#864 Le Tour Hassan and Mausoleum of Mohamed V, Rabat, Morocco

Before I ever saw it, the posters of Yacub Al Mansour's 1195 C.E. mosque in Morocco's capital Rabat intrigued me: 200 pillars of dusty sandstone cast shadows of precision (a testament to early Islamic mathematicians and architects) in the ruined mosque which is overshadowed by Le Tour Hassan (Hassan Tower). Hassan Tower (44m) was intended to be the largest minaret in the world when it was built -- 80m, but it was never finished, and the adjacent mosque, also never completely finished, was destroyed by an earthquake in 1755. Similar to the Giralda in Seville, which was designed by the same architect Jabir, the inside of the minaret is ascended by ramps instead of stairs, allowing the king to ride his horse up. Al Mansour also built (and Jabir also designed) the Koutobia mosque in Marrakech (#988), which is a similar style, but Rabat's mosque's construction stalled after the king's death. 

Overlooking the Oud Bou Regreg (river/inlet) and the twin city of Salé, the Al Mansour esplanade is a prime location very close to the center of the city. It is also the site of the Mausoleum to the current king Mohamed VI's grandfather (Mohamed V) and father (Hassan II). They are laid to rest in richly decorated green-roofed below-ground tomb, and visitors can enter the open chamber from above. A Koran reader is often present, and the complex is guarded by smartly-dressed soldiers both on horseback and standing at attention.

 

Source: Lonely Planet Morocco, 6th Edition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_Tower

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaqub,_Almohad_Caliph

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleum_of_Mohammed_V

#865 Cancun, Mexico

It may be famous for American spring break visitors, and have more flights to the states and Canada than some places on the main continent should have, but these visitors do not come without reason. The beach is absolutely spectacular. It goes on and on, is wide and flat, with beautiful white sand and rolling waves with a delicious turquoise ocean with just the right sized waves -- the perfect temperature in Spring. Mega hotels may have sprung up in their hundreds, the nightclubs offering free drinks all night long may lead to offensive behavior, and there may be just a few too many tourist stalls, but where there are tourists there are jobs, money, better standards of living and other benefits to share. 

The 15 km strip likes on a the outer banks of a lagoon that separates the main city (where the majority of Mexicans live and the backpackers stay) from the high flying golf courses and five star palaces. The Yucatan peninsula where it sits is porous limestone offering fabulous day trips to cenotes (sinkholes), and of course the magic Mayan ruins such as Chichen Itza (#875). Off the coast lies the more laid-back Isla Mujeres and even whale sharks (#915).

#866 Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

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When I was a child, my parents took me to see Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria. I thought it was fantastic and pretty and impressive, but I think I took it for granted that such castles are a normal thing to exist, not connecting the fantastical nature of fairy tales with the unlikelihood of reality. In truth, Disney modeled its Disneyland castle on this one, and not the other way around, and the castle has been open to the public since 1886 when its owner died.

Kept isolated by a smart drawbridge over a deep channel (although reachable by road via another path), it was the epitomy of all the stories -- imagination coming true. There was a fabulous museum with all the furniture and the stories of the family that built it. The reality was a unique imagination of a man - Ludwig II, who not only paid for it without using state funds and hired many local workers to build it, but managed to imagine the magnificent place itself -- a very well-fitted hideaway for a reclusive king -- picturesquely located, of course. 

Beautifully decorated both inside an out in a romanesque style, it is the perfect picture postcard image.

www.8thingstodo.com

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein_Castle

#867 Taxila, Pakistan

Just out of the capital, Islamabad, past its twin city of Rawalpindi, lies one of Pakistan's ancient treasures: Taxila or Takshasila, built by the Achaemenians in 6th century BC. It is one of the regions most rich archaeological sites, though sadly much was destroyed by religious fanatics. Taxila was one of Gandhara's most important cities (Gandhara is the old name for the Peshawar Plain), visited by Alexander the Great, where Mauryan emperor Ashoka built a university. Bactruan Greeks and Kushans both extended this city where it was a centre of culture in a large Central Asian empire until the White Huns destroyed it in the 5th century.

Bhir Mound is often the first place visited, near the museum, which was the Gandharan center, and bears a resemblance to similar Buddhist mounds on the other side of the Indian subcontinent. Streets, shops and steps have been neatly excavated. At the other end of the complex is Jandial, which is of Greek style, including ionic columns. 

Jaulian and Mohra Moradu are complexes further away from the main center, but house the fascinating monk cells of a monastery and the amazing collection of bas relief Buddhas, elephants, and other creatures.

Source: Lonely Planet Pakistan & The Karakoram Highway, 7th Edition
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/139

#868 Mont St. Michel, France

www.wallpaperswide.com

www.patheos.com

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Mont_st_michel_aerial.jpg

When you have a large rock in the middle of a delta on the edge of the ocean, what should you do with it? Turn it into a fortified castle of spectacular proportions! With a maximum height of 90 meters above sea level and a scant 44 population, there are more tourists than locals on any given day! Because it is connected by a tidal causeway (which was only made permanent/dry in 1879), it makes a spectacular picture, surrounded by ocean, when it is high tide, some 14m above the low tide water level.

With a rich history of refuge and strongholds, it was first used as a Gallo-Roman fortification in the 6th century. By the 8th century, when it was called Monte Tombe, it had a more monastic function, and by the 10th century, it was a strategic part of the Normandy defenses. The Romanesque church of the abbey was added in the 11th Century. With narrow streets winding up the hillsides, and an imposing appearance from the distance (and up close). It is an amazing place of living history.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Saint-Michel

#869 Candy Cane Mountains, Azerbaijan

The descriptive name was coined by travel writer Mark Elliot because of the beautiful stripey colors, but there isn't really anything there except a beautiful road through a majestic pink and white valley. Because all farming is still shepherd-driven, there are no fences, nor any buildings. The road is simple and the scenery pretty -- but many visitors come here because of its proximity to the capital Baku. How do you find it? Turn off the main northern highway at the large grain elevator where there is an inconvenient police checkpoint. 

Aside from a couple of abandoned cooperative farms, there is a very small isolated bust of poet Mikayil Mushviq across a small footbridge near the house where he was supposed to have lived. 

One of the most incredible things about the candy canes though, are the super conical bullet-like fossils that litter the ground everywhere. 

Source: Azerbaijan, 4th Edition by Mark Elliot

#870 Shahara, Yemen

At the top of Jebel Shahara in Northern Yemen, a bumpy military escorted pickup truck ride up an ancient cobble-stoned road, lies an old village with timeless traditions that continue much as they would have millenia ago. Women get water from the central cistern every morning, its green cover a sign of its natural state. The multiple story buildings with icing-like whitewash are the same as they were centuries ago, tall buildings for the age they were built and cozy family-centered communities.

The town itself was a mountain fortress because of its inaccessability, and for centuries has been a safe refuge from invadors (Turkish or domestic) for rural people and Imams alike. It was famous for its scholarship, and the beautiful terraced fields allowed it to be self-sufficient in times of crisis.

The Ancient "Bridge of Sighs" a stone arch above a 300 foot canyon built in the 17th Century to connect two mountain towns is still used to carry grain, sheet, and other local products like the addictive narcotic leaf qat and of course, coffee.

This spectacular place is 2600m above sea level and it is a magnificent journey just to get there. Despite being an important tourist site, there are no restaurants and barely a handful of homestay hotels. The military escort on parts of the road is required by the government due to the likelihood of kidnapping militias, and many cars will not stop en route due to the danger. A really amazing place -- I feel lucky to have been here!

Source: http://www.viewzone.com/y-page31.html