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Given below are the top most world heritage sites out of all the world's heritage sites according to the Global Heritage's "Saving Our Vanishing Heritage" report:
1. The Great Wall of China
•Length: 5500.3 mile
•Total site visitors of 24,200,000
•Total revenues of $2,888,000,000
•Major portion of the Great Wall of China was built by the Ming Dynasty
•Begins at Shanhaiguan in the East and stretches till Lop Nur in the West and consists of many walls
•Construction of these numerous walls started from the 5th century BC and many were re-built between the 5th and 16th century AD
2. Forbidden City in Beijing
•World's largest surviving palace complex.
•It is the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor
•Total site visitors of 18,000,000
•Total revenues of $1,920,000,000
•During the period 1420 to 1912, the sprawling palace complex changed hands from the Ming dynasty that ruled from 1368 to 1644 to the Qing dynasty that ruled from 1644 to 1911
3. Great Pyramids of Giza
•On the outskirts of Cairo.
•Historic Cairo has total site visitors of 4,000,000
•Total revenues of $576,000,000
•Of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis, the Pyramid of Khufu (also known as the Pyramid of Cheops) is the oldest and also the largest. It held the record as the tallest building in the world for 3800 years.
4. Celsus Library
•Built in AD 135 in the ruins of ancient Ephesus near Selcuk, 70 km (43 miles) from the western Turkish coastal city of Izmir.
•Ephesus has total site visitors of 3,500,000
•Total revenues of $572,000,000
•Built in 117 AD, the monolithic library was built in honour of Tiberiuis Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, governor of Asia in 115 AD by his son Gaius Julius Aquila.
•The library houses the tomb of Polemaeanus and it was during this time the third richest library in the world.
5. Golden Temple
•The holy Sikh shrine in Amritsar of Guru Gobind Singh.
•Amritsar has total site visitors of 5,500,000
•Total revenues of $460,000,000
•The temple was built under the patronage of Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Sikh Guru.
•The foundation stone of the temple was laid by the Sufi saint Hazrat Mian Mir, a friend of the guru, in 1588 AD.
6. Angkor Wat temple
•The famous Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia is reflected in a pond.
•Angkor has total site visitors of 2,500,000
•Total revenues of $436,000,000
•The temple was built by King Suryavarman II in the early half of the 12th century AD and is the world's largest religious building
7. Teotihuacan
•The Sun pyramids of Teotihuacan are outside Mexico City
•Teotihuacan has total site visitors of 4,200,000
•Total revenues of $432,000,000
8. Machu Picchu
•Machu Picchu is in Cuzco.
•Built around 1450, Machu Picchu is also called 'The Lost City of the Incas'
•Total site visitors of 2,400,000
•Total revenues of $384,000,000
9. Abu Simbel temple
•Abu Simbel temple is 3200 year old
•Located at the upper reaches of the Nile, around 1264 km (785 miles) south of Cairo.
•Abu Simbel has total site visitors of 2,000,000
•Total revenues of $320,000,000
•This temples is also famous for being relocated from its original site during the construction of the Aswan High Dam
10. Thebes
•The ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes.
•Ancient Thebes has total site visitors of 2,000,000
•Total revenues of $320,000,000
•Thebes is the richest and largest archeological site in the world.
11. Taj Mahal
•Taj Mahal is in Agra, India.
•Taj Mahal has total site visitors of 2,400,000
•Total revenues of $288,000,000
•The fantastic Mughal style mausoleum was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal and took 20 years to complete (from 1632 to 1653)
12. Petra
•The cave site where 2,000 year old Hellenstic style wall paintings are being restored in Siq al-Barid in Beidha, nicknamed "Little Petra", about five km (three miles) away from the rock carved city of Petra, southern Jordan.
•Petra has total site visitors of 1,600,000
•Total revenues of $268,800,000
•The cave complex which is famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduits system also features in BBC's "40 places that you must see before you die".
13. Old Havana
•Cuba's Capitol in Havana
•Old Havana and its Fortifications have total site visitors of 1,773,986
•Total revenues of $262,959,440
•Some of the main attractions in Old Havana are the Castillo del Morro, La Cabaña and National Capitol
14. Chichen Itza
•Mayan pyramid El Castillo (The Castle), is in Chichen Itza, in the southern state of Yucatan, Mexico
•The pre-Hispanic city of Chichen Itza has total site visitors of 2,600,000
•Total revenues of $248,000,000
15. Cuzco
•Historical Capital of Peru.
•The city of Cuzco, the erstwhile capital of the Inca empire, has total site visitors of 1,000,000
•Total revenues of $168,000,000
16. Old Damascus
•Old Damascus in in Syria with its Umayad Mosque.
•The ancient city of Damascus has total site visitors of 1,000,000
•Total revenues of $168,000,000
•Some of the attractions in Old Damascus include the Umayad Mosque, the Saladin Shrine, the Azm Palace, Maktab Anbar, Beit al-Mamlouka among others
For more General Knowledge (top 5 and top 10 of every thing) also refer: http://top-five-everything.blogspot.com/ and http://top-ten-anything.blogspot.com/
Also refer for various Home Tips: http://home-tips-tricks.blogspot.com/
