El Fuerte de Samaipata is an ancient archaeological site located in Santa Cruz Department, Florida Province, Bolivia. It is situated in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountain and is a big tourist attraction in South America. The unique site features a stone hill carved with a variety of figures, of animals like jaguars, snakes and cats and geometric figures, and has been designated a World Heritage Site. Samaipata, located in the department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, lies about 120 kilometres to the southwest of the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The inner area of the site has been cordoned off to prevent damage being caused by visitors as well as erosion caused by the waterfall. The site is under the supervision of Stonewatch, a non profit society and academy for conservation and documentation of rock art. History: Samaipata  [...]

The Ka’ba (Arabic word meaning ‘cube’) is the holiest pilgrimage site of Islam. It is a cube shaped building located within the courtyard of al-Haram Mosque in Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Qibla, the direction towards which the Muslims face during their prayer, is the direction facing the Ka’ba. The Ka’ba houses a mysterious Black Stone, which was highly revered in Mecca during the pre-Islamic days as well. Muslim pilgrims circumambulate (Tawaf) the Ka’ba during Umrah (lesser pilgrimage) while about three million pilgrims circle the holy building on a single day during Haj. The building dates back to pre-Islamic times and according to tradition, the first building at the site was erected by Abraham, the great patriarch known to be the ‘Father of the people of Israel’. The Ka’ba is open mainly for the Muslim devotees. Ka’ba  [...]

Mount Olga (or the Olgas) or Kata Tjuta(aboriginal name of the Olgas) is a collection of a large dome-shaped rock formations located about 365 km southwest of the city of Alice Springs in Northern Territory in Australia. Kata Tjuta, along with Uluru or the Ayers Rock, located 50 km away, form the two major landmarks within Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The Olgas like the Uluru (Ayers Rock) are sacred sites to the Aborigines since ancient times. Naming of Olgas: Mt. Olga was named by Ernest Giles in 1872 in the honour of Queen Olga of Württemberg. This was done at the behest of Baron Ferdinand von Mueller. Beliefs: The Aborigines regard Mount Olga as the home of the snake Wanambi. The domed rocks on the eastern side, on the other hand, are identified with ancestors known as the mice women while those in the south-west are where  [...]

Uluru (formerly called ‘Ayers Rock’) is a mammoth sandstone rock located in central Australia (south of Northern Territory). Uluru, along with Kata Tjuta (‘the Olgas’) were considered sacred places by the Anangu (aboriginal people). A new sunrise viewing site called ‘Talinguru Nyakuntjaku’ (meaning ‘place to look from the sand dune’) has been recently opened on the eastern side of Uluru. The land here is owned by the Anangu and is jointly managed by the Anangu and the Australian parks and management services. Uluru is a beautiful tourism site and features many caves, waterholes and ancient rock paintings. The rock derives its rust colour from oxidation while the glowing effect at sunrise and sunset is caused by its arkosic sandstone. History: Archaeological evidences suggest that the earliest human settlements that  [...]