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When most people go to China, they only want to see the Great Wall and Forbidden City in Beijing, walk along the Bund at Shanghai or take in the Terracotta Warriors at Xi’an. Maybe they’ll throw in a visit to Guangzhou or take a Yangtze River cruise. But there’s much more to China than just these famous sites.

There are plenty of amazing tourist attractions in China, from ancient cities to forests to temples to rice fields that look like they’ve been designed by artists to sacred mountains and stunning waterfalls. This desire to explore off the beaten path where Chinese tourists outnumber foreign tourists isn’t just confined to 20-something backpackers. Any traveler armed with a good phrase book, a pot of patience and a marvelous sense of humor should do just fine.

Pudong is a district in Shanghai on the eastern side of the Huangpu River that has emerged as China’s financial and commercial hub. A skyline of gleaming skyscrapers rises out of what was mere farmland only 20 years ago. Skyscrapers includes the symbolic Oriental Pearl Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center, the Jin Mao Building and the Shanghai Tower that was finished in 2014.

See Also: Where to Stay in Shanghai

wikipedia/Jialiang Gao

The Hani Rice Terraces are located on the southern slopes of Ailao Mountain in Yuanyang, and have been cultivated for over 1,000 years. Carved by hand by the Hani people, these rice terraces have turned a barren hillside into a lush sub-tropical paradise. Water is saved in the hilltop forests, and channeled down to the terraces for irrigation. The rice terraces are flooded from December to March, presenting a spectacular view to travelers.

Mt. Emei is home to the first Buddhist temple in China, built in the first century. But the most remarkable of the Emeishan Buddhas is the Leshan Great Buddha that was carved out of a hillside in the eighth century. The statue stands about 71 meters (233 feet) high and has three-meter (11 feet) long fingers on each of its enormous resting hands. The Giant Buddha ended up making the raging rivers below more navigable as stone remnants from the statue were dropped into the water.

One of China’s major tourist destinations, Mount Huang is a mountain range in eastern China also known as Huangshan (“Yellow Mountain”). The area is well known for its scenery, sunsets, peculiarly shaped granite peaks and views of the clouds from above. Frequently shrouded in mist, the many peaks appear to float on clouds and have very fanciful names such as 18 Arhats Worshipping the South Sea, Lotus Flower Peak, Celestial Capital and Paint Brush. In ancient times almost 60,000 stone steps were carved into the side of the mountain range. Today there are also cable cars that tourists can use to ride directly from the base to one of the summits.

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A Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo is the highlight of any trip to northeastern Guangxi Province. With its breathtaking scenery and taste of a life far removed from the concrete metropolis, the scenery along the Li River is one of the top tourist attractions in China. Mist-covered karst mountains dot the landscape adding to the aura of serenity. Traditional fishing boats ply the river, using cormorants to catch their fish. The best way to enjoy the scenery is to take a boat ride between Guilin and Yangshuo; since the terrain is flat, many travelers like to bicycle back.

flickr/Pedro Szekely

This mighty army of terracotta warriors and horses, found in three vaults, is one of the most famous archaeological finds in the world. It is the most popular tourist attraction in Xi’an and one of the most popular in all of China. The 8,000 lifelike terracotta warriors and 130 or so chariots have silently stood guard over the soul of China’s first unifier for more than two millennia. Although the weapons were stolen and the coloring has faded greatly, their existence and the fact that no two soldier’s faces are alike serves as a testament to the amount of labor and skill involved in their construction.

See Also: Where to Stay in Xian

Victoria Harbour is one of the deepest container ports in the world. The bay offers stunning views of the skyscrapers of Hong Kong island on one side, and the Tsim Sha Tsui shoreline on the other. It is also one of the busiest harbors in the world with hundreds of ferries, junks and speedboats darting up and down the shore. Every night, many skyscrapers on both sides of Victoria Harbour light up in a synchronized show, known as one of the largest permanent light and sound festival in the world. One of the best ways to see the harbor is a trip on the Star Ferry.

See Also: Where to Stay in Hong Kong

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Built in the early 15th century, the Forbidden City served as the home for emperors in the Ming and Qing dynasties until Puyi, the last Emperor of China abdicated in 1912. It is a walled complex, surrounded by a moat, that is the world’s largest palatial complex. Legend has it that its 980 buildings contain 9,999 rooms, though the actual number is about a thousand lower. It is unarguably the most popular tourist attraction in Beijing, with the crowds to prove it.

See Also: Where to Stay in Beijing

As the winter palace of the Dalai Lama from the 7th century the Potala Palace in Lhasa symbolizes Tibetan Buddhism and its central role in the traditional administration of Tibet. With over 1,000 rooms, the Potala contained the living quarters of the Dalai Lamas while they lived, and their sumptuous golden tombs when they died. It remained the residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India, after the Chinese invasion in 1959. The palace also houses great amounts of rare cultural relics including gold hand-written Buddhist scriptures and gifts from Chinese emperors. The palace is 14 stories tall and any visit involves climbing a lot of stairs up & down so make sure you are fully acclimated before visiting.

See Also: Where to Stay in Lhasa

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The Great Wall of China is one of man’s greatest engineering feats and longest outdoor museum, stretching from Gansu Province in the west to Shanhaiguan on the Bohai Sea in the east. It was built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 5th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from the attacks of nomadic tribes from the north. Most people will visit the wall somewhere in the Beijing area, where it is more easily accessible and where it snakes impressively over the mountain peaks. It is China’s No. 1 tourist attraction.

Now that autumn has arrived (at least in North America) it might be a good idea to start looking for water parks that have the ability to stay open year-round and are not affected by wind and rain. Indoor water parks love to make claims about being America’s biggest indoor water park or even the world’s largest to attract new customers. But only a few can be among the largest indoor water parks in the world.

To compare these resorts we look at the square footage of the indoor water park under one roof. Keep in mind though that this is a rapidly evolving industry, and new indoor water parks are constantly popping up while old ones are expanding.

wikipedia/Michael Gray

Opened in 06, the Fallsview Indoor Waterpark is located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. It features one large wave pool and several high speed water slides. Other attractions include a jungle-style beach and a beach club-style restaurant. Some sources state that the Fallsview Indoor Waterpark is 125,000 square feet but this also includes the mezzanine and outdoor pool.

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Located in the “Waterpark Capital of the World”, the Kalahari Resorts in Wisconsin Dells opened its door in 00 with an African theme. Its indoor water park was the largest indoor water park in the US until 07 when its sister hotel in Sandusky, finished its indoor water park expansion. The resort also contains a indoor theme park, go-kart tracks, a golf course, and a bowling alley.

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The Beijing National Aquatics Center, also known as the Water Cube, was built for the swimming competitions of the 08 Summer Olympics. After the Olympics, the building underwent a revamp to turn half of its interior into a water park. The redesigned Water Cube contains numerous water rides and slides, a wave pool, and several spa areas.

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The Kalahari Resorts in Sandusky is the largest indoor water park in the US. The water park contains a unique roof system which lets in the most natural light, allowing people to receive a suntan at any time of the year. The resort also features a wave pool, two surfing simulators and a basketball pool. The thrill rides have names such as Tanzanian Twister, Rippling Rhino and Swahili Swirl.

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North America’s largest indoor water park, World Waterpark is part of the West Edmonton Mall, itself one of the largest malls in the world, located in Edmonton, Canada It has a maximum capacity of 40,000 guests and features one of the world’s largest indoor wave pool with waves of approximately 5 to 6 feet. The highest slides at World Waterpark are Twister and Cyclone, which are both 25 meters (83 ft) high.

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Located in Krausnick, Germany, the Tropical Islands Resort is the largest indoor water park in the world. The water park is inside a 107 meter (351 ft) high hangar that stands as the world’s largest single hall without supporting pillars inside. Named Aerium, the structure was originally built as a zeppelin hangar but the airship it was intended to house was never built. A Malaysian company bought the hangar and turned into the Tropical Islands Resort, complete with a rainforest, beach, artificial sun, palm trees, orchids, and birdsong.

India is the world’s seventh-largest country stretching from the high mountains of the Himalayas to the tropical greenery of Kerala, and from the sacred Ganges to the sands of the Thar desert. Its more than one billion inhabitants are divided into two thousand ethnic groups and speak over 0 different languages.

Conform its size and population, India has an almost endless variety of cultures, landscapes, monuments and places to explore. From the ancient ruins, fascinating religious structures, exotic cities and diverse landscape there is an endless collection of tourist attractions in India that will never cease to awe and fascinate the visitor.

The Kerala backwaters are a chain of lagoons and lakes lying parallel to the Arabian Sea coast in the Kerala state. The Kerala backwaters are home to many unique species of aquatic life including crabs, frogs and mudskippers, water birds and animals such as otters and turtles. Today, houseboat tourism is the most popular tourist activity in the backwaters, with several large Kettuvallams (traditional rice boats, now converted into floating hotels)ply the waterways.

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The Lake Palace in Lake Pichola in the city of Udaipur was built as a royal summer palace in the 18th century. Today it is a luxury 5 Star hotel, operating under the “Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces”. The Lake Palace hotel operates a boat which transports guests to the hotel from a jetty at the City Palace on the east bank of Lake Pichola. The palace became famous in 1983 when it was featured in the James Bond film Octopussy, as the home of titular character.

See Also: Where to Stay in Udaipur

The Virupaksha Temple in the city of Hampi started out as a small shrine and grew into a large complex under the Vijayanagara rulers. It is believed that this temple has been functioning uninterruptedly ever since the small shrine was built in the 7th century AD which makes it one of the oldest functioning Hindu temples in India.

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Palolem is the most southerly of Goa’s developed beaches and also one of the most beautiful. It is a natural bay surrounded by lofty headlands on either sides, resulting in a calm, idyllic sea with a gently sloping bed. For those who believe a beach cannot be paradise without a decent selection of cheap restaurants and good hotels, a dose of nightlife and plenty of like-minded people Palolem is the place to be.

See Also: Where to Stay in Palolem

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Kanha National Park is among the most beautiful wildlife reserves in Asia and one of best places to catch a glimpse of a tiger in India. The lush sal and bamboo forests, grassy meadows and ravines of Kanha provided inspiration to Rudyard Kipling for his famous novel “Jungle Book” and make this one of the top attractions in India.

flickr/Guilhem Vellut

The Harmandir Sahib, better known as the Golden Temple is the main tourist attraction in Amritsar, and the most important religious place to the Sikhs. Construction of the temple was begun by Guru Ramdas ji. in the 16th century. In the 19th century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh the upper floors of the temple were covered with gold. It’s a stunning temple, and always full of thousands of pilgrims from all over India, excited to be at a place that they usually only see on television.

See Also: Where to Stay in Amritsar

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Located in Rajasthan’s remote westernmost corner close to the border with Pakistan, Jaisalmer is the quintessential desert town. The yellow sandstone walls of the “Golden City” rise from the Thar desert like a scene from the Arabian Nights while the Jaisalmer Fort crowns the city. Uncontrolled commercialism has dampened the romantic vision of Jaisalmer, but even with all the touts and tour buses, it remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in India.

See Also: Where to Stay in Jaisalmer

The Ajanta Caves are rock-cut cave monuments dating from the 2th century BC. The magnificent Ajanta caves were abandoned around 650 AD and forgotten until 1819, when a British hunting party stumbled upon them. Their isolation contributed to the fine state of preservation in which some of their paintings remain to this day. The well preserved murals depict everything from battlefields to sailing ships, city streets and teeming animal-filled forests to snow-capped mountains. The city of Aurangabad is the gateway to the Ajanta Caves as well as the equally spectacular Ellora Caves.

flickr/Nico Crisafulli

Situated on the banks of the River Ganges, Varanasi is sacred to Hindus, Buddhists and Jains and also one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. In many ways Varanasi epitomizes the very best and worst aspects of India, and it can be a little overwhelming. The scene of pilgrims doing their devotions in the River Ganges at sunrise set against the backdrop of the centuries old temples is probably one of the most impressive sights in the world.

See Also: Where to Stay in Varanasi

flickr/Dennis Jarvis

The Taj Mahal in Agra is an immense mausoleum of white marble, built between 1632 and 1653 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife. Called “a teardrop on the cheek of eternity” it is one of the masterpieces of Mughal architecture, and one of the great tourist attractions in India. Besides the white domed marble mausoleum the Taj Mahal includes several other beautiful buildings, reflecting pools, and extensive ornamental gardens with flowering trees and bushes.

See Also: Where to Stay in Agra

More India tourist attractions can be found in the Explore India page.

Known as “The Sunshine State”, Florida is heavily focused on the tourist trade. The beaches are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Florida, along with some of the world’s best known theme parks, including Disney World, Universal Studios, and SeaWorld. However some of the state’s best secrets are in secluded locations away from tourist areas and well worth seeing. Regardless of preference Florida has something to offer for any kind of traveler.

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Amelia Island is one of the southernmost of the Sea Islands, a chain of barrier islands that stretches from South Carolina to Florida. Amelia Island is home to Fernandina Beach, a charming shrimping village with 50 blocks of historic buildings, delightful eateries, and unique B&Bs and six golf courses.

See Also: Where to Stay in Amelia Island

Located in the city of St. Augustine, The Castillo de San Marcos site is the oldest masonry fort in the United States. Given the fine state of the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument it’s difficult to believe that the fortress was built in the late 10s. Its longevity is due to its design: a diamond-shaped rampart at each corner maximized firepower, and 14 feet thick walls reduced its vulnerability to attack. St Augustine itself is a small jewel of a city known as the oldest European settlement in the United States, full of romantic ambiance and old world charm.

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Universal Orlando Resort is the top ranked challenger to Disney, as the largest of the Universal Studios Theme Parks. The resort consists of two theme parks: The original Universal Studios Florida and the second theme park, Islands of Adventure. Other attractions include a nightclub and restaurant complex, CityWalk, and three resort hotels.

See Also: Where to Stay in Orlando

Located on the Atlantic coast, Fort Lauderdale is known as the “Venice of America” due to its expansive and intricate canal system. The city is most famous for its beaches and boats. Once a major spring break destination it is now a stylish and sophisticated city. Central along the beach strip is Fort Lauderdale Beach, with its crisp, new, wavy-walked promenade separating the beach from the low-rise lodgings, restaurants, and beach shops.

See Also: Where to Stay in Florida

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Kennedy Space Center has been the launch site for every US human space flight since 1968 and currently operates as a launch site for unmanned rockets. It is also one of Florida’s tourist attractions and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex offers museums, movies, a rocket garden and bus tours of important shuttle preparation and launch facilities. Before a rocket launch, the Visitor Complex also sells “launch passes” but keep in mind that for safety reasons, the closest approach available is at least 4 miles away, and often much further.

Take a Kennedy Space Center Day Trip from Orlando

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Walt Disney World, located in Lake Buena Vista near Orlando, is the flagship of Disney’s worldwide theme park empire and the most popular tourist attraction in Florida. It is also by far, the world’s largest and most-visited theme park resort. The centerpieces of Walt Disney World are the four theme parks: The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Some visitors describe it as a place of fun, magic and fantasy while others complain of crowds, artifice, and unrelenting tackiness.

See Also: Where to Stay in Orlando

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Key West is known as the southernmost city in the continental United States and is located closer to Havana than to Miami. For many years, Key West was the largest town in Florida, and it grew prosperous from the valuables of shipwrecks. Improved navigation led to fewer shipwrecks, and Key West went into a decline in the late 19th century. Although Key West today has been heavily restored and revitalized for the one million tourists that visit the island each year, the town has retained some of its sense of individualism and isolation, somewhat detached from the rest of Florida. Tourist attractions on Key West include Ernest Hemingway’s former home, the Southernmost Point, the lighthouse and several drinking establishments.

See Also: Where to Stay in Key West

flickr/Brian Evans

To the uninitiated, the Everglades might appear as a big swamp but it is actually a vast, shallow, slow moving river of grass that extends from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay. During the dry season it dries up except for the deeper places. It is an incredibly unique ecosystem, a subtropical wilderness that supports creatures such as alligators, bottlenose dolphins, manatees and bald eagles. And amid the mangroves, cypress, hardwood hammocks and miles of grass, there are endless opportunities in the everglades for hiking, bicycling, canoing, kayaking, boating, camping and fishing.

Before Miami Vice, South Beach was a place where crime kept residents indoors at night and hotels stood mostly vacant. In the late 1980s helped by the TV show’s popularity a renaissance began in South Beach, with an influx of fashion industry professionals moving into the area. Today South Beach is the most popular and richest area of Miami Beach and one of the top tourist attractions in Florida. The area is known for its hip clubs and wild nightlife as well as its famous art deco design.

The Overseas Highway, also known as U.S. Highway 1, connects the Florida Keys with the mainland. It stretches 127.5 miles (205.2 km) into the Gulf of Mexico, from Key Largo, Islamadora, Marathon, Lower Keys and finally to Key West, the most distant and most famous island. Much of the highway uses a route that was originally a railroad, originally built by the Overseas Railroad that was finished in 1912, but was pretty much destroyed by a major hurricane in 1935. The present highway opened in 1938, with one bridge that is almost seven miles long. The Seven Mile Bridge has been featured in films such as True Lies, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and Mission Impossible III.

See Also: Where to Stay in Florida Keys

More USA tourist attractions can be found in the Explore the USA page or checkout these beach resorts in Florida.

A dome is a hemispherical structure usually forming a ceiling or roof. Dome structures made of various materials have been used throughout history by several different civilizations. In the ancient Near East domes were made as tombs of solid mounds. The Inuit in the Arctic created their igloos from blocks of compacted snow, generally in the form of a dome.

Domes became technically significant with the introduction of the large-scale masonry hemispheres by the ancient Romans. The Sassanid Empire initiated the construction of the first large-scale domes in Persia while they regained popularity in Europe during the Renaissance and Baroque periods resulting in some of the most famous domes in the world.

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Situated atop Capitol Hill in Washington DC, the Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress. The first session of Congress was held at the Capitol on November 17, 1800, although the building was still incomplete. The cast iron dome of the Capitol is not the first dome to sit above the building, but the second. The initial dome was replaced after the Capitol was expanded in the 1850s to accommodate the growing number of legislators from newly admitted states. The expansion more than doubled the length of the Capitol, but also dwarfed the original, timber-framed dome.

Built in the 17th century, St. Paul’s Cathedral is one of London’s most famous and most recognizable sights. The Cathedral was heroically saved by firefighters when it was bombed during the Second World War. Its impressive dome was inspired by St Peter’s Basilica in Rome and rises 108 meters (365 ft) to the cross at its summit. The tall outer dome is actually non-structural but impressive to view, while two lower inner domes provides a balanced interior.

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The Great Stupa at Sanchi is the oldest stone structure in India and was originally commissioned by emperor Ashoka the Great in the 3rd century BC. Its core was a simple brick dome, supposedly built over the relics of the Buddha. The stupa was expanded a century later with stone slabs to almost twice its original size. The dome was flattened near the top and crowned by three superimposed parasols within a square railing.

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Located in Cornwall, the Eden Project is the world’s largest greenhouse. The project took 2½ years to construct and opened its doors to the public in 01. The Eden Project is dominated by two huge enclosures consisting of adjoining domes that house plant species from around the world. The first enclosure emulates a tropical environment, and the second a Mediterranean environment. The domes consist of hundreds of hexagonal and pentagonal, inflated, plastic cells supported by steel frames.

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Built in the early 16th century, the Lotfollah Mosque (or Sheikh Lotf Allah Mosque) in Isfahan, Iran, is one of the architectural masterpieces of Persian architecture. The mosque was intended as a private mosque of the royal court, unlike the Shah Mosque (see below), which was meant for the public. For this reason, the mosque does not have any minarets and is of a smaller size. Throughout history, the Lotfollah Mosque has often been referred to as the Domed Mosque because of its beautiful flattened dome.

The Reichstag was originally completed in 1894 to meet the need of the newly-unified German Empire for a larger parliamentary building. Its architect, Paul Wallot, intended the Reichstag to resemble a Renaissance palace. In 1933 the building was severely damaged in a fire set by a Dutch communist , an event infamously exploited by the Nazis. After the reunification of Germany it became the meeting place of the modern German parliament, the Bundestag. The Reichstag has undergone considerable restoration and alteration, not least the addition of a spectacular glass dome designed by the British architect Norman Foster. The dome has a spectacular 360-degree view of the surrounding Berlin cityscape.

Begun in 1296 in the Gothic style and completed in 1436, The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is Florence’s beautiful cathedral and symbol of the city. The basilica is one of Italy’s largest churches, and until the modern era, the famous dome was the largest in the world. It remains the largest brick dome ever constructed.

The Shah Mosque (or Imam Mosque)in Isfahan, Iran is regarded as one of the masterpieces of Persian Architecture. Its construction began in 1611, and its splendor is mainly due to the beauty of its seven color mosaic tiles and calligraphic inscriptions. The Safavids dynasty initiated a renaissance in Persian dome building and the dome of the Shah Mosque would become the tallest in Isfahan reaching a height of 53 meters (74 ft). The distinct feature of this and other Persian domes was the colorful tiles, with which they covered the exterior of their domes, as they would on the interior.

Initially completed in 691 AD, the Dome of the Rock is one of the first and most familiar achievements of Islamic architecture. Located on the Temple Mount it stands on one of the most contested religious sites in the world. Despite common conceptions, the Dome of the Rock is not a mosque, but a shrine which protects beneath its high ceiling, a sacred rock. The Dome is probably the most spectacular building in the Old City, topped with a dazzling golden dome visible from afar, the interior layered with glittering ceramics, mosaics and Arabic calligraphy.

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The Pantheon in Rome was built in 126 AD as a temple for all the Roman gods and served as a Roman Catholic Church since the 7th century. The temple is topped with a concrete dome with a central opening: the oculus. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon’s famous dome is still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world.

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Construction on the St. Peter Basilica in Rome began in 1506 and was completed in 1615. It was to the famous domes of the Pantheon and Florence Duomo that the architects of St. Peter’s looked for solutions as to how to go about building what was conceived, from the outset, as the greatest dome of Christendom. In 1547 Michelangelo redesigned the dome, taking into account all that had gone before. The dome of St. Peter’s rises to a total height of 136.57 meters (448.1 ft) from the floor of the basilica to the top of the external cross. It is the tallest dome in the world.

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Dating from the sixth century, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul was originally the cathedral of Constantinople but became a mosque in the 15th century when The Ottomans conquered the city. The Hagia Sophia is now a museum. A masterwork of Roman engineering, the massive dome (31 meters or 102 feet in diameter) covers what was for over 1000 years the largest enclosed space in the world.

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The Taj Mahal in Agra is an immense mausoleum of white marble, built between 1632 and 1653 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife. The most spectacular feature of the Taj Mahal is the marble dome that surmounts the tomb. Its height of around 35 meters (115 ft) is about the same as the length of the base, and is accentuated as it sits on a cylindrical drum. The top of the famous dome is decorated with a lotus design.

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The famously colorful St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow was built between 1534 and 1561 by Ivan the Terrible to commemorate the capture of the Tatar strongholds of Kazan and Astrakhan. The building’s design has no analogues in Russian architecture and nothing similar can be found in centuries of Byzantine tradition before the cathedrals construction. Saint Basil’s Cathedral contains 9 onion domes, a type of dome that became the predominant form for church domes in Russia.