one post. I've been to that temple by the way, it's great.
> 
> Read my post again. I didn't compare anything to Angkor Wat in the first place, I said Bagan deserves more votes than it currently has.



When did you visit preah vihear temple? As for me I never been to Angkor or preah vihear but from what I hear from people makes me want to go! :cheers:


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## Rudravarman (Aug 19, 2009)

Have you ever been to Banteay Chhmar temple! It's going on restoration right now and they are trying to put it as a UNESCO site! This temple is like a mix of Ta Prohm and Bayon together! I wanna travel back to my motherland soemday and absorb what my ancestors let for me! :cheers:


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## Rudravarman (Aug 19, 2009)

One of the satallite temples of Banteay Chmarr












The main central temple complex


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## Jo (Jul 6, 2003)

Rudravarman said:


> When did you visit preah vihear temple? As for me I never been to Angkor or preah vihear but from what I hear from people makes me want to go! :cheers:


It was back in 2000 and the area was still full of landmines. I don't know how it is now but it has probably been cleared around the temple. It's a fascinating place with a great view but of course the temple is small and crumbling compared to Angkor Wat itself.

You should visit kay:


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## KelvinKoh (Aug 25, 2009)

damn, how lucky cambodia to have such grandur temples...

i just wish malaysia could have that too...


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## DanangSuthoWijoyo (Jun 27, 2009)

Rudravarman said:


> The Sky temple of preah vihear is unrival ahaahaha!!


NIce....Just like Ratu Boko Temple in Jogja..and Dieng Plateu in West Java


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## DanangSuthoWijoyo (Jun 27, 2009)

Same hindus heritage i think..


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## Rudravarman (Aug 19, 2009)

^^ I want to go to this little island in the West Baray one day! There is a resort there but not alot people know this lolz! Imagine sleeping in that island in the middle of a man-made reservior! It's awesome lolz! You can see Angkor Wat right in your view in the resort! This is the largest man-made reservior in ancient world stretching 5 miles long! Oh Suryavarman! May you come back and protect us by the Sun!


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## Rudravarman (Aug 19, 2009)

The whole view and scale!


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## extremepower (Oct 3, 2009)

Wow.... fantastic pictures indeed. Definitely in my to visit list.


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## thekh (Mar 2, 2008)

Rudravarman, It's true that a lot of people dont know about Angkor or Khmer civilization! But it's time for us to show the world how our great culture back then!!:banana:

Angkor in 13 century was the largest city in the world that sprawl over 4000 km2.

Here how Angkor looked like in 13th century!
















There are more than 200 canals directly to the center of angkor. Those canals were used to carry stone, transportation and trade. 

Today!


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## Rudravarman (Aug 19, 2009)

thekh said:


> Rudravarman, It's true that a lot of people dont know about Angkor or Khmer civilization! But it's time for us to show the world how our great culture back then!!:banana:
> 
> Angkor in 13 century was the largest city in the world that sprawl over 4000 km2.
> 
> ...


^^ HAHAHAAH!! Who, Where, what race can move as much Earth than the great Angkorian warriors! :cheers:


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## snpklsdmbldr (May 31, 2009)

well most "asian wonders" here are temples, and almost all countries all over the world also has one. but they have uniqueness, just like the Banaue Rice Terraces of the Philippines, other countries have something like it but the ones in the Philippines is unique.


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## aseania (Oct 13, 2009)

what make Banaue's unique compare to those in Bali? mind to share?


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## thekh (Mar 2, 2008)

Rice terraces are almost every in Asia. 
China

























Indonesia

























Vietnam


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## KWPB (Apr 29, 2009)

Angkor Wat esta belliizimo!!!!


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## thekh (Mar 2, 2008)

*Angkor Wat*,the carvings and the bas-relief


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## thekh (Mar 2, 2008)

More pics Angkor Wat:


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## aseania (Oct 13, 2009)

Bayon temple, My Son, Vietnam.










This structure share similar character to that those in Angkor Wat. It is also a Hindu based artistic temple which has a lot of historic and epic carving on the wall.

as the photo below shows a war with Khmer people (Cambodian army), this Cham heritage (part of Malay family) only get little publicity by Vietnamese government as Viet people may not want Cham ethnic culture to be dominant.


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## thekh (Mar 2, 2008)

^^The temple that you show is not Bayon Temple.

The Bayon Temple is in Angkor, Cambodia.
Bayon has great bas-relief than Angkor Wat Temple. It's because the bas-relief show about daily life, wars, how to built the temple and more.

Here how the temple looks like:


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## aseania (Oct 13, 2009)

oh my bad. i thought the name is same...since it's a Hinduism heritage.


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## thekh (Mar 2, 2008)

^^ Bayon temple is not Hindu temple, it's Buddhism temple.


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## Ribarca (Jan 28, 2005)

I would include modern wonders like Hong Kong in the top 10.


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## Saigongirl (Jun 29, 2009)

In Vietnam, we have so many spectacular rice terraces that we don't consider them wonders of Asia :lol:

Photos of rice terraces in Mu Cang Chai, Viet Nam

Credit: Various artists on the trip to Mu Cang Chai 
http://otofun.net/showthread.php?t=113828


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## Marathaman (Jul 24, 2007)

thekh said:


> ^^ Bayon temple is not Hindu temple, it's Buddhism temple.


There was no "Hinduism" or "Buddhism" back then - just "Dharma" etc.


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## snpklsdmbldr (May 31, 2009)

AFAIK, the Banaue Rice Terraces in the Philippines is the oldest in Asia, it's almost 2000 years old and it's the only rice terrace in the world that is a UNESCO world heritage site. (correct me if i'm wrong)


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## aranetacoliseum (Jun 8, 2005)

-SNPKLSDMBLDR- said:


> AFAIK, the Banaue Rice Terraces in the Philippines is the oldest in Asia, it's almost 2000 years old and it's the only rice terrace in the world that is a UNESCO world heritage site. (correct me if i'm wrong)


yah The Banaue terraces is built 2000 years ago and It is said that their length, if put end to end, would encircle half of the globe. and your correct again coz this is only terraces in the world that is a UNESCO world heritage site,

it is special because it is being built on steeper slopes than many other terraces.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/722


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## mataram (Sep 4, 2009)

^^ its nice and all, but I still can't see why its a wonder?


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## aseania (Oct 13, 2009)

mataram said:


> ^^ its nice and all, but I still can't see why its a wonder?


actually UNESCO world heritage gives title to an old thing/structure/culture. not because it has 'wonders' or what....

i agree with Ribarca that we include modern wonders as well. because wonders never limit themselves with time...


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## Rudravarman (Aug 19, 2009)

aranetacoliseum said:


> cool,!!! i think this is the largest of all asian wonders


^^^^ You got to be serious lolz! If thats the case then we will put the whole Angkor city as a wonder of the world since all of it is artificial! Meet the largest pre-industrial city in the world! Feel the mammoth engineers! :cheers:


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## Rudravarman (Aug 19, 2009)

aseania said:


> many great peoples of the past now lost to nowhere. sad, i must say. Egyptian (not today's Egyptian Arab race), Inca, Mongol, Khmer, etc. anyway, great to see those heritage intact and looking forward to visit Siem Reap next year.
> 
> btw, are you now living in Cambodia, Rudravarman?



I'm Cambodian and DAMM proud of it! My lineage is Khmer but am a native of California! If you want to put it that way! People are sooooooooo bias here it's not even funny! Angkor has just been excavated and only half of it have been studied! With more than 3000 square kilometers of engineering! It's a mammoth! :banana:


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## Rudravarman (Aug 19, 2009)

thekh said:


> ^^ Bayon temple is not Hindu temple, it's Buddhism temple.



HEY THEKH! CHeck out this new show on Angkor Wat and the city on National geographic! It talks about Suryavarman II life and legacy! It also talks about Angkor as the epitome of tropical mega-city in the world! It talks about the TRUE WONDER OF THE WORLD! EVERYBODY THAT WAS BEING INTERVIEW ARE ALL BAFFLED AND STAGGERED ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE ENGINEERING MARVELS OF OUR ANCESTORS! Here's the link!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEkVn0x6_yU


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## Rudravarman (Aug 19, 2009)

Angkor Wat at it's prime only in the Spring Equinox March 21 and Autumn Equinox September 21! This is when the sun rises above the center tower of Angkor Wat symbolizing the legendary return of King Suryavarman's (Shielded by the Sun) after life each year to protect his nation from the Sun! Perfect Alignment! !!! Respect to the legendary King Suryavarman II! :banana2:










:cheers:


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## thekh (Mar 2, 2008)

Rudravarman said:


> HEY THEKH! CHeck out this new show on Angkor Wat and the city on National geographic! It talks about Suryavarman II life and legacy! It also talks about Angkor as the epitome of tropical mega-city in the world! It talks about the TRUE WONDER OF THE WORLD! EVERYBODY THAT WAS BEING INTERVIEW ARE ALL BAFFLED AND STAGGERED ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE ENGINEERING MARVELS OF OUR ANCESTORS! Here's the link!
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEkVn0x6_yU


Thank for sharing! it's greatest document video of all. I can't imagine that Angkor Wat, is one of the most amazing engineering projects in the world.


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## aseania (Oct 13, 2009)

thekh said:


> ^^ Bayon temple is not Hindu temple, it's Buddhism temple.


this is what i got...:

_Suryavarman II (posthumous name Paramavishnuloka) was king of the Khmer Empire from 1113 A.D. to 1145-1150 A.D. and the builder of Angkor Wat, which *he dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu*. His reign's monumental architecture, numerous military campaigns and restoration of strong government have led historians to rank Suryavarman as one of the empire's greatest kings._


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## Rudravarman (Aug 19, 2009)

aseania said:


> this is what i got...:
> 
> _Suryavarman II (posthumous name Paramavishnuloka) was king of the Khmer Empire from 1113 A.D. to 1145-1150 A.D. and the builder of Angkor Wat, which *he dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu*. His reign's monumental architecture, numerous military campaigns and restoration of strong government have led historians to rank Suryavarman as one of the empire's greatest kings._


^^^ King Jayavarman VII built the Bayon and he was the only Buddharaja King after King Suryavarman died! King Suryavarman II built Angkor Wat and Beng Melea the 2nd largest temple in Angkor! But King Jayavarman VII is more stronger and he likes to build! he built Alot!!!! More than all of the Angkor Kings combined!! banana::lol:


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## thekh (Mar 2, 2008)

aseania said:


> many great peoples of the past now lost to nowhere. sad, i must say. Egyptian (not today's Egyptian Arab race), Inca, Mongol, Khmer, etc. anyway, great to see those heritage intact and *looking forward to visit Siem Reap next year*.
> 
> btw, are you now living in Cambodia, Rudravarman?


Before you go, you should make a plan. Do you want to go to see Angkor Wat temple? And how many days you plan to visit? Because Siem Reap has over 80 different ancient stone temples. If you need any suggestion, you can ask me. And the time to visit is on December or January.


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## Nando_ros (Nov 21, 2008)

I've chosen the Taj Mahal


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## fairul (Oct 18, 2005)

i've been to 4 out of the 10 listed...namely Angkor Wat..Borobudur..Forbidden city and Great Wall...out of the 4...Great Wall top my list...

but will return again to Siem Reap for sure...there's something about the town that i like..sorry..out of topic a bit


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## Balaputradewa (Jul 11, 2008)

*BALI - INDONESIA*


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## Rudravarman (Aug 19, 2009)

fairul said:


> i've been to 4 out of the 10 listed...namely Angkor Wat..Borobudur..Forbidden city and Great Wall...out of the 4...Great Wall top my list...
> 
> but will return again to Siem Reap for sure...there's something about the town that i like..sorry..out of topic a bit



^^^ Be sure to visit the lost undiscovered temples like Banteay Chmar, Beng Melea, Preah Vihear, Prasat Thom Pyramid, etc..!!!


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## aranetacoliseum (Jun 8, 2005)

BANAUE RICE TERRACES

*a man made structures from 2000-6000 yrs old 

*The terraces are located approximately 1500 meters (5000 ft) above sea level and cover 10,360 square kilometers (about 4000 square miles) of mountainside. They are fed by﻿ an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces. It is said that if the steps are put end to end it would encircle half the globe.

*made by sweat and blood of the indigenous people not by the elites for them to sustain their needs and life not because of slavery and selfishness satisfaction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FstpKez2o1c


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## mataram (Sep 4, 2009)

^^ impossible for the rice terrace to have been built 6000 years ago! Since Austronesian started streaming into the Philippines only about 3-4000 years ago. I still don't understand why its a miracle. If you go from one end of Java to the other end, all you see are ricefields, in the fields, on the mountains. I'm sure that's the case with most other Asian countries.


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## Balaputradewa (Jul 11, 2008)

*Borobudur - Indonesia*


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## Animo (Oct 6, 2005)

mataram said:


> ^^ impossible for the rice terrace to have been built 6000 years ago! Since Austronesian started streaming into the Philippines only about 3-4000 years ago. I still don't understand why its a miracle. If you go from one end of Java to the other end, all you see are ricefields, in the fields, on the mountains. I'm sure that's the case with most other Asian countries.


Actually you have a point. The whole idea that it was built 6000 years ago is really a myth! Some Filipino scholars have said that it was only built after the Spaniards came from the fleeing Natives from the lowlands to the highland areas. 

I think what best represents the Philippines is the San Agustín Church in Paoay, Ilocos Norte. It is representative of the country´s Western and Eastern influences and culture. This church has a relatively Asian style on it´s exterior design. The architecture is a unique combination of Gothic, Baroque and Oriental. Construction of the church was started in 1704 and completed in 1894.


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## oliver999 (Aug 4, 2006)

really great!! San Agustín Church


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## Rudravarman (Aug 19, 2009)

Meet the world's largest ancient city the size of modern day Los Angeles! A True World Wonder and it is still being excavated and map! Over 1000 square kilometers of artificial landscape, hundreds of canals, *****, ponds, reservoirs, roads, bridges, temples, etc..!!
:cheers:











Angkor was a city ahead of its time

The technology for harvesting water that enabled the Khmer to thrive also led to their fall, researchers say.

By Thomas H. Maugh II, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer August 14, 2007
*
The ancient Khmer city of Angkor in Cambodia was the largest preindustrial metropolis in the world, with a population near 1 million and an urban sprawl that stretched over an area similar to modern-day Los Angeles, researchers reported Monday.*

The city's spread over an area of more than 115 square miles was made possible by a sophisticated technology for managing and harvesting water for use during the dry season -- including diverting a major river through the heart of the city.


But that reliance on water led to the city's collapse in the 1500s as overpopulation and deforestation filled the canals with sediment, overwhelming the city's ability to maintain the system, according to the report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The hydraulic system became "not manageable, no matter how many resources were thrown at it," said archeologist Damian Evans of the University of Sydney in Australia, the lead author of the paper.
*
But during the six centuries that the city thrived, it was unparalleled, particularly because it was one of the very few civilizations that sprang up in a tropical setting, said archeologist Vernon L. Scarborough of the University of Cincinnati, who was not involved in the research.*
*
Just one section of the city, called West Baray, was many times "larger than the entire 9-square-kilometer hillock on which sat Tikal, the largest city in Central America," he said.*
*
"The scale is truly unparalleled," added archeologist William A. Saturno of Boston University, who also was not involved.*

*"Forest environments are not good ones for civilizations . . . because they require intensively manipulating the environment," he said. "Angkor is the epitome of this, and it is going to be the model for how tropical civilizations are interpreted."*

Old and new technologies

The new data come from an unusual agglomeration of both old and new technologies. The core data came from a synthetic aperture radar unit flown on the space shuttle in 2000 and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge.

The radar pierced low-lying clouds and vegetation to give an accurate picture of soil density, local structures and moisture in soil, which reflects growing conditions.

The images revealed, for example, the characteristic moat-enclosed local temples and artificial ponds used for water storage and irrigation.

This information was supplemented with photographs taken from ultralight aircraft flown over the city at low speeds and altitudes.

Finally, the researchers used motor scooters to traverse the city and closely examine sites revealed on the radar images. But so many sites have been revealed, Evans said, that the researchers are only partway through this process.
*
The group, collectively called the Greater Angkor Project, released a partial map three years ago. The new one released Monday contains, among other things, an additional 386 square miles of urban area, at least 74 long-lost temples and more than 1,000 newly recognized artificial ponds.*

Angkor was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which got its start in AD 802 when the god-king Jayavarman II declared the region's independence from Java. At its height, the empire covered not only Cambodia but also parts of modern-day Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

It is perhaps best known for Angkor Wat, the magnificent temple built by King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century.

Angkor has been studied for more than a century, but early scholars were so overwhelmed by the artworks and architecture, as well as the political successions, that they ignored the archeology, said coauthor Roland Fletcher of the University of Sydney.

In the late 1960s, French archeologist Bernard-Philippe Groslier began a more formal study of the ruins, but that work was halted for more than 20 years by the war that broke out in 1970.

After the war, archeologist Christophe Pottier of the Ecole Francaise d'Extreme-Orient in Siem Reap, another coauthor, renewed the work, beginning what eventually grew into the current project.

Disputes over history

In the process, the researchers have begun solving many of the disputes that have arisen over the city's history, Evans said.

"The debate has always been . . . was it large enough, was the manipulation of the landscape intensive enough to cause environmental problems?" Evans said. "The answer is definitively yes."

Other arguments have been based on the assumption that Khmer hydraulic engineering technology was rather rudimentary, he said. "What our research has shown is that it was extremely sophisticated and highly complex," he said.
*
Many of the reservoirs and walls of canals were constructed of compacted earth, he said, but junctions and other crucial points in the system were "quite sophisticated stone structures."

The Khmer built, for example, a massive stone structure to divert the Siem Reap River from its old bed through the center of the city. Other sites have stone structures built into the walls to manage the inflow and outflow of water, he said.*

The system was complex enough that the Khmer could have grown rice throughout the year and not just during the rainy season, Evans said. It is not yet clear if they did so, however.
*
"The intentional movement of earth to create the whole water system is just really mind-boggling," Saturno said. "It was an enormous undertaking" that required not just administrative skills, but also engineering know-how and massive amounts of physical labor.*
*
But in the end, maintenance became too labor-intensive, Evans said. As trees were removed from the landscape, sediment began accumulating in the canals at a rate more rapid than it could be removed. Many dike walls collapsed, although it is not yet known when that occurred.
*
"We're going now and excavating [the sites] on the ground, and trying to get a grip on when they happened -- whether they were a precursor of the decline, a symptom or the system gradually falling into ruin after they left," he said.


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## WendyROP (Nov 13, 2009)

I LOVE BALI AND BOROBUDUR


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## kevo123 (Nov 30, 2012)

Borobudur temple - largest Buddhist monument on earth, 300 years older than Angkor Wat:









http://www.flickr.com/photos/meequalthecurve/7312078844/









http://www.flickr.com/photos/regentzs/9072616497/









http://www.flickr.com/photos/riccy_wings/8363399979/









http://www.flickr.com/photos/olderock/4589880606/76594/[/url]









http://www.flickr.com/photos/cgovan82/10127913003/









http://www.flickr.com/photos/olderock/4539866290/









http://www.flickr.com/photos/ozgurcagdas/8177674860/









http://www.flickr.com/photos/olderock/4539232431/


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## NanoMini (Apr 15, 2013)

Maybe many people have never known about one very big system in South of Vietnam, because they look like natural rivers, however they are canals system. Maybe total length of canals is more longer than the great wall of China. The first canal is 85km longer than Panama canal 77km. Emperor Gia Long of Nguyễn Dynasty ordered the mandarin Nguyễn Văn Thoại to dig a new canal along the Cambodian–Vietnamese border.The emperor's edict said: "This canal-digging project is tough, but its role in national security and national defense is not small, we should accept the hardship so that our descendants would have the benefit .." The construction of the canal was started in the end of 1819. The project used about 80,000 local Vietnamese and Khmer workers. After the death of Emperor Gia Long, the succeeding Emperor Minh Mạng continued the project. The workers, especially the Khmers, were heavily exploited by being forced to do hard work, which resulted thousands of deaths from fatigue and consequent disease during the canal's construction. The construction was completed in 1824 and Emperor Minh Mạng named the canal after Châu Vĩnh Tế. From that point on, the canal plays an important role in the southern Vietnam's communication, transportation and the definition of the border of Vietnam and Cambodia.








http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/6268/cdht1.png









http://www.tin.lukhach24h.com//HLIC/2390e70d9d4efc7d34a32bf31b231f96.jpg









http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Kinh_Vĩnh_Tế.jpg/800px-Kinh_Vĩnh_Tế.jpg









A part of canals sytem in Mekong delta, their total lenth is longer than the Great Wall of China


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## NanoMini (Apr 15, 2013)

http://image.qdnd.vn/Upload//maihuong/2009/6/6/060609yengiang006.jpg









http://baocantho.com.vn/img_post/3186/41.jpg









http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._Đông.jpg/800px-Kênh_Thoại_Hà_ở_Vọng_Đông.jpg









http://image2.chaobuoisang.net/2014/03/07/lua-campuchia-do-bo-vua-gao-mien-tay-moi-ngay-3.jpg









http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/35528548.jpg









http://static.laodong.com.vn/Uploaded/ledinhduc/2013_04_26/1(8).jpg.ashx?width=660









http://i56.tinypic.com/16j3211.jpg









http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/71602415.jpg









http://baogialai.com.vn/dataimages/201211/original/images789058_2_ct.jpg









http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/...01927636333_1482222823_31690605_3547057_n.jpg


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## adam333 (Jan 7, 2014)

I voted to bali because this place is one of my favorite place and i want to see it again in future some memorable memory is attached there...


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