Leptis Magna The World’s Most Attractive Roman Ruins of Libya

All throughout Europe, there are a lot of attractive ancient Roman ruins, although they are equally-magnificent and lesser-known ruins on other continents too. A right example of this is Leptis Magna.Which are the remnants of a once-great Roman port city, and is considered to be one of the most impressive and unspoiled Roman ruins in the world? The city ruins are close to the coast in the African country of Libya, approximately 80 miles from its capital, Tripoli.

The city was discovered by the Phoenicians roughly 3000 years ago, and was originally called Lpqy. During the reign of the Roman Emperor Tiberius, it became a thriving trade city. Then, from the year 193 onwards, it became one of Roman Africa’s most high-flying cities. This was because the Roman Emperor at that time, Septimius Severus, was in fact born in Leptis Magna, so he of course favored his home-city over others. Severus enlarged the city, and as a result Leptis Magna enclosed many Roman-inspired buildings; forums, a theatre, public baths, market areas and monuments, to name a few. Ultimately, the city was ransacked by the Vandals, and later by the Berbers.

Byzantine Empire general Flavius Belisarius tried to re-establish it as a provincial Byzantine capital, but the city didn’t get well from the destruction that previous raiders had caused. By the year 650 AD, the city was more often than not abandoned. It is believed Libya isn’t the easiest country to visit due to its political shakiness, but Leptis Magna would surely be a magnificent place to see. Archaeologists have still not done excavating the ruins, so it will also be appealing to see what else ends up being discovered in the future.

Sulayman Mountain is a scared World Heritage Site in Kyrgyzstan.

The Sulayman Mountain  is also known as Taht-I-Suleiman, Sulayman Rock or Sulayman Throne. It is the only World Heritage Site in the country of Kyrgyzstan. It is situated in the city of Osh and was once a main place of Muslim and pre-Muslim pilgrimage. The rock rises unexpectedly from the surrounding plains of the Fergana Valley and is a popular place among locals and visitors, with a splendid view. Hazrat Sulayman (A.S) (Also known Solomon) is a prophet in the Qur'an, and the mountain contains a shrine that supposedly marks his grave.

Sulayman Mountains is considered too Sacred Mountain in Kyrgyzstan dominates the Fergana Valley, and a beacon for travelers revered as a sacred mountain. Its 5 peaks and slopes contain plentiful ancient places of worship and caves with petroglyphs as well as two largely reconstructed 16th century mosques. The cult sites are supposed to provide cures for barrenness, headaches, and back pain and give the blessing of longevity. Veneration for the mountain blends pre-Islamic and Islamic beliefs. It is particularly exquisite in the evening. One very odd thing--at the rear of the museum there's a terrace which you reach by climbing up some stairs and ducking through a modest covered area. The interior of the small covered area is studded with wads of chewing gum

Women who ascend to the shrine on top and crawl though an opening across the holy rock will, according to legend, give birth to healthy children. The trees and bushes on the mountain are draped with numerous "prayer flags", small pieces of cloth that are tied to them. It is believed by UNESCO, the most complete example of a sacred mountain anywhere in Central Asia, worshipped over more than a few millennia.  Sulayman Mountain is a popular place for local Muslims, with stairs leading up to the highest peak where there stands a small mosque (Masjid) originally built by Babur in 1510.

The mosque (Masjid) had been reconstructed in the late 20th century. The rock also contains a museum that was carved during the Soviet era, showing archaeological findings from the area and its history, whereas the lower slope of the mountain is surrounded by a cemetery.

Pingualuit Impact Crater in Canada

In the far north of Quebec, a province in Canada, lies an excellent natural wonder a circular lake of blue waters confined within the walls of an ancient but well-preserved meteorite crater. Largely unfamiliar to the outside world, the lake-filled crater had long been known to local Inuit who knew it as the "Crystal Eye of Nunavik" for its clear water. The beautiful lake was first observed by the crew of a US Army Air Force plane in June 1943, who used the lake’s strange shape and color for navigation, but pictures of it weren’t made public until 1950.

When Ontario diamond prospector Frederick W. Chubb saw the photographs, he really interested in it, and hoped that this might be an extinct volcano and there was a possibility to find diamonds nearby. Frederick W. Chubb sought after the opinion of geologist V. Ben Meen of the Royal Ontario Museum, who right away saw the possibility of an impact crater. V.Ben Meen organized an expedition to this remote area together with Chubb. It was on this outing that Ben Meen proposed the name "Chubb Crater". After that Meen organized two more expeditions to the crater, and from the data collected from the site, concluded that the structure was a meteorite crater produced from an impact roughly 1.4 million years ago.

The Lake name was later changed to "New Quebec Crater" at the request of the Quebec Geographic Board. In 1999, the lake name was again changed, to "Pingualuit". The crater and the surrounding area are now part of Pingualuit National Park. Pingualuit crater is 3.44 kilometer in diameter. The stunning crater rises 160 meters above the surrounding tundra and is 400 meters deep. A 267 meters deep body of water fills the depression, forming one of the deepest lakes in North America. The lake also holds some of the clean fresh water in the world, with a salinity level of less than 3 ppm. The lake has no inlets or apparent outlets, and water accumulates solely from rain and snow and is only lost through evaporation. The crater is one of most transparent lakes in the world with visibilities up to 35 meters.