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Originally constructed in the mid-16th century, Saint Basil's Cathedral looms majestically near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, and has stood watch over countless historical and political events in the country's history.

1. IT WAS BUILT BY IVAN THE TERRIBLE.

The first Tsar of Russia, Ivan Vasilyevich-also known as Ivan Grozny (a nickname meaning "sparking terror or fear," or "stern"), Ivan IV, and the Grand Prince of Moscow-ordered the construction of the cathedral in 1554. Ivan, grandson of Ivan the Great, saw the cathedral's completion in 1561, but upon his death was interred at the nearby Archangel Cathedral.

2. THE CATHEDRAL WAS CONSTRUCTED IN HONOR OF A MILITARY CONQUEST.

Ivan's goal of military dominance over a central Russian state led to numerous conflicts during his reign. In the 1550s, his armies defeated the independent Tatar khanates of Kazan and Astrakahn, and the church was built in honor of those victories.

3. IVAN ALLEGEDLY BLINDED THE CATHEDRAL'S ARCHITECT.

Stories and myths abound of Ivan's raging temper, one of which involves him purposefully blinding the cathedral's (unnamed) Italian architect so that its design could never be replicated. Other legends state that the architects were a pair of Russians named Barma and Posnik, or that they may have been one person.

4. MANY NAMES HAVE GRACED THE CATHEDRAL.

Dedicated to the protection of the Virgin Mary, the church is officially known as the Church of the Intercession, or the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin on the Moat. It has also been called Pokrovsky Cathedral, Pokrovsky Sobor, and Svyatoy Vasily Blazhenny.

5. IT WAS EVENTUALLY NAMED FOR A RUSSIAN 'FOOL.'

Born in 1468, Basil (also called the Blessed, the Beatific, and the Wonderworker of Moscow) was the son of commoners and was trained to be a cobbler. He became known for his prophetic powers and for being a "fool for Christ," and following his death in 1557 was buried in the cathedral that would take its name after him.

6. THE CATHEDRAL IS MADE UP OF NINE CHAPELS.

Built around the 156-foot high central nave are nine small, separate chapels that are aligned to points on the compass, four of which are raised to designate their position between heaven and earth. The chapels are dedicated to the Protecting Veil of Mary; the Entry into Jerusalem, Saints Kiprian and Ustinia, the Holy Trinity, St. Nicholas Velikoretsky, St. Gregory of Armenia, St. Barlaam Khutynsky, St. Alexander Svirsky, and the Three Patriarchs. The ninth chapel was added in honor of Saint Basil.

7. THE BRILLIANT COLORS WEREN'T ADDED FOR OVER 200 YEARS.

The cathedral's original color was said to be white to match the white stone of the Kremlin, while the domes were gold. Starting in the 17th century, the façade and domes began to be painted in the remarkable colors that are seen today, and the pigment is said to be taken from a Biblical description, in the Book of Revelation, of the Kingdom of Heaven.

8. IT IS ONE OF THE CENTERPIECES OF RED SQUARE.

The large open square and market area in Moscow has been the geographic and metaphorical center of Russian life since the 15th century. The square, called Krasnaya Ploschad in Russian, measures 800,000 square feet and houses, at its western end, the historic fortress and government building known as the Kremlin. A number of beautiful cathedrals, including the Assumption Cathedral, are situated in Cathedral Square, and at the southern end stands Saint Basil's. Other historic buildings and monuments in Red Square are the State Historical Museum; a white stone platform called the Lobnoye Mesto; the former State Department Store called GUM; and Lenin's Tomb.

9. IT IS NOW MOSTLY A SECULAR BUILDING.

Confiscated by the state after the Bolshevik Revolution, Saint Basil's has been a museum and tourist attraction since 1929. Occasional church services have been held there since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990, and every October the cathedral hosts a service in honor of the Day of Intercession.

10. A REPLICA STANDS NEAR THE RUSSIA-CHINA BORDER.

In the city of Jalainur, situated in northeastern Inner Mongolia about 3200 miles west of Moscow and nearly 700 miles north of Beijing, a scale model of the cathedral was built but has never been used as a church. Photographer Davide Montoleone documented the strange sight of the building, which houses a children's science museum and sells fake fossils, during a 2015 visit and noted the beautiful turrets and domes are actually just a shell and, like the fossils, are not real.

11. A SOVIET ARCHITECT WENT TO A GULAG TO SAVE IT.

Upon Joseph Stalin's ascent to the head of the Soviet Union, Saint Basil's fell out of favor and was in danger of being destroyed in order to make room on Red Square for larger demonstrations and marches. Architect Pyotr Baranovsky supposedly sent a telegram to Stalin saying he would rather kill himself than demolish the historic cathedral, and subsequently spent five years in prison. During that time the state's attitude changed and Saint Basil's was spared.

12. IT IS A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE.

In 1990, the Kremlin and Red Square were named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. It is one of 16 UNESCO cultural sites in Russia.

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Originally constructed in the mid-16th century, Saint Basil's Cathedral looms majestically near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, and has stood watch over countless historical and political events in the country's history. 1. IT WAS BUILT BY IVAN THE TERRIBLE.

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The Great Sphinx is at Giza near Cairo in Egypt. It sits in a depression to the south of the pyramid of the Pharaoh Khafre (Chephren) at the west bank of the Nile River. The Sphinx is a stone sculpture of a creature with a human head and a lion's body. The greatest monumental sculpture in the ancient world, its body is 200 feet (60m)long and 65 feet (20m) tall. Its face is 13 feet (4m) wide.

An accumulating body of evidence, both archaeological and geological, shows the Sphinx is far older than the 4th Dynasty (2575-2467 BCE) and was restored by Khafre during his reign. The name 'Sphinx' means 'strangler' but the purpose of the Sphinx is not known. Some archaeologists assume that it was a memorial to a Pharaoh or that it functioned as some sort of talisman or guardian god. Other scholars believe the Sphinx as an astronomical observation device that marked the position of the rising sun on the day of the spring equinox in the time of Leo the Lion.

The statue is eroding today because of wind and humidity and the smog from Cairo. Attempts to restore it have often caused more harm than good. Present attempts at restoration are under the control of the Supreme Council of Antiquities' archaeologists. They are working to drain away underground water.

Construction

The Sphinx is a monolith carved into the bedrock of the plateau, which also served as the quarry for the pyramids and other monuments in the area. The nummulitic limestone of the area consists of layers which offer differing resistance to erosion (mostly caused by wind and windblown sand), leading to the uneven degradation apparent in the Sphinx's body. The lowest part of the body, including the legs, is solid rock. The body of the lion up to its neck is fashioned from softer layers that have suffered considerable disintegration. The layer in which the head was sculpted is much harder.

Origin and identity

The Great Sphinx is one of the world's largest and oldest statues, but basic facts about it are still subject to debate, such as when it was built, by whom and for what purpose.

Names of the Sphinx

It is impossible to identify what name the creators called their statue, as the Great Sphinx does not appear in any known inscription of the Old Kingdom and there are no inscriptions anywhere describing its construction or its original purpose. In the New Kingdom, the Sphinx was called Hor-em-akhet ( English: Horus of the Horizon; Hellenized: Harmachis), and the pharaoh Thutmose IV (1401-1391 or 1397-1388 BC) specifically referred to it as such in his "Dream Stele."

The commonly used name " Sphinx" was given to it in classical antiquity, about 2000 years after the commonly accepted date of its construction by reference to a Greek mythological beast with a lion's body, a woman's head and the wings of an eagle (although, like most Egyptian sphinxes, the Great Sphinx has a man's head and no wings).

Builder and timeframe

It's thought by modern Egyptology that the Great Sphinx was built in approximately 2500 BC for the pharaoh Khafra, the builder of the Second Pyramid at Giza.

There is not one single inscription which connects the Sphinx with Khafre; so the evidence that Khafra built it is still not proven.

A diorite statue of Khafre, which was discovered buried upside down along with other debris in the Valley Temple, is supports the Khafra theory.

Missing nose and beard

The one-metre-wide nose on the face is missing. Examination of the Sphinx's face shows that long rods or chisels were hammered into the nose, one down from the bridge and one beneath the nostril, then used to pry the nose off towards the south.

There is a story that the nose was broken off by a cannonball fired by Napoleon's soldiers. Other variants indict British troops, the Mamluks, and others. Sketches of the Sphinx by the Dane Frederic Louis Norden, made in 1737 and published in 1755 show the Sphinx missing its nose. This predates Napoleon's birth in 1769.

In addition to the lost nose, a ceremonial pharaonic beard is thought to have been attached, although this may have been added in later periods after the original construction. Egyptologist Vassil Dobrev has suggested that had the beard been an original part of the Sphinx, it would have damaged the chin of the statue upon falling. The lack of visible damage supports his theory that the beard was a later addition.

Residues of red pigment are visible on areas of the Sphinx's face. Traces of yellow and blue pigment have been found elsewhere on the Sphinx, that might mean it "was once painted in comic book like colors".

Images for kids

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The Great Sphinx is at Giza near Cairo in Egypt. It sits in a depression to the south of the pyramid of the Pharaoh Khafre (Chephren) at the west bank of the Nile River. The Sphinx is a stone sculpture of a creature with a human head and a lion's body.

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https://wiki.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Parthenon

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Great Wall of China Facts

Check out our fun Great Wall of China facts for kids. Learn how long the Great Wall of China is, why it was built, what kind of materials it's made from and lots more.

Read on and enjoy learning about the Great Wall of China with our range of interesting trivia and information for kids.

Rather than being one long continuous wall, the Great Wall of China is made up of a number of different sections. These sections were built by various dynasties over a long period of time from stone and other materials.

Its main purpose was protection against attacks and invasions from the north.

The Great Wall of China stretches around 6300 kilometres (3915 miles) in length. If you measure the length of all the different sections of wall, the distance is more like 22000 kilometres (13670 miles).

The Great Wall of China is the longest structure ever built by humans.

The widest section of the wall is around 9 metres (30 ft).

The highest point of the wall is around 8 metres (26 ft)

The first parts of the wall were built over 2000 years ago.

A large number of workers have lost their lives while building the wall.

Major rebuilding of the Great Wall of China took place during the Ming Dynasty that began in the 14th century. Construction during this time was strong due to the use of stone and brick.

Earlier sections of the wall were made from stone, wood and compacted earth.

Some of the well maintained areas of the wall, such as those near Beijing, are popular tourist destinations.

While some parts of the wall have been preserved or renovated, other parts have been vandalised or destroyed to make way for construction.

Rumours that astronauts can see the Great Wall of China from the Moon with the naked eye are untrue.

Great Wall of China Facts

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Great Wall of China Facts Check out our fun Great Wall of China facts for kids. Learn how long the Great Wall of China is, why it was built, what kind of materials it's made from and lots more. Read on and enjoy learning about the Great Wall of China with our range of interesting trivia and information for kids.

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Taj Mahal Facts

Enjoy our range of fun Taj Mahal facts for kids. Learn who it was built for, what the name means, how long it took to build, what it is made from, where it is located and much more.

Read on and enjoy interesting information and fun trivia about the Taj Mahal, a World Heritage Site often referred to as one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

The Taj Mahal is a famous mausoleum in India.

A mausoleum is a building that contains burial chambers (tombs) for the deceased, they can be large or small and are often created in honor of influential people.

The Taj Mahal is located in Agra, a city in the Uttar Pradesh region of northern India.

It was built as the final resting place for Mumtaz Mahal, the third wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

The name Taj Mahal means "crown of palaces".

Construction of the Taj Mahal took around 20 years, beginning around 1632 and finishing around 1653.

The Taj Mahal is made of white marble.

One of the Taj Mahal's most recognizable features is a large white dome that is often called an 'onion dome' due to its shape. It has a height of around 35 metres (115 feet) and is surrounded by 4 smaller domes.

The full height of the Taj Mahal is 171 metres (561 feet).

The Taj Mahal is considered to be one of India's most admired works of art, as well as a famous landmark and a tourist attraction that draws millions of visitors every year.

The Taj Mahal complex includes a large garden, a reflecting pool, a mosque and other mausoleums.

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Taj Mahal Facts for Kids - Interesting Information about the Taj Mahal in India

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Taj Mahal Facts Enjoy our range of fun Taj Mahal facts for kids. Learn who it was built for, what the name means, how long it took to build, what it is made from, where it is located and much more.

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Fun Leaning Tower of Pisa Facts for Kids - Interesting Trivia & Information

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Enjoy our fun Leaning Tower of Pisa facts for kids. Find a wide range of interesting trivia and information related to one of the most iconic structures in the world.

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Fun Eiffel Tower Facts for Kids - Interesting Information about the Eiffel Tower

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Learn how tall the Eiffel Tower is, how much it weighs, why it was built, who it is named after, how much is sways in the wind and much more. Read on and enjoy a range of trivia and interesting information about the Eiffel Tower.